Grad Interviews

Tumo Masire

Tell us a bit about yourself and what your plans are for next year.

I am originally from Botswana and moved to Cape Town to do Computer Science and Economics as an undergraduate degree. I have recently just completed my honours in Computer Science.

I have held a few jobs here and there and currently; I am working for a company 123Tutors. They plan to assist me in getting a visa or critical skills visa to move to South Africa next year.

I know you’re an international student, which entails many additional challenges that come with that. Could you tell us a little bit about the challenges you face?

It’s quite tricky acquiring full-time employment. Often job fairs are looking for South African applicants only, which can be disappointing when I feel I am qualified for the position. I’ve managed to work for startups, which tend to be a little bit more flexible with their hiring policy.

When working as an international student, one needs to just remain aware and have a discussion with your employer. If they are open to working with you, you can try to work part-time and then if you prove useful, then you can discuss sliding it into a full-time position. Who will you be working with in 2022?

I’m going to be working with 123Tutors in 2022. I’m foreign labour, so the same South African rules don’t apply to me about not being able to work full-time on a student visa.

Hopefully, I will have gotten a critical skills visa by the end of 2021 and then in 2022, I’ll be able to move to South Africa and take up a full-time position with them.

Could you give us some advice on the interview process?

There are three types of interviews I have experienced. Firstly, the whiteboard interview. This was more popular before COVID where you actually write code on a whiteboard. The other one is a coding challenge, where you log on to an online IDE with the employer and they can watch you code in real-time. The third is project-based, where they will give you starter code and you would need to solve it the remainder.

Firstly, be comfortable with the language you want to use for interviews, even if it isn’t the company’s main language. Secondly, employers want to see how you think and how you break down the problem. They are not always too concerned that you arrived at the correct solution. So, it’s good to just talk out loud and walk the interviewer through what you’re thinking. Even if the code does not run, they are looking for a good thought process. Then, if you have enough time, comment up your code and make it clean.

Do you have any advice for the incoming grads?

There’s a fine line between overworking and under schooling. I would recommend getting a part-time job. HOWEVER, some of my peers really struggled and it became a difficult balancing act. You can try it out, but if things aren’t working out, then I do recommend that you quit the job and focus on your grades. Make sure to communicate your schooling situation with your employers, you need to have sufficient flexibility to focus on exams and big projects.

University is a very helpful tool as it teaches you how to think and how to learn. It doesn’t give you all the answers. So, getting out there in the workplace environment can also help push you and improve your coding and development abilities.

Lynn Weyn

Why did you choose to become a developer?

Back in high school I didn’t really know what I wanted to become one day, but then I went to various open days and saw that computer science/development programs is the right combination of all my interests – problem-solving, creativity, determinism, and being able to see the result you put together.

Where will you be working next year and why did you choose to work there?

Electrum Payments. I did an internship there in my second year, it was my first opportunity to use the theory learnt at university in the real world. I truly enjoyed the work and company culture, and when they offered me a bursary and a job for after honours, I was stoked!

What was the interview process like?

I was interviewed for my internship, and it was a one-hour technical interview where I answered coding questions on a whiteboard to demonstrate my knowledge on the fundamentals of Java.

Where would you like your career to be a few years from now?

I plan to spend quite a few years at Electrum and see where that takes me. In the far future, I hope to steer my career towards game development.

What advice are you able to give to future graduates?

Apply to as many companies within your field of interest as possible, even if their website says you need a few years of experience – you miss all the shots that you don’t take!

Kialan Pillay

When did you realize you wanted to become a developer?

I realized very early on when I was about 10 or 11. I was exposed to Scratch as my first programming language. After Scratch, I was introduced to Java the following year. It was very basic and then I also learnt Web development on my own and then it grew from there. Soon, I realized this is what I wanted to do.

What has been your attitude towards succeeding in university?

I have always had a positive mindset about learning, challenging myself with interesting courses. Often courses do not live up to expectations, but I’ve always been of the impression that university is meant to facilitate your learning. It’s really a place of facilitation rather than prescription, which is part of what makes it challenging.

How did you find being so much younger than the rest of your class?

I skipped from grade 2 to grade 5, which was a bit of an adjustment at the time. The reason it worked is I went to a very small Christian school. There was one teacher for grades four and five. Being so small, it was not viable to split these classes. So, I spent a full two days in grade four and then realized that if I moved my desk to the opposite side of the classroom I would be in grade 5. Having learnt to read at the age of two really catalysed my educational journey, providing a foundation from which I still work today.

How has your attitude facilitated your learning and your future career?

I am someone who does not typically like chilling. I do lead a balanced life, but I always want to be doing something. I like to be able to facilitate my own schedule and choose what I want to do. Even at UCT, I’ve been very open and accepting of the flexibility. You have to embrace not knowing what is going to happen next. Although I have a plan for next year, I can still easily move around within that which is very exciting for me.

You also do not really know what your fit is, you need some work experience before you can find what you really want to do. But the industry is so incredibly vast that it is great to just be able to jump in and experience it and not have the next 30-40 years mapped out. I find that very exciting especially within the realm of computer science. You can probably switch into a field like robotics and go and work in Agri-tech. We are very lucky to have that mobility.

How do you deal with Imposter Syndrome?

It’s a high-pressure environment and a lot of people suffer from imposter syndrome. There are a lot of developers coming into the industry and a lot of them are incredibly talented. It becomes a question of not only finding your fit but are you even good enough to fit in?

I think it generally just comes down to being fearless and brave and just, you need to understand it’s okay to fail and you can only learn from that. You may be surrounded by people that are smarter and much more experienced than you, but that’s fine because you can learn from them.

What are you planning on doing next year?

So, my professional career began with Electrum. I did an internship with them in June of my second year. It was such a wonderful, enriching experience. I learned a lot. I went in having very little experience in front end development and I was able to deliver a proper project in the final week. You just need to remind yourself that it’s going to be tough at first. But everyone starts out somewhere.

After Electrum I interned at AWS twice and, between these internships, I went to Nomanini, a pioneering fintech platform. After ending my Amazon internship this year, I got an offer to join, and I took it immediately. I really wanted to have that flexibility in terms of my career. So, I have a rough plan about my qualifications and career, but enough flexibility to figure out my plan from there.

Do you feel like you made the right decision doing honours?

I really enjoyed honours. But it’s really about what you take from it. I would recommend doing honours if you want to deepen your knowledge in certain specialization areas that you don’t get at a third-year level, such as network security and artificial intelligence. However, do not just do it for the piece of paper, no one will look down on you just because you only have an undergrad degree. It will not affect your employability.

It is a very personal choice. You should ignore what all your friends are doing. You can have all the advice in the world, but ultimately you need to rely on your own decision. You know what’s best for you and whether you have the energy to do another year. Working at a company is also an enriching and fast-paced experience and that in itself is a learning experience. This is why I am open to either doing my Master’s overseas or working at AWS. Each is a different experience and has opportunities to learn.

How to face the challenge of university with a positive mindset?

University is a challenging institution and it’s meant to be tough. I just feel that like so many students in the university community often cannot see the joy in learning. It is valid to struggle, there are many challenges. Sometimes the workload can get overwhelming and it’s important to prioritise your mental health. However, for me, I really valued the learning I got to do and had fun doing so.

I wanted to get a lot out of university that went beyond achieving X aggregate. I wanted to be involved: I was head student, and head tutor. At the end of the day, academics have their place, but there is so much more you can get than just good marks.

At university, I definitely had a shift away from the high school mentality of just wanting to get 90s. I became aware of the fact it was not a true reflection of my abilities or anyone else’s. Despite grades being requirements for many things, I have learnt to be happy with my results knowing that university is difficult and that I have tried my utmost, especially considering the one-dimensional image your grades actually provide.

What do you have any advice for an aspiring developer?

Be brave, be fearless and be flexible. I know that it’s such a stupid cliche but realise that you have infinite paths in front of you. It’s up to you to take the one which fits you best.

Also, when it comes to developer companies, they respond to effort and energy. Even if you don’t know anything, your willingness to learn and adapt to the processes in their culture is highly regarded. So always be willing to learn and ask for help. More often than not, their employees are more than happy to offer help.

Kudzai Chris Kateera

Why did you choose to become a developer?

Since I was young, I was always fascinated by computers, and these things came naturally to me. I had an insatiable thirst for knowing how computers worked. I remember teaching my older sister how to connect to the internet using a 56 kbit/s dial-up internet line. I used to get in trouble for raising the bill at home because I would be curious, browsing the internet and downloading games overnight. The bill would be high because there would be a calling charge and a data charge whenever dial-up internet was used.

This passion continued to grow and led me to study computer studies and information communication technology via the Cambridge IGCSE examining board on my own as these were not offered at my high school. I fortunately managed to pass with two distinctions in these subjects. My tenacity to pursue computers despite all odds then informed me to study Electrical and Computer Engineering as I wasn’t too sure whether I liked the hardware side or the software side more. Fast forward, I realized that software wasn’t too difficult for me and decided to launch my career in the software engineering space. I have a passion for programming and building products that will make the world move forward through technology, but I also feel I have a lot more to offer. So, in this phase of my career, I decided to immerse myself in the world of software engineering to be as technical as I can be. I realized through my internship that I am programming language agnostic, meaning whether it is backend or frontend, I just see code as code. In addition, I have a breadth of knowledge in C, C++, python, java, JavaScript, Julia, MATLAB, Octave, bash as used in scientific, web development and machine learning applications (https://github.com/chris-kck). As such, I will be working towards full stack development. Ultimately for me, whichever way my career goes, I know I will need to work in a team, I will need to lead at some point, and I will need problem solving skills that I will gain through software engineering.

Where will you be working next year and why did you choose to work there?

I will be working at an amazing company called MOHARA (mohara.co). MOHARA is a digital product agency enabling entrepreneurs and corporates to fulfil their potential by applying our ten years of software product expertise to craft innovative and disruptive digital products. I interned for them in December 2020 during the COVID pandemic. They took a bet on me by interviewing me online, offering me a paid

internship as I worked remotely from Zimbabwe (had travelled for holiday). Although times were tough, I managed to contribute significantly to the organization through 2 different projects I worked on, and they offered me a role upon completion of my studies. I had several options post-graduating – which is rare for an international student but still chose MOHARA for several reasons.

1. The company culture was conducive for developers to grow and have support systems when stuck. There are diverse projects to work on in different languages which meant interesting projects.

2. They offered career counselling which was a big factor as they not only considered their organizational goals but tried to align an employee’s personal goals and career development with the projects they worked on. This showed me that the company cared a lot about their employees.

3. I had worked with two of the management engineers and they really helped me boost my confidence in this field and that is the growth I was looking for, striking the right balance between challenge and support.

What was the interview process like?

The interview was fun. An interview is an opportunity to talk about and market that 1 subject you’ve known all your life that is: YOU! For me it was more of a conversation more than anything where it was a mutual assessment of whether each side is fit for the other. Don’t get me wrong, I was not always this confident about interviews but when I realized that you just got to be 100% yourself and if it makes the cut, it does, if not, you try again. In addition, there are some common interview questions you should prepare for and not think of everything on the spot. One can be a good candidate but without preparation, that potential can go to waste.

The process involved the Managing Director and one of the software engineers. It started off with some personality questions which just wanted to know my background and what I am looking for in terms of employment. I also explored some soft skills and leadership qualities. In the technical section, questions were asked around my personal repositories and projects I had worked on. I happily answered these with a lot of enthusiasm as I had worked on these projects myself. A few more questions were asked, and I was honest where I was uncertain about certain things and did not lie. At the end of the interview, I felt soo good and was convinced internally that I had landed the job. Indeed, I got an email a day later confirming my suspicions. The rest is now history.

Where would you like your career to be a few years from now?

This is an interesting one. I am still in the process of finalizing my 5-year plan. It’s always an ongoing process whose sails are ever changing, but as it stands, I am working on becoming a senior full stack software engineer in the coming years. An important ingredient to the recipe that I am currently gaining is experience. That cannot be replaced by anything else as software engineering is a very practical and technical profession. I am also looking forward to working towards a Master’s degree which will be informed by my experience in the industry and where my specialized passions lie. I still have a fire burning within me to offer beyond just software engineering expertise as I also have extensive knowledge in electronics and embedded systems.

What advice are you able to give to future graduates?

Be proactive about your future and job hunting. Setting yourself up starts before you graduate.

Before you hunt, go to the shooting range and practice. Opportunities favour those who are prepared. By this I mean get some personal projects done in your personal repositories, practice coding with different frameworks, spruce up your CV, work on your cover letter, update your LinkedIn profile, build an ePortfolio website. Shows your skills and not only say what they are. Equally important to technical skills are also soft skills. Be a team player, be a good communicator who articulates themselves well. Be proactive. Be prepared. Be open-minded. Be curious. Most importantly, be YOU!

Helping UCT alumni become worldrenowned tech entrepreneurs

UCT is known for its entrepreneurial talent, and we’ve had the priviledge of designing, developing, and growing the ventures of some famous alumni.

DigsConnect is helping students and young professionals worldwide find shared housing through a safe & intuitive co-housing marketplace.

In 2019 it raised over R12m in seed funding, and is now live in 30 countries across 5 continents.

Strive is an EdTech startup that, through its math through code approach, is revolutionising the way we teach high school maths.

In 2021 it was admitted into the prestigious Y Combinator accelerator in the United States.

Strove is an activity-based mobile rewards application that empowers organisations to inspire their employees to live a healthy and active life.

Strove has received over R4m funding to date, backed by VC-firm Launch Africa, and has recently expanded into the UK. Alexandria Procter

CO-FOUNDER & CEO OF DIGSCONNECT GRADUATED 2016

Tamir Shklaz

CO-FOUNDER & CTO OF STRIVE MATH GRADUATED 2019

Chris Bruchhausen

FOUNDER & CEO OF STROVE GRADUATED 2018

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