An Interview With Mohsin Zaka, President SOFTEC

Interviewed by: Usman Siddique

CodeWeek: Briefly tell us about you and your education from beginning to the last highest degree earned?

Mohsin: Currently I’m doing my BSC. in Computer Sciences and I am in the final year of my degree.

My primary schooling is from The Punjab School, I did my secondary education from the prestigious Government College University in pre-Eng.

CodeWeek: Tell us about major personal achievements in your life?

Mohsin: Being a President of SOFTEC is my major achievement but I have always had a great interest in sports. Cricket, hockey and volleyball are my favorites. I have achieved multiple positions in different matches during my school, college and university life.

CodeWeek: What is your broad perception about the Software Industry in Pakistan as it stands today?

Mohsin: Software Industry in Pakistan has flourished and advanced at a very high pace in the last 10 to 15 years. It has become more competent amongst software Industries from other countries. Plus, there are an immense number of employment opportunities available in software industry now. The quality of work has greatly improved owing to the intense competitiveness of companies in the industry now and we are reminded constantly about the survival of the fittest. People running businesses in Pakistan, at small or large scale are well aware of the undeniable importance and benefits of software and IT development. This has also helped in the drastic improvement of the scope in Software Industry.

CodeWeek: What are your personal professional plans for the immediate future for the next 10 years?

Mohsin: Well, after my graduation I plan on gaining work experience. I want to explore the world of IT in a professional and in a very practical manner. After that I will continue my studies and I do prefer to have my higher education from Pakistan. Because I see Pakistan progressing and the IT industry is growing more and more with a lot of opportunities to further polish and refine my technical knowledge. So in the ten years I see myself doing pretty well. INSHALLAH.

CodeWeek: Briefly tell us about SOFTEC and its origin?

Mohsin: In 1995, the students of FAST-NU Lahore laid the foundation of its largest student body, with the name of SOFTEC – Software Exhibition and Competition, to provide an outlet for the ingenious and innovative brains and a platform to facilitate the exchange of information, ideas and opinions related to the field of information technology.  The event was such a success that it eventually became an annual affair. Today, the event has assumed central importance in the Institution and after fourteen years of its existence, SOFTEC 2010 this year will host the 6th international and 15th all Pakistan competitions.

SOFTEC Society has been organizing one of the major information technology events in Pakistan. Each successive event has witnessed an increasing number of visitors and participants, thus augmenting the contribution made by SOFTEC towards the promotion of IT in the country.

Students from all over Asia now compete in the Software Competition, Programming Competition, G3n.X Gaming Competition, Microcontroller Interfacing Competition, and the Engineering Project Competition. Ideas Xtreme also has witnessed an ever-increasing involvement by participants. In the exhibitions, leading Software Houses, Internet Service Providers and Hardware Vendors exhibit their state of the art architectures and cutting-edge technology.

CodeWeek: How SOFTEC has achieved such a high level?

Mohsin: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Bilal Hashmi (former Advisor for SOFTEC), because without his guidance, SOFTEC would not have been able to achieve this level. ALSO, it is through the hard work of our advisors and previous highly intelligent and dedicated teams. SOFTEC is all about the people who make this event. And the right mix of people is essential for making such a huge event possible. We have worked very hard to achieve this high level, because it’s always easy to provide critique and find all the mess ups, but what is difficult is working towards success and then finally achieving it.

CodeWeek: What is more exciting about upcoming SOFTEC event in 2010?

Mohsin: The most exciting thing about this event is that we are encouraging young minds to blossom and bring forth their extremely innovative ideas. And we are focusing on maximum involvement of the corporate sector in it, which is essential for both our students, participants and the IT industry.

CodeWeek: What is the difference between the previous SOFTEC events and upcoming events?

The main difference is that we are working day and night to create interest and awareness in the students of government schools and private alike. Like our slogan says: “A DESIRE TO DREAM, DARE AND DO!”

CodeWeek: Why do you think that more students and developers should participate in SOFTEC competitions?

Mohsin: SOFTEC brings with it great opportunities to learn about the IT world in a different manner. You can know about IT just by reading magazines, blogs. But about participating in SOFTEC, You get to experience and know a lot about IT and new upcoming technologies in IT. Students who participate in SOFTEC get to know what most of the developers are working on and this provides a great learning opportunity. And the developers get to know what kind of software students are developing these days. SOFTEC provides the best platform to channel the creative and innovative ideas of the students in the right direction.

I DO think that students. Bloggers, developers and anyone who has a passion for IT should participate in SOFTEC 2010. It provides a HUGE exposure.

CodeWeek: What would be your suggestion to one deciding their career in software field?

Mohsin: Remain focused on what you aim for. Also, develop your skills in programming, the data handling, and networking. First of all, anyone coming to this field should be ready to accept challenges at every step of his education. And they should also be glad that they would be joining one of the most innovative fields in the world. Try to remain focused on your studies; nothing is difficult, if u really want it.

CodeWeek: How do you think that SOFTEC is the best software competition?

Mohsin: SOFTEC is the biggest IT extravaganza in Pakistan. It is also recognized internationally, Since SOFTEC is such a big event, there are a lot of developers involved in the event, each and every software project coming to this event is one of the best in Pakistan and  it also gets a chance to be known in the IT industry through the developers attending the event. So we have the best software collection under one roof, and we select the best of the best.