TECHNICAL WRITING AT WSO2

TECHNICAL WRITING AT WSO2

as you can see from the photo i, wasn't lucky enough to attend the session, but still I'm obligated to write on this particular event. I had to read from several other blogs before i could finally come up with something to write.so this is just  a collective idea of how other students perceived the session at WSO2.

It was just at the beginning of the semester we as the 2nd batch, were given the opportunity to participate for a workshop on TECHNICAL WRITING at WSO2.

From all blogs i read students wrote on how good the place is and how hospitable are the stuff over there

The workshop took place on 12th of September and commenced at 9am. WSO2 Head Office is located on Duplication Road, Kollupitiya. Many of the students went through  Panadura train to reach Kollupitiya for it was the most convenient means to reach there.

They were welcomed by the technical writing crew and each of them given a WSO2 diary and a pen, The session was held on the  7th floor which was referred to as AREA 51.In accordance to many of them, WSO2 has a very employee friendly environment with facilities from where yo can relax and re freshen your mind over the break.games equipment such as Chess boards, carom boards, the piano and the drum kit were made available.

The session was conducted by 3 technical writers at WSO2 and was done in 3 stages namely : Introduction to technical writing, technical writing as a career and grammar lab.

Most of them who participated in this activity confessed that the technical writing was something new to them, and  were not aware that technical writing was a career itself and that it carries a lot of responsibilities. If done correctly, one can even reach the highest position in the tech writing ladder.

Technical writing is the area in the field of Software Engineering that involves the writing of user manual for novice use in the underlying technology. It's a challenging position because the writer needs to know about the technology and be concerned about the user at the same time. They were further taught on the current days, even a developer needs to know the basics of technical writing. This is mainly because, it is the developer who writes the comments in a code, and a QA or a BA that tests the ultimate product needs to know what can actually be done by the Software product. If the developer is unable to describe the Software or the code in a proper and comprehensive manner, the QA may not be able to test the product functions precisely. Similarly, if the technical writer cannot understand what the developer has done with the programme, he is unable to write a detailed manual for the end user as well.The knowledge in proper English is a must despite the career path chosen. in a summary the technical writing helps developers and all those involved in a software life cycle ease of communications between them.

The session also included useful grammar lessons followed by fun activities. The winners were gifted WSO2 t-shirts

The feed back from this activity was positive and i would believe it really brought them a step ahead in their career building.my only regret is that i missed it.

TECHNOLOGICAL TRENDS WITH WSO2

TECHNOLOGICAL TRENDS

 Technology has  come  a long  way from the era of analog systems and huge systems that were used to a digital era where micro chips have replaced the adversely big systems and increased efficiency but still we have to embrace that's not the end and new inventions come in day in day out.

Technology is embedded in everything we do and enhances the way we live, work and live the world. and there is rapid and steady growth of how much technology is being used in various sectors of the economy all over the world.Each an every single day there is at least a different technology being introduced into the world.

Being software engineers there is need to stay up to date on the latest technology but not just the latest but as well as the common and famous ones too. with this it would help us be competitive and stand an equal if not an advantage chance with other graduands from several universities

On the same spirit, WSO2 a software company in Sri Lanka, coordinated by Madam Sarasi, organized a meeting to introduce the software engineering students and to  familiarize them with new technologies and the latest trends of technologies.

The session was conducted by  Mr.Srinath Perera with Mrs. Premila Rajapaksha who discussed few topics which included 

• APIs
• Analytics & AI
• IoT
• Bots

And as expected it ended with few questions from the audience...and not to forget about the free pens we received.

 

The technological world advances at a steady rat and as software engineers we have to stay vigilante and always be up to date with the latest technologies.

FACING AN INTERVIEW
Facing and interview is not an easy thing to do, especially if it for your first time facing an interview. there those who have faced several interviews and have gotten used to it , even though there are some who never get used to it. An interviews matters a lot since from it is where you create you first impression to the employers and its because of the impression  among other attributes you make that will help or boost you to e able to be selected in. There are several things that make an interview not be successful and we will discuss  a few and how to overcome such shortcomings.

 Having knowledge about the employer

There have been cases of individuals who face an interview and have no any idea  about the employers and their companies.Most employers find this offensive and it reduces your chances of not being selected. There is no excuse for ignorance, hence you have to a proper research about the company you are going to have your interview at get familiarized with their policies so as to be on a safe side

 Get prepared to answer general questions rather than technical Questions

People always get well prepared to answer technical questions related to their lines of duties and for a fact employers are well informed about this and they tend to settle on general questions which most people most times fails to prepare and this questions hit them as a surprise and they get stuck in the interviewers.Hence getting prepared for general questions helps to avoid this kind situations.

Asking Questions

Asking questions during the interview portray a good trait and has a positive indication that you are not afraid and you are confident having that sessions.It also shows you are interested in the company and this quality attracts employers to consider you for the job

Show Confidence 

One of the problems people face is being anxious and stage fright and never confident with themselves.If you show any sign of doubt it gives a bad impression to the potential employers and reduces your chances to get employed. Its good to start from being decently and smartly dressed this puts yo at ease. when offered a seat you should seat upright and never slouch on the chair. and during your session ensure to maintain eye contact.these shows how much you are confident about yourself.

Check your qualifications

Always ensure your skills match or are above the skills the job position and the company's employer are asking for to help you stand a chance of being selected, otherwise if you are under qualified or overqualified it reduces your chances for if you are under qualified employers would feel as a waste of time interviewing you and if you are overqualified they may feel intimidated by you and in both cases you stand minimal chances of being selected.

Get well prepared before the d day

always ensure to keep important documents well packed and that you have not forgotten any crucial document. Arrange your document in a systematic manner.employers normally pay attention on small details and just from seeing how yo organize your documents they can tell whether you are someone neat and responsible or not.

Punctuality

Don't be too early or too late.few minutes before your session should do. you wont want to keep them waiting 

i wish you all the best when you next go for an interview.

PAPER ROCKETS

PAPER ROCKETS

this was an activity we did after a long break from the vacation and just started a new academic year. As days progressed we had a PPD session which was equally interesting as the rest before, by the one and only Madam Sarasi

The task we were obligated was quite fascinating and for a moment we thought it was a walk in the park ahead of us  was a task to make paper rockets.with only 6 A4 sheets provided to us out of which we had to make as many paper rockets as we could regardless of the size.

The task didn't end on just making paper rockets but yet there was another challenge on testing how far the paper rockets could fly. A line was marked on the ground and challenge was to throw all of them across the line. We were given about 20 minutes to come up with a strategy and make the paper rockets.


Our team members were able to make 36 paper rockets out of the 6 A4 sheets of which we could send 24 rockets across the line.

Our strategy and learning outcomes :

•  Before we utilized the papers given by her, we did a couple of test runs with rockets of varying sizes with another paper.
• We realized that very tiny rockets would be hard to send up and so we agreed on making 6 rockets out of one paper. It was the perfect size and would fly a longer distance.

At the end of it, it was a good and exciting activity that needed paying attention to the little details.

WORD STORY BUILDING

This was an activity that was so fascinating.Students were divided into three groups.Each group was given a section on the board where they were required one person at a time to go to the board and write a word while other team members were required not to look at the board until it was their turn.The next team person was required to come add another word from the previous one to help build up a meaningful story.Time was located to finish up the story and so the faster your team thought of a word the more chances they had to finish building their story.

The activity was so fun and very hilarious. I remember their was a group that someone went to the river and killed by a crocodile but later on the person fetched water and went back home.The point is it was not easy building a story.But as always these activities usually have a lesson at the end of the day.for this activity it included the following:

    In a given project all the individuals involved always have different ideologies basic reason is that      they all have different minds so they will tend to think differently hence the need for them to share

    out their ideas otherwise nothing constructive will be achieved.

    In cooperate world most of the time we will sometimes pick up an unfinished work of someone          else, it may be difficult to complete it to the  target expected because it was someone else who set

    the standards

    Luck of communication also hinders a smooth flow of work as shown in the the stories.Hence it is

    very necessary for communication to exist for smooth work flow

FLASH BACK

when this course personal development studies started to me it was just like a waste of time. Because everything looked pretty obvious. But regardless of that still I attended the class. with time I was pleasantly surprised how the things I had deemed so obvious turned to be so challenging to handle.

Communicating with others was a very big problem for me, added to the fact that I was from a different country made the situation worse.Working in groups  was another burden I had to bear but
eventually things took a U turn and everything started to transform for the better good.

 My mind gradually started changing and at last I had a totally different perspective about  this particular course.
The course had various activities of which at the end of the day they had different lessons to pass through to the class at times the activities were of moral type in other  times the lessons learnt were skills we were supposed acquire that would be part and parcel of us when we finally join the job industry, such included negotiation skills,leadership skills strategic planning, management of scarce resources,critical thinking and so many other skills that would see us at per with other graduants from other universities locally an globally.

Through the various blogs we were asked to write I believe most of us our English improved significantly and the strict nature of our lecture on ensuring everyone spoke in English also contributed to our English vocabulary
Apart from the moral lessons and soft skills we acquired from the ppd, the course opened up an opportunity for us as a class to bond up. i practically used to speak to no one but currently my progress has been good. Infact that's an understatement.

 Through the various blogs we were asked to write I believe most of us our English improved significantly and the strict nature of our lecture on ensuring everyone spoke in English also contributed to our English vocabulary. i would also say that ppd became an enjoyable subject because of our lecture who was behind it.She was so committed and passionate not because it was her duty to deliver but it was something more than just the duty.I suppose the love for her students.

If someone could ask me today about this course i would say its more important than the rest of other courses we took this year.Something I couldn't say when we were starting the course that shows how positively it has transformed me.Having said that I come to a conclusion of my short post. 

TRIP TO TRINCO

Our letcurer had organised an outbound training for the first years and second years in a navy camp.Everyone was excited about it and I was glad I would join but my excitement was short-lived when I was informed I could not join my classmates because I was a foreigner and I was not allowed to go there due to issues of national security.Well I understood the issue and took it gladly however some of my classmates were so concerned because previously I had missed on the social night because one senior tried to force me with girl partner,something i did not take gladly. so they thought I was feeling bad about it but actually on the same note I was relieved because now I could go out with my fellow international friends.I had to cancel going  out with them due to the Trinco trip and now since i was going to Trinco anymore I gladly joined them out to dutch hospital and the night was epic.

However I did not go for the outbound training our lecturer asked me to write on other peoples expirience. so I had to wait until they all posted their blogs so I could pick on what to write from there.Of all the blogs I read most of them had to mention how sweet the food
was,they also observed how clean the place was and the strict nature of keeping time.When they arrived they were guided to places they would spend the night while at the camp.They then changed and went to the beach were they had some fun activities with lessons to learn at the end of it.

At the beach they were grouped into various groups and most of them  observed the importance of group and they all concured that its easier to win as a group that is united and focussed towards the ultimate goal.they also observed that in every group there must be only one leader who is capable
of guiding the team to its goal.the activity of making holes on the pipes becaause afterwards they would go to the sea after that they went to places of staying and when they came back at the beach in the evening they found it well decorated with camp fire already put in place and had other several activities like singing later on the night came to a conculusion with dinner taken infront
of the wavy ocean

Day 2 started with cup of hot tea and later they got grouped again with various captains.the activity of the day was to get to a particular destination through a jungle with a use of a compass.while in the forest one of the officer acted as an injured man who had fell from a tree. It was a test on how they would help if it was in areal life situation.after that they visited the navy muesium and saw the amazing collections that were being kept there

.afterwards they took their lunch and left the camp back to  campus.
"what a wonderful day" they all said

GOALS

Before this activity I had never before thought of what iwanted to do with my life in future.I was just leaving in the moment following the basic routine just like any other ordinary university student.This activity was a mind opener and i knew i had to plan my future and set my goals.
We were asked to draw like a mind map of our proffessional goal personal goal and academic goals.This was the last activituy of our first semester and i had not finished preparing my goals when the class ended.Our lecturer instructed that the rest will present on coming semester but then i got unlucky on that too,because when that  time came for that session   i wasnt around so i never got the chance to present my goals.
However i will talk about my goals:
Educational goals
Under my educational goal is that i want to complete my studies here successfully and become a good developer.I want to go for my masters in china where and for thet i decided come 2018 I would take chinese classes to help me prepare for the same.
I am also doing self study on graphics because apart from learning programming i am fascinated on graphic designig.
Professional goals
At first i would love to join a company from where i would get expirience. not necessarily a big company but a small company would be better for me to easily learn at before moving to a bigger company
After i have gained enough expirience i would love to form my own company and create job opportunities for others as well as to promote and create the awairness of need of more software engineering in my country that could help my country grow technologically and promote creativity within my country men
Personal goals

Always i think about my parents and the  sacrifices they have made for me.I owe them leterary everything and i plan to make their life as comfortable as i can provide them with everything they need and take them to whichever place they would love to go to.
Under my personal goals I have always thought of having a family with a beautiful wife.But what makes me to really want to have a family is the feeling of being called a dad,and for me what gladdens my heart is when i get as many kids as possible atleast 6 something more is a bonus that i would also love

DECISION MAKING

DECISION MAKING
first the activity on decision making started with a light activity on one choosing a place of interest where he or she would love to go for a dinner.students were asked to choose the dress code the means of transport and by whom they would love to go with.

The second activity was for student to assume that they were on a crushing plane in the middle of an ocean and a list of several items are given but they can only take 3 items for survival.further it was said eventually an helicopter came to the rescue but sadly enough it could only save one person and that meant the rest had to die.Students had to choose who was worth saving.time was given and it was required at the end they would all come to a consensus who will be rescued.
The first activity was pretty simple and students came up with decisions quite faster and with less ease.this was because the activity firstly involved one person making the decision and it was all about having a nice time so making the decision was quite simple
The second activity took more time because firstly it involved many people and discussion and agreement had to occur before any decision could be made.in addition it was a tough decision to make since it was a life threatening situation and critical thinking was highly needed in the activity.

eventually after some discussions every group came up with items they could pick.they picked a life boat to help keep them a float  a dozen of water bottles to quench thirst since they cannot drink sea water and a flash light that could be used to flash out just in case there was some boat sailing to rescue them.We all believed this were the best best items that could help us survive until help came.
The situation of only one person being able to be saved was testing the act of selflessness. Members in each group had to forget about his/her needs and consider those of one who highly matter because the bottom line was that everyone's life mattered but at the end of the day one could be saved.
At first my group came up with the idea that the youngest was the one suitable to be saved since she still had a longtime to live compared to the rest.we later came to find out that the youngest person was having her lover on the same boat and she couldn't agree being saved leaving her lover behind.we had to rethink again and finally we chose one of us who had a wife and a child.To us he was worth more saving than the rest because he had more responsibilities on his shoulders then the rest of us a young family that was looking up to him for its survival.

From the activity of decision making we came to learn that some decisions are easy to take and doesn't require  of thinking while other decisions are hard to take because they require a lot of pounding over this is because such decisions affect the rest of our lives from the moment we make them.we also learnt that that making decisions as a group takes more time and while making a group decisions we should always be ready to listen and acknowledge what others will say.even though not all ideas will be taken into consideration while taking the decision,we should come up with a decision that would be gladly taken by everyone.

Egg protector was an activity that tasted on how creativity students were to ensure the egg didnt brak while at the same time producing something that looked attractive.so the activity began we wee in groups and the following items were given
An egg
cell tape
pair of sissorss
5 sheets of paper

Students were given 30 minutes to prepare the egg protector  iin my group we started first by thoroughly wrapping the egg with the cell tape.after whats we created something like a box to put it in.But just before that we cut some piece of papers and placed at the bottom of the box.that was purposefully for absorbing the pressure to reduce or even prevent impact on the egg.we then placed the egg into the box and added the cut piece of papers on top and sealed the box.we further went ahead to make rids rolled from the papers and stuck them on the sides of the box. and this how our egg protector finally looked like

Eventually all groups were done and it was time to test the egg protectors.being the tallest i was selected to throw up the eggs.

Of all the groups my groups egg protector was effective the rest of the groups flopped and broke their eggs.Some was because they only considered some facts and assumed others would not apply

Others was because they did not get the instruction clearly and ended up making a protector that was not effective enough.The activity was fun and we ended the session with a selfie.

University of Kelaniya

The university of Kelaniya is a state university that came into existence in 1875 launched by Dharmaloka Thera and later in 1978 it became a  state university.Today the university hasenormously progressed.With it, it contains highly qualified staff and diversed students from various regions of the country as well from overseas countries.

vision
to become centre of excellence in creation and dissemination of knowledge for sustainable development
mission
To nuture intellectual citizens through creativity and innovation who contribute to the national development
The university produces highly competent students into the societies who are then higly demamded by allkinds  of work force.There are mainly 7 faculties that constitutes the university as listed below
faculty of science
faculty of computing and technology
faculty of social sciences
faculty of commerce and management studies
faculty of arts
faculty of medicine
faculty of graduate studies

Faculty of science
faculty of science commenced in 1967 officially launched by professor Charles Dahanayake. It is located on the left side assuming when you are coming from the main road.as the name suggest it offers various science ralated courses and produces  highly technical students.The faculty has several departments as listed below
Software engineering
Botany
Industrial management
Physics
Mathematics
Statistics and computer science
Zoology and Environmental science
Microbiology

The faculty contains also a multipurpose  hall known as Dharmaloka a ground where students play sports a canteen for their meals and a study area for personal and group studies.

Other than the faculties the university has other several facilities that aid in ensuring a good environment is provided for  the students and all who are part of the university

Library
The university has an extra ordinary big Library that contains thousands of books.What makes it special is that it contains books that cant be find easily in other library  in the country.

Students can borrow  from the library or study at the library.There is wifi and availability of  computers hence students can look on books online.

Medical centre
At this pace is where students receive their treatment when they fall  ill.the treatment is totally free for all students and university staff.the staff offering the medical services are highly qualified staff who see unto it that ill persons are well treated.

The medical centre partners up with an outside lab facilities from which they send various samples for lab tests before treatment issued to patients
Physical education
This among the most important sectors in the campus.It offers various sports for students.it organises several friendly matches and competitions with other universities and organisations.

This helps students realise and improve their talents.It also helps students relax from the tedious class routine. currently the physical education is building a new indoor gymnasium for the students too use.

International affairs unit
At this unit headed by professor  Neelakshi is part of the campus that ensures all the international students are well taken care of and needs attended to.

it is located at the top most floor at the graduate studies where there is a computer lab exclusively for international students.the lab acts like a study place and resting place whenever they do not have classes to attend.

The university of Kelaniya is a state university that came into existence in 1875 launched by Dharmaloka Thera and later in 1978 it became a  state university.Today the university hasenormously progressed.With it, it contains highly qualified staff and diversed students from various regions of the country as well from overseas countries.

vision
to become centre of excellence in creation and dissemination of knowledge for sustainable development
mission
To nuture intellectual citizens through creativity and innovation who contribute to the national development
The university produces highly competent students into the societies who are then higly demamded by allkinds  of work force.There are mainly 7 faculties that constitutes the university as listed below
faculty of science
faculty of computing and technology
faculty of social sciences
faculty of commerce and management studies
faculty of arts
faculty of medicine
faculty of graduate studies

Faculty of science
faculty of science commenced in 1967 officially launched by professor Charles Dahanayake. It is located on the left side assuming when you are coming from the main road.as the name suggest it offers various science ralated courses and produces  highly technical students.The faculty has several departments as listed below
Software engineering
Botany
Industrial management
Physics
Mathematics
Statistics and computer science
Zoology and Environmental science
Microbiology

The faculty contains also a multipurpose  hall known as Dharmaloka a ground where students play sports a canteen for their meals and a study area for personal and group studies.

Other than the faculties the university has other several facilities that aid in ensuring a good environment is provided for  the students and all who are part of the university

Library
The university has an extra ordinary big Library that contains thousands of books.What makes it special is that it contains books that cant be find easily in other library  in the country.

Students can borrow  from the library or study at the library.There is wifi and availability of  computers hence students can look on books online.

Medical centre
At this pace is where students receive their treatment when they fall  ill.the treatment is totally free for all students and university staff.the staff offering the medical services are highly qualified staff who see unto it that ill persons are well treated.

The medical centre partners up with an outside lab facilities from which they send various samples for lab tests before treatment issued to patients
Physical education
This among the most important sectors in the campus.It offers various sports for students.it organises several friendly matches and competitions with other universities and organisations.

This helps students realise and improve their talents.It also helps students relax from the tedious class routine. currently the physical education is building a new indoor gymnasium for the students too use.

International affairs unit
At this unit headed by professor  Neelakshi is part of the campus that ensures all the international students are well taken care of and needs attended to.

it is located at the top most floor at the graduate studies where there is a computer lab exclusively for international students.the lab acts like a study place and resting place whenever they do not have classes to attend.