How IT changed my life:

'IT a dynamic industry'

When Ashan Kumar met Isuru Amalka Senadheera, Software Engineer, Eurocenter DDC (Pvt) Ltd he understood How 'IT' changed his life...

Born in Galle and brought up in Balapitiya, Isuru's parents are Government employees. He considers himself fortunate for his education at Dharmashoka College, Ambalangoda. After his A/L examination he received higher education at the University of Moratuwa. Having passed out from the university last March, Isuru works as a Software Engineer at Eurocenter DDC Ltd.

He recollects his childhood dream, he was forever driven by the objective of rendering a great service to Sri Lanka. "I always loved to invent, to innovate and be ahead of others. I used to play mostly with toys which I made by myself. I had a passion for new inventions" said Isuru.

"I was a bright student who managed education as well as extracurricular activities. Serving as a senior student prefect I managed to achieve the highest results of the college being the fourth from Galle district while being ranked 36th all-island. That is the greatest achievement of my life" he said.

Despite his parents' objections, he preferred to be an Engineer. His parents were expecting to see him as a doctor. After his O/L examination he was pressurized by his parents to select the bio science stream for A/Ls. Regardless of the huge resistance, he selected mathematics for his A/Ls convincing his best friend to select the same stream, who is at present an IT student at the University of Colombo.

He entered the University of Moratuwa as an engineering undergraduate. On completion of his first year, he had to select the field of specialization. Once more, his family insisted that he should select electronic and telecommunication engineering. "By this time, IT had mesmerized me. After three months at the electronics department, I joined the computer science and engineering department to pursue my dream, to be a software engineer". His first experience of a computer was when he learnt the fundamentals of computing at Tech Sri Lanka, while studying for his O/L.

He said, "I can still remember entering the computer labs there, removing shoes and playing with basic operations. I got my very own computer after completing my A/Ls". From there onwards, he gradually learnt graphic designing and video editing on his own. During the first year at the university, he got the opportunity to learn from the senior students in computer science and the engineering faculty. He realized the potential of the IT industry in innovation and was thrilled by the work of his seniors in the open source community.

It showed him the vast range of career opportunities and how dynamic the IT industry is. "I believe it played a major role in my decision to join the IT industry" he said.

Joining the department of computer science and engineering was the turning point of his life. The department itself provided Isuru openings to develop himself as a professional. He worked as a student lab administrator, and as a team member of the visual media unit of the department. Working with the media unit provided him experience in video production. He said "I have directed a tele-drama as a project and participated in covering many major events in the university. It made me understand how IT is used in the media industry. Apart from my studies, I have served as a level four field representative as well as a faculty representative of the engineering faculty".

He explained the impact IT has made on him, "IT has simply changed my whole lifestyle. It has become a part of my life. It's no longer limited to computer geeks. I think today's world cannot function without IT.

Use of IT has become my daily routine. All my work is associated with IT. Sometimes I wonder about the advancement of technology in such a rapid manner. With broadband connections and mobile technologies, I am able to stay connected with the world from anywhere I go. I also share my knowledge with others through my portal. Blogging has enabled me to become a little publisher in the internet. I own accounts in social networks as Facebook, LinkedIn.

I get to meet most of my school mates through such networks, despite the fact that they live far across the world. Social networking concepts have brought the world to much closer so that everyone has become virtual neighbours.

I experienced the registration and academic procedures of my university through learning management systems. We also had online examinations once in a while. These systems have saved a lot of time and huge expenses on papers. Once we experienced a series of video lectures held by the computer department which highly convinced us of the value of IT.

Isuru values serving the community and he is an active member of the Leo Club of the University of Moratuwa. He managed the IT infrastructure of the club. Last year he served as the district director of IT in Leo District Council 306 A2 Sri Lanka.