Another success story of IIT from New Zealand
Vinodh
Jayawardene
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Vinodh Ramawickrama Jayawardene is the entrepreneurial Managing
Director of Orcas Technology Limited in New Zealand and also the
co-founder of the social networking site SnapStarLive (http://snapstarlive.com).
A photography plate Gallery Company, Snap Star is responsible for the
full coverage of New Zealand’s, Australia and USA hottest events
including concerts, nightlife, festivals, life style events, launches
and exclusive parties.
Through the expertise of their photographers and online presence
developers, Snap Star creates a forum whereby the public are educated as
to what happens and where it happens. The public is also able to have
the opportunity to connect to the various entertainers, event managers,
venue holders, promoters etc.
The software development brain child of this enterprise is a talented
Sri Lankan who has been able to utilize the knowledge gleaned here and
channel it towards succeeding at various projects undertaken locally and
internationally.
On completing his degree in Information Systems at the Informatics
Institute of Technology (IIT), Vinodh began his career at Informatics as
a Computer Programmer. In this capacity he was responsible for coding
for Microsoft Platforms and worked on a Norwegian project. After 3 years
at Informatics, the enterprising Vinodh began his career at ‘IC Quest
USA’ which brought together buyers and sellers/manufacturers and
franchise distributors through an online portal. He then moved onto the
Company’s US based branch where he worked for further two years. In the
USA he later started the company SoftSolvers, a Software Development
Company and was responsible for designing work flow systems for the
electronic industry.
His quest to constantly achieve, create and develop something new and
innovative then took Vinodh to New Zealand where he worked as a
programmer and then senior programme Developer at an Industrial Research
Company. Through a web development Company (Blackweb) he started in 2005
Vinodh was able to design systems for the Insurance Market as well.
Looking back at his career path and distinct career growth Vinodh
says “ I don’t think I could have achieved all I have if not for the
grounding and training I received at IIT. Because not only did I receive
an academic education here I also received practical training and Skill
development that equipped me to face the working world with confidence.
IIT instills a ‘I can do it’ spirit in every one of its students. All
students are made to realize that each of them have immense potential if
only they choose to tap into it”.
Whilst studying a cross disciplinary area involving the integration
of Information Systems with Business Management, Vinodh was always
fascinated by the world of Graphics. His final year project in fact
which won the acclaim from the Sri Lankan Archeological Department was
once which saw the conversion of 2D images to 3D where the objects were
symmetric in axis but geometrically distorted. The prototype explored
the conversion of images of Sri Lankan stupas. His project was seen as
the stepping stone towards a high tech approach which will be beneficial
in the education, tourism and research fields.
“The Industry Placement year during the third year of study gave
Vinodh what he describes as the ability to apply the IT modules and
knowledge from the course modules to real life situations as well as
gain an insight into organizational behavior and practical work
experience.
This knowledge and experience at a time when a student has only to
concentrate on learning without the worry of a job is one that provides
a wealth of knowledge. Having lecturers who are themselves industry
experts actively involved in the industry is of great advantage and
motivation for the students” concluded Vinodh with all praises for IIT. |