We took ten minutes out of Parul’s busy day to discuss her role at Appdrawn, her hopes for the future and her background as a business owner, software developer – and Ninja Code sensei!
Returning to work after a career break will always bring its challenges. This is especially true if the career you’re returning to is in technology: a sector where change is constant, fast and seemingly accelerating at an unstoppable pace. This is something Parul knows a lot about. Stepping away from the tech space, she went on to fulfil one of the most important jobs in the world, being a parent, before returning to the team at Appdrawn.
“My passion for working in the software industry never died”
Parul doesn’t shy away from admitting challenges, but neither does she shy away from embracing them. Reflecting, she shared, “initially, it was a bit of a challenge coming back to work in the software industry after 16 years, since this is the fastest-moving industry! I can see how much things have changed — all for the better though — during this time.” Indeed, a lot can happen in a decade and a half; there are so many new software languages, services and products available. From our point of view, Parul has not only relished every opportunity thrown her way, but conquered them all with great aplomb.
Her re-joining the software sector also signalled the end of a period in which she’d launched and run multiple businesses – whilst having and raising two daughters! An “extremely outgoing person”, when Parul did decide, at the end of this 16-year stint, to “stay at home and enjoy free time,” she says, “I soon realised I couldn’t sit at home the whole time, so I started looking for a job to keep myself busy!”
Keeping herself busy meant accepting a role as a sensei (teacher) at Code Ninja, before being welcomed to the Appdrawn team two years later. Despite the break from the technology field, “my passion for working in the software industry never died.”
So where was that passion redirected during the previous decade or so, and how did it form in the first place? What has fuelled Parul’s unstoppable energy – whether that’s for learning and education, running a business, being a parent, managing software projects or pursuing multiple hobbies – and how does her passion for the industry play out at Appdrawn? To answer all these questions and more, let’s first turn back the clock to an earlier time and another continent: India.
From Delhi to Gymboree
Parul was born and grew up in Delhi, where she studied computer science as part of her undergraduate degree. Her interest in technology was from an early age: “I got the passion of learning about technology and software from my older brother, and found the subject extremely interesting,” she says. After graduating, she “attended two years of advanced diploma in systems management and I learnt a variety of programming languages, database management and about computer hardware. After moving to the UK I attended another course where I learned how to program in Visual Basic and I also learnt about SQL databases.”
In addition to learning about tech, she has also, she says, “always had a passion for working in the software industry.” As such, her first job in the UK was as a developer in an insurance underwriting company, “where I used the skills I learnt in university.” A couple of years later, “I started working as a senior software developer at SS&C Technologies which is a financial software house.”
After a decade at the firm and “after having kids”, she says, “I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of seeing them grow, so after our second daughter was born, I decided to leave my job at SS&C Technologies. Soon after – and in addition to the full-time job of being a parent – Parul purchased a children’s gym franchise and started running her own business.
Working hard and working out
One gym turned to two, with Parul combining her business acumen with her role as a parent, by, she says, “dividing my week between the two businesses. I used to take our younger daughter to Gymboree every day with me. She started enjoying all the gym, music and arts classes.” This was a balance she’d managed since the early days: “when our daughter was only six weeks old and I started running my very first business, I used to take her with me to Gymboree every day.” Reflecting on it now though, she admits, “it gives me goosebumps to even think about it; I’m not sure how I did it with such a small baby!”
Sixteen years later, “I sold my business and decided to pursue my dream of working in the software industry again,” following which came that (very!) brief spell of trying to “enjoy some free time.” The subsequent role at Code Ninja provided the ideal stepping stone back into the software industry and “gave me the confidence of applying for jobs in a software house,” she says.
Her passion for the industry meant she quickly succeeded in this: “I was absolutely thrilled [and so was our team!] when I was called for an interview at Appdrawn. I joined the company nearly two years ago and there hasn’t been a single day when I have regretted my decision.”
So that was then; how about now? “I very much enjoy what I do,” says Parul, and “since Appdrawn is a bespoke software house, it’s really great to have an understanding of how different businesses and industries work.” This opens the door to two crucial questions: what is it that Parul does day-to-day, and which business or industry has she been focussing on recently?
A 360-approach to client services and project management
Firstly: what does Parul’s role involve? Part of the consultancy team at Appdrawn, she’s responsible for “managing client projects from the initial design stage to completion and thereafter supporting clients with product management and ongoing software enhancement to keep up with any future requirements.” She plays a critical role in “maintaining a positive relationship with existing and new clients…looking after client projects and liaising with developers regarding new enhancements and maintenance of the existing solutions.”
Parul is embedded in client relations and services, providing “a point of contact for our clients from the start to the end of a project cycle.” At the beginning, she might be “following up on any new client leads, understanding their project requirements and providing them with the initial design spec to help them understand the end product.” Whilst further down the line she could be “managing members of the dev team, helping them to understand client requirements” and “QA testing features post-development to deliver high-quality work that meets the standards our clients expect.”
Back to school and entering edtech
Second: Appdrawn works with clients across a broad range of sectors; what has been a favourite area or project for Parul? “I have been mainly working on the project with Oxford International. They offer English language courses to students who either want to improve their English language or are required to take an English language test so they can apply to UK universities.”
Parul’s previous role as a software developer at SS&C Technologies allowed her to build up experience in the financial sector. The project with OIDI was therefore new ground but true to form, Parul embraced the challenge. “Working on the project has given me a huge insight into the edtech sector,” she says. “I have been a part of a lot of new enhancements and API integrations with other software, which has been an extremely valuable experience.”
It was also an extremely valuable experience for the client, enabling it to deliver end-to-end testing and replacing manual tasks with automation, freeing up time for OIDI staff.
Looking ahead, the Appdrawn team are working on a new feature that will detect plagiarism coming from ChatGP, which has been a major concern for educational institutes.
“There is so much more to learn”
The future’s looking bright for Appdrawn’s clients, but what does it hold for Parul? Again, she doesn’t shy away from admitting challenges: “It’s no doubt quite challenging to keep up with the growth in the software industry.” And again, she moves towards, not away from these, saying positively, “I feel I have learnt so much since I have been at Appdrawn and still feel there is so much more to learn.”
“Over the next five years I see myself continuing to drive business growth and customer satisfaction,” she adds. “I see myself as becoming a trusted member of the senior management team and providing expertise in all areas of product development.”
Parul is already playing a prominent role in all of these areas, providing invaluable client service at a 360-degree, all stages of a project level. Interestingly, this full circle approach seems to reflect her own path in life, pursuing education and a career in technology, exploring – and relishing – other challenges, before returning to her “passion” of software development. And we’re very glad she did!
Interested in working with Parul and our team? Get in touch to find out more about how we can help you embrace challenges and create your successful software development or business system project.