The Myriad Benefits of Contributing to Open Source Projects with Piyush Badkul

Hey Hackers! I’m Piyush Badkul and I’m a Research Engineer.

First of all, a huge thank you to the gzht888.community and staff for nominating me for a 2021 Noonies award! I have been nominated in the following categories please do check out these award pages and vote:

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As someone in the telecom industry, I believe that the most exciting technology of the present is 4G, 5G (and ongoing research in 6G) because telecommunication is the base of the society, and the better the foundation, the better the building. Better the telecommunication, better is the base and so is the growth of the society. Learn more about my thoughts and opinions on this, and my journey in the tech industry, via the interview below.

1. What do you do and why do you do it?

I am working as a research engineer in the telecom technology center of the government of India where my work involves designing, deploying, scaling, and optimizing the core IP Multimedia subsystem (IMS) network and making it interoperable with multiple radio technologies including 3G, 4G, PSTN, etc. Basically, IMS is like a server for all the phone calls taking place through mobile phones and other devices.

Telecom is the backbone of society. If you see it, if the network in your area fails, basically everything (digitally available) fails including transferring money or making emergency calls in critical situations. After working closely for a couple of years in the telecom sector, especially in India, I have seen the demands and challenges that lie ahead in this domain. Developing an indigenous solution for the above which can help numerous people of India keeps me pretty motivated and happy too. Apart from that, I believe the telecom sector in India has not fulfilled its promise and still has a very long way to go. I want to be a part of it before it goes big.

2. Tell us more about the things you create / write / manage / build!

The one thing that I would like to talk about, and I am in the process of building it too, is my Page . Basically, it is to help the people who are stuck in a situation similar to the one I was stuck in and to help the people gain recognition to the people who are working day and night irrespective of how successful (from society’s view) they are. It is the platform where I can share my thoughts about best practices in coding and keeping a positive approach in life. It is basically my way to contribute back to the community that has given so much to me and from where I have learned everything.

3. How did you end up on your current career path? Do you like it?

When I was pursuing my bachelor's, my particular interest was actually Android and Data Mining. Among multiple projects in the above domain, I along with my peers launched an App on the play store named YoCount which would store all the tangible data (like memories) in the form of categories providing easy retrieval and sharing. But, during the campus placement, I was selected in my current company, where I was introduced to the delicacies of the Telecom domain. Not only do I like it, but I also love my current carrier path.

4. What tech are you most excited or passionate about right now and why?

Right now, I am most excited and passionate about two things. One is 5G and the other is Blockchain. I don’t have perfect expertise, and I am just a beginner, but I can feel it in my Gut that the Blockchain is going to be the next big thing. Bitcoin is the first real solution to s general problem and is based on blockchain.

As of now, blockchain has been mainly used with respect to crypto and a financial aspect, but I would love to research the use of blockchain in the other domains as well, including the telecom domain. One very common use case appears to be storing the call detail records using blockchain technology, but still through research needs to be done.

5G, without a doubt, has been deployed in multiple countries, so there is nothing to explain about it.

5. What tech are you most worried about right now and why?

As of now, generally speaking with respect to the web, app, or core development, I am not worried about the technology itself but am mostly worried about the way the technology is used. Machines with very high computing power are directed for attacks on security, digital frauds, bringing down economies and the wrong use of the dark web really concerns me. One such thing is the National security agencies that are tracking our day-to-day data with respect to our lifestyles, making privacy a complete joke.

However, If proper research is introduced in technology, then there will always be a very bright future for that technology. Of course, there is a lifetime to everything, and every good thing comes to an end sooner or later.

6. If we gave you 10 million dollars to invest in something today, what would you invest in and why?

If I were to get 10 million dollars to invest, my first choice would be definitely starting research in the blockchain. Of course, I don’t have it all figured out as to where, how, and why in blockchain, the money would be invested, but I do believe in the future of blockchain and would like to get a head start on it for sure. I have joined certain discord communities for blockchain discussions, but still, the way to use the blockchain apart from financial and crypto remain pretty unclear to me.

7. What are you currently learning?

Currently, I am learning a blockchain course from Princeton University (available at Coursera) and EPC (Evolved packet core) network components.

8. What’s the best advice you’ve ever given someone?

The best advice that I have given to someone is to start contributing to the Open-Source projects - this will involve multiple gains including proper documentation of codes, bug management, and version control management; long-distance peer collaboration, a sense of being part of something bigger, etc.

Apart from that, whose work and programming language is similar to yours since there is always something extra that you can learn.

9. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I believe that I have received is that always flow through a proper channel and don’t use shortcuts to make work easy. Going through the proper channels will always increase your knowledge, and as we all know: This game can be won through the power of knowledge. Apart from that, just be happy, because nothing good came out of being sad. Right?

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