Today on the blog we’re featuring Pranav Upadhyaya, one of the authors behind the expert content Hit Subscribe delivers to its clients. Pranav has experience in Python, web development, and data structures. He builds applications in data scraping, analytics, and blockchain. Here, he tells us about beginning new hobbies: first, how he got started on his journey in the tech industry and, more recently, his experience as an amateur cook.
HS: Tell me a little bit about your background and how you started in the tech industry.
PU: I’ve been freelancing in the tech industry for about four years. My passion for technology started when I was in my early teens. My first program was a quiz game on Windows command line (batch). I experimented with writing different programs. If I ran into errors, I would try to fix them by searching the error message prompted. I also won the National Cyber Olympiad at the district level when I was around 12.
After my graduation at 2019, I started freelancing at Upwork and Guru.com. It was hard initially, but after getting reviews in Upwork, I started getting more work. I freelanced for a startup that makes project-based courses and publishes them on Udemy. I worked mostly on projects that involved text to speech, web scraping, and even multithreading. Working on real-world projects felt hard at first, but I slowly felt more confident in my programming skills.
HS: Where are you based? When and why did you start writing for Hit Subscribe?
PU: I’m currently based in Bangalore, India. I got referred to Hit Subscribe by Melissa McEwen (HS’s director of content strategy) via Reddit and was assigned my first post. I put in a lot of effort for my first post. It gave me a sense of accomplishment knowing that my posts were going to be published by many different companies. I continued to write posts, and now I’ve almost written about a dozen posts to date for Hit Subscribe.
HS: How do you see writing? As a hobby, side-hustle, or passion?
PU: Writing is a passion for me. I’ve always loved writing, and combining it with my interest in technology, I see it as a win-win situation. I used to write a lot of short stories and fiction during secondary school. I’ve also tried blogging on my own a few times in high school and university but did not continue them. Freelancing at Hit Subscribe also gives me a feeling of community.
HS: How has your writing changed since you started writing for Hit Subscribe?
PU: I believe my writing has improved since I joined Hit Subscribe. I try to remember the comments made by the editors, and I try to improve accordingly. It’s been a great experience. I believe writing for Hit Subscribe also improved my time management and communication skills as well.
HS: What advice do you have for software developers looking to improve their writing skills?
PU: You can’t rush to improve your writing skills. It takes time and effort to slowly and steadily improve your skills. For someone who wants to improve their writing skills, I believe daily writing and regular reading can improve their writing and communication. These skills can probably further help in networking and in interviews.
HS: Tell me something fun about you.
PU: I’m an amateur cook. I like to try making different cuisines from around the world. I like to experiment with new dishes, which sometimes has led to a disaster. For example, once I tried making the Indian dish chana masala. I got all the ingredients, but I simmered the tomato puree for about 45 minutes, resulting in a strong tomato sauce. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t blend with the spices meant for the chana masala, creating a whole new dish 😅. Other than that, I have a small garden. I also like to put on my Fitbit in the morning and go for a long walk.