Anjan Shakya – Web Developer
This month’s staff snapshot is on one of the quiet achievers at Orion Creative. It’s a surprise Anjan never worked as a circus performer in the past, as he’s so good at juggling the often very complex demands of web development projects.
Anjan enjoys working on challenging projects and taking websites live. After work, he loves his rock and roll and is a major fan of the Rolling Stones. Anjan’s mantra for life revolves around being happy and making others happy too. We’re certainly happy to have him!
How long have you been a web developer and how did you get into the industry?
I have been working in web development for about 13 years. I started my first job as a software developer back in Nepal in 2006. I was very curious whenever I browsed the internet and used to wonder how people made websites and what was the technology behind it. So I decided to study and did a Bachelors in Information Technology, then afterwards I started working in web development.
Do you have a motto for life?
Just try to be happy and try to make others around you happy.
What’s the best piece of work or career advice you’ve ever been given?
Try to work smart not hard (for productivity) and try to learn new things every day (for improvement).
If you weren’t a developer, what would you be doing?
I would possibly be working in handicrafts, as my father is in a handicraft business back in Nepal. Or maybe I’d be some kind of musician playing rock and roll. As a child, I always dreamed about being a good piano player or guitarist.
How long have you been working at Orion Creative?
I started at Orion in April 2019 for a 3-month contract role. After that I was hired on a permanent basis.
What would an ‘average day at the office’ look like for you?
I start out looking at emails to see if there is anything urgent to work on. If there is nothing urgent, I make a rough list of tasks that needs to be done and prioritise them based on complexity and the time it will take. Then I work those out, one by one. Sometimes, I also need to quote and scope on new tasks. Mostly, my day-to-day jobs include web development, bug fixes, quoting and scoping, and making websites go live with no problems.
What’s the biggest or most complicated project that you’ve worked on at Orion so far?
The ‘Newsletter module’ for the NetSuite channel portal. It’s a WordPress plugin that will build newsletters based on the content each user has selected. It provides advanced search functionality to filter out assets/content for the newsletter and also has functionality to edit the newsletter content/copy.
What do you like to do in your spare time? What goes on during weekends?
During my spare time I like to watch movies and spend time with friends. On weekends I am generally with my friends, or my wife and I will be visiting some new places, or maybe we will be cooking some new dishes together. I love to BBQ, and sometimes we go to a park for a BBQ.
Fave movies/TV show/bands? What are you streaming/watching/listening to these days?
I like sci-fi (time travel and AI), thrillers and suspense movies. I don’t have a particular favourite, but here’s some of the ones I really like: ‘The Departed’, ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Looper’. I like rock and roll and blues music. I especially love The Rolling Stones and all of their songs.
What are the top 5 things that would make your Stranded-On-A-Desert-Island list – that you just couldn’t live without?
- Plenty of water
- My wife
- Box of matches
- A knife would be handy
- Oh yeah, maybe a soccer ball. I really want to be a good football player, so I would practice all day long. I guess I would have plenty of spare time.
If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why?
I would be a lion, because of their raw power and strength. They are kings of the jungle, so why would I be anything else? ?
What are some fun or little-known facts about you that would surprise us?
I love cooking in my spare time. I sang on the stage at my high school when we did a farewell party for the senior students. But it was the first and last time that I sang on stage.
