Interview with Mr. Kanishak Kataria - Part of Series 'Know a Member'

For this week's interview as part of the series 'Know a Member' we have Mr. Kanishak Kataria. Please continue reading below to know what he has to say.

1. What was your biggest take-away from the training at IIT? 
Response. Self-belief and the confidence to face new challenges are my biggest take away from IIT. Apart from this meeting new people, working as a team and completing the tasks within deadline are other important virtues which I feel everyone picks up during their stay at IIT.

2. What is your dream? What do you want to be in 15-20 years from now? 
Response. My dream is to relax, enjoy and stay happy in life always and make my parents proud. I do not have a long term plan set out in front of me yet but I am enjoying my work at the moment and am looking forward to continue in the field of Computer Science for next 4-5 years at least.

3. In your nearly a year stay here in Korea, what has been your most memorable experience? Why? 
Response. My most memorable experience in Korea has been a road trip to Busan with my friends. We rented a car from Seoul and drove to Busan taking numerous detours on our way, enjoying the beautiful scenery of Korea. It was the first time I drove in Korea and was really unique given the relative ease of driving which was in complete contrast to my expectations.

4. How is working in a Korean company like? 
Response. Working at Samsung Korea has been quite a unique experience. People with many nationalities are working here for one common cause and everyone is very hardworking and dedicated towards their work. My team mainly comprises of Koreans. Although the team is closely knit together, being a foreigner is a little different. The communication gap is quite evident and lot of efforts have to be made to become good friends with the Korean counterparts. Most of the friendly discussions are limited to 회식 (hweshik) - team dinners. In office, the tasks are well defined by the seniors and I have to regularly report my work to the team leader. Apart from that I have to approach my colleagues for any help regarding Korean language as most of the mails and announcements are in Korean. I wouldn't say the journey till now has been amazing but my team members have tried their best to keep me in the loop and I am happy sharing knowledge with them.

5. What are your expectations from this alumni association? 
Response. This association has many experienced people who have been through thick and thin of life and others who are relatively new in their careers. My expectation is to get opportunities to interact with these people and learn from their experiences and also give my best efforts in working together to strengthen the reputation of IITs in Korea.

6. Any other thoughts?
Response. Given the common background of all the members in this group, I feel the people here are like minded and complement each other. Through increased interaction amongst the group members, like weekend outings and other events, this group can help everyone, specially youngsters like me, to improve as individuals.

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Kanishak Kataria is currently working in the Core Intelligence Lab at the Samsung Electronics, Software R&D Center, Suwon which aims at making intelligent services for future user-smart device interaction. He recently completed his B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Bombay and is an avid follower of sports mainly Cricket, Tennis and Football. 

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