It is a dream of many students to persue careers at an International level and many of them the idea of working for United Nations is a dream come true. Due to the advent of the Internet, alot of these dreams can surely come true. As we have always pledged to bring you the experts in the industry to illuminate your career path, here is Raymond Zziwa sharing his experience working for World Health Organization in Geneva

Describe your typical day ?

A typical day for me starts at 8:00 am and ends at 6:30 pm. I usually kick-start the day with a cup of coffee before I embark on any task of writing code or do anything on my computer. I also normally have a stand up meeting around 10:00 am and 11:00 am just to recap what has been done the previous day.40% of my time is spent writing code and the rest on researching or doing some project management tasks.

What are your main tasks and responsibilities at work?

One of major tasks is to provide a set of testing and engineering services on behalf of WHO to support the successful completion of application development. I also provide technical project management of individual development sprints like feature tracking and bug fixing.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace ?

I have diverse skills and knowledge in utilization of information systems using; various operating systems and platforms, principles of organization and project management, Web development and database integration on the Web using current programming languages including Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Structured Query Language (SQL), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), JavaScript, Flash, and XML, concepts of object-oriented programming, advanced knowledge of software design and relational database technology using SQL Server, and testing tools and methodologies, dynamic report generation using Excel and Crystal Reports, server and Web application security, Federal Accessibility standards and W3C code validation, data communications and network systems, fundamentals of page layout, design, and graphic illustration in an organization where innovation and excellence is vital to fully explore my potential for growth.

What's cool about your job ? 

Ability to create new products brings a sense of satisfaction in my career coupled with the fulfillment that comes from helping technical units solve and automate most of their process makes my job so interesting.

What's not cool about your job ?

Sometimes tasks can turn out to be extremely complex and time consuming which drains the brain hence resulting into stress.

What are your main challenges ?

The IT Industry is constantly evolving and keeping abreast with the current technologies posses a great challenge for one to stay relevant to the job market. You have got to always pick up on new technologies and also keep learning.

What subjects did you take in school and how have they influenced your career path ?

Physics, Chemistry and Biology...These helped me develop a discipline of researching, and the capability to think and build complex algorithms using mathematical expressions.I think the ability to solve some computational problems was developed through my love for physics and chemistry.

What is your Education to date?

I have a Bachelor's degree in Finance and Investment Analysis and an Advanced Diploma in Software Engineering.

What aspects of your Education System have proven most important for your job?

I think my A level was very instrumental in setting a foundation on which the rest of the my career is built much as my love for innovation and creating was shaped by the diploma that I did in software engineering.
I realized that most of the missing bits and pieces come together after learning how to put different things together programatically using different Computer programming languages and techniques.

Have you considered undertaking, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job?

Yes...learning never seizes to stop. The more I advance in my career, the more I see the need to go back to school or take up more training to help me further ground and back up my skills.

How did you get your current job ?

Online applications to job adverts.

Which key people influenced your career direction ?

My mother. I always admired how she evolved through her career and I aimed to do better.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

I have so many...but I think one is the opportunity to work in a multi-cultural environment. I have rubbed shoulders with people from different parts of the world and sharing their experiences with me helps me understand the world on a more broader perspective from what I initially had.

What personal qualities do you have that help in your career?

God fearing, hard work and honesty...Above all, one needs God to succeed. Success without God is empty and unfulfilled. You have got to stay connected to God.

What is your dream job?

After interacting with so many powerful minds, I realized that my dream job is to able to serve my community. I dream of the time when I will be in position to use my skill sets to better the community I live in.

What are the most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Discipline - This covers most of the areas of that one needs on a job. For example one should cultivate the discipline of being organised, time keeping and planning,etc. These are tasks that many people think have but in reality very few posses.It is very easy to lose yourself in a fast paced work environment with out these characters.

What advise would you give someone considering this job?

Don't give up on researching, innovating and practicing. For one to be a good software developer, you always have to keep practicing.

What trends are you seeing in your career field

Big data and Artificial intelligence

What kind of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Well, I think if you have good database programming skills, good knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. You can certainly be considered a good match to this kind of job.

Your concluding remarks

Like they usually put it. The sky is the limit. One can achieve anything they are passionate about for as long they put their mind to it and work towards it.