aikyam fellow '23
Rather quiet and notably patient, Jinso Raj grew up amidst the greenery and lakes of Kerala’s Kollam district. Up until adulthood, his life revolved around the nearest library, local church, and cricket field. Tech had not yet made an appearance on his horizon. And that is when the studious teenager graduated high school, failing to make it to the coveted Biology-Mathematics stream. Half-heartedly, Jinso opted for Computer Science.
Coding and programming soon captivated him, and after completing school, he joined a Computer Science Engineering course at Government Engineering College, Barton Hill, Thiruvananthapuram. A whole new world opened before him. He started freelancing, working on small personal projects, learning from online tech communities, and collaborating on projects with like-minded programmers. As part of a three-member team, Jinso bagged a prize at a Telegram-hosted app-making contest. The highlight: he learned Figma in a single night to work on the UI/UX design for the project. In his third year, placement season began, and Jinso received an offer letter from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
However, the COVID-induced recession was plunging the job market in great peril, and Jinso had to wait a couple of months after his graduation for the final communication from TCS. Meanwhile, he stumbled upon a Full Stack Developer role at Tech4Good, as aikyam fellows was known then. In December 2022, he joined the aikyam team and began working on automation, web scraping, and projects for women in tech. He was also associated with TinkerHub and collaborated on their tech projects and events. Two months later came the turning point: TCS informed him that he was to start working soon at Ahmedabad; and aikyam offered Jinso a full time position. The decision he took made all the difference to his story.
Jinso talks about his work at aikyam
In January 2023, Jinso bid adieu to his picturesque village and moved to Kochi. Now, he manages all things tech at aikyam fellows. He has deployed more than 100 instances, has experimented with over 40 open source softwares, facilitates web development, and mentors Megha in front-end development. This unassuming young man is also a big fan of all things cinema. He is the voice of quiet reason in the team; if there is a space of chaos, Jinso can be counted on to bring the calm and to think through an action plan. Constantly learning tech trends, trying new projects, and pursuing certifications, Jinso makes sure that he is acing his game.
“I particularly enjoy server hosting and deployment. What excites me is the dynamic nature of tech challenges. The cure for today might be the ailment tomorrow. Figuring out the bug and tweaking the solution never ceases to thrill me,” says Jinso. “My time at aikyam has forced me to contend with personal improvements as well. I tend to relegate myself to the background, but being at aikyam involves interacting with changemakers, interns, and fellows at all times. My communication skills have improved, and I have learned the ropes of talent acquisition.”
“If you could change one thing in this world, what would it be?” I ask.
“I wish polarisation of people in the name of politics and other factors could be brought to an end so that we can live in a more inclusive, community-oriented society,” he says.
Jinso Raj is a Full Stack Developer and aikyam fellow. He has a special interest in automation & DevOps and is a certified Frappe developer. You can connect with him here.
