Interview with Mandar Jog
Mandar Jog
Author, Mentor, Coach
Corporate Trainer for Java, J2EE, Python
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Q1. Please share your inspirational journey as a Java trainer with us?
It has been 20+ years, I am working as a Java Trainer. Journey started somewhere in year 2000, when I started to provide training for one of the local institutions in my village. Since then, there was no turn around. I worked for almost all the well-known institutes. I worked from Jr. Subject Matter Expert to Lead Subject Matter Expert where I even train the trainers. And now, I am working as a freelance trainer for top MNCs.
Q2. Recently you released your second book “Java Professional Interview Guide”. Please share some brief about your book? Which key thing motivated you to write book on Interview?
While I was providing training, I observed that, though students have knowledge, they do not know how to present it when it matters the most. They do not know, how to face the interviewer and how to answer their questions. Because of this even if they are eligible, they do not get selected. Being part of some interview panels in IT industry I got a chance to understand the mindset of interviewer. So, I thought why not to share this experience with aspiring engineers who are keen to start their journey as software developers.
Java Professional Interview Guide:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gPE356
BPB Online: https://bit.ly/3mvyaxF
http://bpbonline.com/products/java-professional-interview-guide
Q3. Many languages are emerging every year and have shown their impact in IT industry. But Why Java is still so important in the IT world?
Well, you are asking this question to wrong person. I live with Java and it has been more than 20 years!! I have seen many new concepts or frameworks which initially were felt as a threat for Java. But the robustness, flexibility and platform dependency which Java provides is unique. If you ask me, learning Java is at most important if you want to excel in your career.
Q4. You are an Author, Mentor, and Coach at a same time. How do you play multiple roles simultaneously in your life?
As a human being we are all multi-taskers. Shifting the roles is always difficult if you do not know your exact role and boundaries. You should know your expectations clearly and should stick to that role so as to give justice to it. Fortunately for me two of my roles i.e., mentoring and coaching are inter-related. I often utilize my experiences from mentoring while I conduct coaching. And of course, writing and sharing my knowledge is my hobby. When you write a book, its reach is more. It will be available for years.
Q5. Which one is the hardest working part of any Java Project?
Not only in Java project, but for any project “Architectural Design” plays a crucial role. If that goes wrong entire project can turn into a mess. Your design should be adaptive and flexible so as to cater the growing or changing expectations from client. That is where training becomes crucial. Solving university assignment and working on projects are completely different scenarios. When you work on the project, you need to follow the structure given to you. Though it looks simpler initially, it is tough when you actually implement your business logic.
Q6. Which one thing do you want to change in yourself and why?
Technology is serious matter. So often, technology training goes in stricter or sometimes boring way. If I can put in more “humor” in my training, I will be able to connect more to my students. This will certainly make the training more enjoyable.
Q7. How do you excel students in your Java training program?
I always prefer to have equal balance between theory and practical knowledge. Training is not only about explaining the concepts. It has to be designed in such a way that students should ask the questions like – “What”, “Why” and “How” for every concept. As a trainer it is my responsibility to give them that courage to ask such questions and provide them a way towards the answers. Once students have answer to all these questions, they know which concept to be used under what circumstances and how to use it.
Q8. Which one thing do you like most about Java and made you Java lover?
From last 25 years I have seen the growth of Java. The way it had survived and evolved is amazing. Over the years, it had improved in its API. Many new frameworks had been launched which are based on Java and they are ruling the development world. So, in coming years also I foresee many more changes in Java as per the demands from industry. But, IT IS GOING TO BE THERE.
