How do you turn one customer’s request into a solution that benefits many more users? That is exactly what Asrar enjoys about his work as a technical lead developer at Qbil. Since joining in 2019, he has moved from the office in Srinagar to the Netherlands. These days, he speaks directly with customers more often and helps shape the future of Qbil-Trade.
We spoke to him about his unusual job application, his move to the Netherlands, his views on AI and the value of staying calm when things get challenging.
From Kashmir to the Netherlands
Always looking for a smart solution
A CV for every software company
Asrar graduated in 2018 and started looking for a job. He took a thorough approach: he opened Google Maps, searched for software companies in Kashmir and sent his CV to all of them. Whether they had a vacancy did not matter.
At first, he heard nothing back. Asrar started an internship in Delhi, but one day he received a call from Srinagar. His CV had caught their attention, and they invited him to complete an assignment.
“The role was for a backend developer, while I was mainly working with data at the time. My assignment was very basic,” he says with a laugh. “But apparently, it was good enough.”
He joined the team in Srinagar in February 2019. Working on ERP software was new to him, and there turned out to be more to learn than he had expected.
“When you’re young, you sometimes think you already know everything. But I quickly discovered how much you need to understand before you can build good software.”
Fortunately, his colleagues were there to help. He asked plenty of questions and regularly stayed a little longer at the office to learn from them. Before long, new colleagues joined, and Asrar became the one passing on his knowledge.
A new place, a new life
After spending some time in Bangalore and working from home during the pandemic, the possibility of moving to the Netherlands came up. Asrar had also been considering further studies, but decided to work in the Netherlands first.
He arrived in August 2021. One of the first things he noticed was the long summer evenings.
“In Kashmir, it gets dark much earlier. Here, I would finish work at five and still have hours of daylight left. I look back on that first summer very fondly.”
Not everything was easy straight away. The food, in particular, took some getting used to. “At first, everything tasted a little bland,” he says with a laugh. He also had to find his feet in a new country and, over time, began to miss his social life back home.
These days, he feels increasingly at home in the Netherlands. He appreciates how well many things are organised and has discovered new activities, too. He learned to swim here, for example.
“I’m still a beginner, but I really enjoy it. And the jacuzzi afterwards isn’t bad either!”
Closer to the customer
Asrar’s work has changed over the years. While he initially worked mainly on the software behind the scenes, he now has more direct contact with customers. He joins meetings and visits businesses to better understand how they work.
That has given him a different perspective.
“As a developer, you tend to think in black and white. But when you talk to users, you discover everything in between. A request can start out quite broad. By listening carefully and asking questions, you make it more specific, step by step, until you can build a solution.”
That is precisely the process Asrar finds interesting. He enjoys looking for solutions that help more than just one user.
“The best part is when one solution solves several problems.”
One example is Manufacturer Tracking. Several customers were already recording manufacturer information in Qbil-Trade in their own ways. By taking a close look at what they needed, the team was able to develop an integrated solution that more users could benefit from.
“It was great to see how quickly customers started using it. To them, it felt like a logical way to record that information.”
Working through challenges together
Not every question has a straightforward answer. Sometimes, finding a solution takes further research, different ideas and, above all, patience. One such challenge involved Asrar working with colleagues on stock recording in silos.
“With complex issues, it helps to take a step back and look at the whole picture again. You keep exploring until you understand what is needed.”
He believes perseverance is important. But he also knows that a good solution starts with listening.
“Sometimes people don’t want an immediate answer. First, they want to explain what they’re struggling with. Only when you really understand the problem can you work out what will actually help.”
AI is developing rapidly. More and more tasks can be carried out with its help, and building software is becoming more accessible. Does that mean developers will eventually become redundant?
“That’s a question I ask myself every day,” says Asrar. “Am I adding something valuable, or am I actually getting in AI’s way?”
For now, he sees that AI can do a great deal, but still struggles to solve larger, complex problems from beginning to end. At the same time, he notices that the work requiring human input is changing.
He refers to a comment from another developer: AI had made 99 per cent of his skills obsolete, but the remaining 1 per cent had become a thousand times more valuable.
“I think that applies to many professions in the digital world. That remaining one per cent becomes much more valuable.”
So what is Asrar’s own 1 per cent? “I’ll keep that to myself,” he replies with a laugh.
A little later, though, he offers some insight into where he sees that human value.
“The biggest impact doesn’t come from how quickly you solve a problem, but from deciding which problem to solve. In my view, AI isn’t good at that yet. Especially when it comes to goals you work towards over months or years.”
It also helps to understand the world behind the software. “Our software is digital, but it supports processes in the real world: goods, trucks and warehouses. You need to understand that world to know whether a solution really fits.”
Will AI take over his job?
Software is only just getting interesting
If more people can build their own software with AI, what does that mean for the future of software companies? Asrar sees plenty of new opportunities.
“People sometimes say software will become less important because everyone will be able to build something themselves. I think software is only just starting to get really interesting.”
He believes the role of software is changing. Where systems mainly helped people record information and maintain an overview, they can increasingly support people in their work and help them solve problems.
“AI creates opportunities to make software smarter and add more value. But turning an initial idea or a first version into a good solution still takes time and care.”
Staying calm
Colleagues sometimes say Asrar can do anything. He points to another quality that helps him in his work: staying calm.
“When something goes wrong and lots of messages come in at once, it helps to stay calm and work through what’s happening step by step. A problem often becomes easier to understand when you keep a clear head.”
That approach also reflects how he works with colleagues. He enjoys sharing knowledge and values exploring new ideas together. “You often learn faster by talking to others. Everyone looks at a problem from a different perspective.”
Over the coming years, Asrar hopes to have an even greater influence on the development of Qbil-Trade and the challenges the team tackles for customers. He wants to stay directly involved in development while drawing increasingly on his experience to come up with new ideas and bring them to life.
“After seven or eight years, I feel I can start coming up with new ideas of my own. Until now, I’ve mainly combined knowledge from different sources and applied it to my work. Now I’d like to give something back, to Qbil and perhaps to the wider software community.”
To do that, he wants to stay close to customers. “I want to really understand what’s happening in their world and how their industry is changing. That gives you a starting point for solutions that make a real difference.”
Colleagues who explore ideas with him are important, too. Asrar enjoys discussing ideas with people who have a different background or a similarly analytical outlook.
“With the right people around you, you learn so much faster.”
And when he’s away from his laptop? He enjoys reading, cycling or going for a walk. Or swimming a few lengths at the pool, perhaps followed by a visit to the jacuzzi.
Full of ideas for the future