After 17 years in software development, Ankur Dixit thought he’d seen and done it all—that was until he joined Oracle Cloud Infrastructure India, in the middle of the pandemic. Drawn in by chance to work with world-class individuals at a company that’s leading its field, he was pleasantly surprised by the values and supportive environment that welcomed him. He shares what it’s like to be part of a team that’s creating a better tomorrow.
Learning new lessons
It’s no secret Oracle’s earned its stellar reputation by operating ahead of the curve. For Ankur, the ever-evolving nature of his new day job is incredibly exciting and one of the primary motivators that keeps his hands off the snooze button every morning.
“If someone aspires to work in a world-class organization which is considered one of the best companies for software development, they’d naturally get pulled towards Oracle. The strides it’s making in the cloud drew my increased attention, and it’s quite clear that Oracle doesn’t shy away from solving tough problems.” Ankur explains.
As demanding as continuous innovation can be, he never gets tired of seeing one of his systems achieve success for his customers. “The massive growth OCI has experienced, and the expectations our customers have from us, implies that our teams are constantly innovating and coming up with creative ideas to solve our customers’ problems. It brings lots of excitement”.
Connecting customers to products is the key to success
Whilst his job as Director of Software Development requires a lot of technical graft, Ankur stresses the importance of remembering the end goal—customer satisfaction, something he feels Oracle especially excels at. He says, “I’ve learnt that connecting your product with the customer’s needs goes a long way in making it successful. There is no shortcut to superior architecture and ensuring ease of use of the product from customers’ viewpoint.”
Despite the pressures of upholding the standards set by the brand name, Ankur enjoys the daily challenge and pushing himself to operate at his best. “Oracle has a brand name with our customers, and that legacy continues as we help migrate customers to OCI,” he highlights.
Diverse teams bursting with ideas
Aside from the physical work, there’s another aspect that keeps Ankur’s spirits up when things get difficult. One of the first things he noticed when joining Oracle, from as early as the recruitment process, was the supportive and inclusive nature of the employees.
He says of his colleagues and the hiring process, “The hiring process is one of the best in the industry and maintaining team culture is placed at as a very high priority. In fact, during the hiring process, there’s a lot of importance on finding the right cultural fit for the team, because we want the new hire to integrate and become a part of the team seamlessly. This forms a good baseline for employees to excel while working as a team and keeping work goals at the top.”
In addition to teamwork, diversity and inclusion form an integral part of Oracle’s open culture, “When it comes to diversity, the entire leadership team at OCI is highly committed and passionate about bringing on-board diverse talent. Eventually, a truly diverse workforce goes a long way in bringing out the right products for our diverse customers,” Ankur shares.
Ankur’s advice for new starters
“Go the extra mile to hire smart people and then empower them to make the right choices for the product,” the Director says as he gives away one of his nuggets of wisdom. Having spent many years perfecting his skills and nurturing his passion for a career in innovative technology, he only hopes that new starters will have the same experiences he was fortunate to come across.
What makes the perfect developer in the eyes of the seasoned pro? Ankur urges people with fresh ideas to apply, “We’re looking for people full of new ideas, willing to convert them into live constructs using their coding skills and not afraid to solve some of the biggest problems of the world.”
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