Coopers: Vikram, you are working as System Engineer at a pharmaceutical company in Basel. What is special about your job?
Vikram Kodkani: As opposed to other System Engineers I work in a highly sterile environment. To access the computers in the rooms where the medicine tablets are produced, I change into protective clothing twice and need to follow further the security regulations. Any IT equipment which we bring in to the rooms must be sterile. If the room is contaminated in any way the cleaning takes 6 weeks.
Sounds like pretty tough working conditions, but I get the impression you enjoy what you are doing.
Yes, absolutely. And I really like the fact that we have a great team of different kinds of nationalities. People from Italy, Turkey, Austria and many other places are all working together and everyone helps each other out.
So, how did you get into IT in the first place?
Well, actually in my first profession I was a cook and a hotel and restaurant manager. I worked myself up the career ladder and soon found myself sitting in an office working on a computer. I was fascinated with IT right from the beginning.
Is that why you chose to change your career?
Well, there were many reasons. I wanted to open a restaurant in Switzerland, but unfortunately could not afford to, and that made me feel like it was time for a change. Then the working hours in the hotel business are a long, and one does not have proper weekends, that was another reason. Seeing as I had developed such an interest in IT I decided to take four months off and study. I worked my way through various Microsoft books through self-study and then completed my MCSE exam. In Switzerland it is impossible to get anywhere without a certificate.
Did you find a job easily?
Yes, I found a great job as a System Engineer at T-Systems where I stayed for 15 years. Then Coopers helped me find my next jobs and really helped me through this change.
And is it a coincidence that all these jobs were in Switzerland?
I first visited Switzerland as a tourist when I was 12 years old and decided straight away that it was the best country to live in. I didn’t look any further and moved to Switzerland as soon as I had completed my Bachelor in India.
Do you sometimes wish you had done your first education in IT and worked in IT for the whole of your career?
(Thinks for a while.) No, I still really enjoy both. I like to think of cooking as my backup plan. (Laughs.) Who knows, if I win the lottery I might my myself a funky van and sell curries at a street food festival or something like that…
Can we ask you a few unconventional questions, which we ask all our interviewees?
Of course.
Mac or PC?
Both.
My favourite mobile app is:
I don’t have one, I really only use my phone so that my wife and family can contact me. I don’t like playing games on my mobile either. I prefer making things happen instead of surfing on my iphone.
Which three things would you take with you to a deserted island?
1) My Swiss army knife! Which also contains a compass.
2) A solar LED lamp for night times.
3) Insect repellent - you never know what bugs await you on a desert island.
Complete this sentence please: “I love working in IT because…"
I just love it! It is chaotic. It is a challenge. It goes on and on and on, there is no limit to it.
Thank you Vikram Kodkani.
