My name is Ibiam Chihurumnaya and this is an interview i conducted with a GCI student, Daksh, asking some questions about this year’s GCI.
1. This year's GCI started on the 7th of December, how have you able to select and complete tasks?
I select the tasks in which I can before hand think of a way I would be able to do or if I like the output they are asking or if a mentor recommends it. Well about completing the task, It is not the case that each task you take would get completely. At least that is what I feel. It is more like a trial and error. So you take a task based on what you can think about it and your gut feeling. Then you work on trying it again and again, the more errors you get, the better the task gets. After a point you can see where the solution is, and if you don’t, you can ask the mentors, but sometimes it also happens that nothing works out and you have to end up choosing another task.
2. What has been your struggles and successes, and how have they shaped you in terms of your computer life?
Well see the thing is that I have had some successes and some struggles along the way, but that is how things are. Working for Google Code In, has been a bit of a challenge for me. I have to manage it along with my on going studies and coaching classes, which gets tough at times. And I have to generally wake up at nights, to catch up with some mentors (due to time zone difference). But that is all part of the job, and I have got to manage it the best I can :)
3. Did you ever submit a task more than once, being asked to review it on every case, if yes, how did you feel during and after completion of the task?
Well as far as I know, every task is done in more than one review generally, so it is more like a habit now. Because most of the tasks one does in documentary, nothing is perfect. It is just how good can you make it! So it is more like, you try and do your best and submit the work, and when the mentors go through it they can find some aspects that you could not think in, and some little errors here and there. So it is more of a process than a simple review. Though I would agree that once it finally gets completed, it is a big relief and it feels just amazing! :D
It is a very awesome experience for everyone participating in Google-code-in, there's lots of fun and learning also, this year's GCI is different from conducted GCI in recent times, the website has been improved and some other things, though this is my first time contesting, I've really learnt a lot.