“Career in technology is fun with great opportunities.” – Garima Khakurel, President of CSIT Association of Nepal
Last Updated on by Sumi
Garima Khakurel is a final year student of CSIT who is actively participated in many communities and organizations. She is currently president at BRIDGE CLUB Nepal, Head office member at Bridge Club International Organization, and also a President at CSIT Association of Nepal.
She is a multi-talented person with her own startup Kathmandu jobs. We had got a chance to interview her and asks her how she started at this very young age and active in multiple organizations in a leading position. she shared with us about the CSIT Association of Nepal. Let’s Know her with her own words;
1. Can you please Introduce Yourself
I am a final year student of B.Sc.CSIT who is just about to graduate. Throughout my years in college, I have involved in different organizations and communities one of which is the CSIT Association of Nepal. I am currently leading a startup called Kathmandu Jobs which works on Tech Recruitment. I have also been working as a President of the CSIT Association of Nepal since September 2019.
2. What is the CSIT Association of Nepal? Why was this established?
CSIT Association of Nepal is a non-profit, non-government, and non-political organization. It was established in 2011 AD by B.Sc.CSIT students with the aim of bridging the gap between university, students, and industry. Back then, there used to be many issues regarding the course and its execution. So, the organization was established such that it could be a platform for students and universities to come together to solve existing problems. CSITAN can also be considered as a tech community with a network of IT students all around Nepal.
We have our regional committees outside Kathmandu valley as Rupandehi, Chitwan, Pokhara, and Purbanchal committees.
3. What are the major activities done by the CSIT Association of Nepal?
Ever since establishment, CSITAN has been actively involved in organizing different events and activities with the goal of providing more opportunities for tech students to grow their skills and network. One of our major activities includes University-Industry tip up (UT Tie-Up). It is an event that brings students, university representatives, and industry together to discuss growing together and helping each other out. We have organized five volumes of UI Tie Ups and we’ve been planning for 6th UI Tie Up. We also publish a yearly magazine called ‘Voice of IT’ and entrance preparation book for a B.Sc.CSIT.
Apart from that, we organized different workshops, seminars, webinars, and hackathons throughout the year. Some of our remarkable activities include Girls in ICT Hackathon 2019, Hult Prize at IOST 2020, Career Conclave. We also organize National Executive Meetup where our executive members from all over the country come together to plan and create a framework to solve existing problems and achieve new goals.
4. How one can be a member of CSITAN? What’s the eligibility for membership? And how will members get benefits?
We open the forms for General Membership of CSITAN every tenure. Any student pursuing B.Sc.CSIT under the Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuwan University is eligible to be a general member of CSITAN. General Members will be then eligible to join the executive committee as an executive member.
As a General Member, one would be able to grab benefits like discounts in our paid events, discounts for training programs provided by our partner organizations, networking and internship opportunities, etc. We have been planning for more activities for General Members which will be announced at the General Members’ orientation for this tenure happening after the Lockdown is over.
5. Are you collaborating with tech companies and organizations? To what extent?
We have been collaborating with a lot of different partners such as IT companies, Training Centers, CSIT colleges, and other government and non-government organizations. We believe that the IT sector can be uplifted by developing skills of people in the field along with the ample number of opportunities for learning and networking. So, to make this happen, we are always looking for collaborations. Such collaborations may vary from annual collaboration to partnership for a certain project or an event.
We have been collaborating with different organizations and communities such as Neosphere, Texas International College, Asian College of Higher Studies, Genese Software Solutions, Robotics Association of Nepal, Sewa Nepal, etc. We have also worked with government entities like the Nepal Telecommunication Authority and the Department of IT.
6. What are the future goals of the CSITAN?
The future goals of CSITAN are to create platforms for our General Members and other students of technology in order to uplift their technical skills and help them explore the opportunities that are available out there related to internships, networking, and excelling in other important soft skills. Even though we have already been doing things like that, we are planning to bring more long-term and rigid plans to implement it.
Apart from our initial goals that have been to bridge the gap between university, industry, and students, our major goal at the moment is to provide as many opportunities as we can to the students connected with us and connect to more students while doing so.
7. Few words for everyone listening to you.
I would like to say that, pursuing a career in technology is a fun thing to do with great opportunities. So, don’t limit yourself while exploring it, connecting with people out in the community, or becoming better at it day by day.
There are a lot of opportunities, be it from CSITAN or any other community or organization. All you have to do is get yourself out there, attend that event, apply for that internship, or reach out to that developer you want to connect with.
CSITAN will always be there for you to provide such opportunities or to get your questions to be answered regarding these things.
