February 25, 2016 Topcoder Members of the Month – February 2016
It’s time to announce our Members of the Month! Each month, members from our community are spotlighted for their accomplishments. Please congratulate the following winners for the month of February, winning for their accomplishments in December!
Design Rookie: johnalok
Won first place within 2 weeks of joining!
Design: Tewibowo Won $4175 in |
Development: billsedison Four wins for $4,500 |
Algorithm: anubhav94 Gained 336 ratings points |
Learn more about some of our winners below, and be sure to congratulate all of the winners in this forum thread.
Tewibowo: February’s Design Member of the Month
How did you first get started with Topcoder? What was your “beginner” experience like?
I was introduced to Topcoder by my good friend ‘kharm’, he told me how Topcoder works, how to get the payment, etc. At first, I thought this is a good chance to learn more about ui/ux design.
But after my first project ‘SunShot – RE-volv – Responsive Website Design Challenge’ and got the first place, I join the challenges regularly when possible.
What challenges have you enjoyed working on lately, and why?
Every challenge has their ‘Fun’ to work on, but for me I love to work on ‘LUX’ Challenges because you will get fast feedback and fast winner announcement.
What design project types do you consider yourself to be an expert with? (web design, wireframes, UX, etc) and why do you like those?
I like to work on web design, mobile / screen design, logo, and idea generation. Basically, the challenges that are interesting to work on because it keeps me to enhance my skill in a fun way.
Tell us about your hometown or country. What’s the one thing a visitor should see if they traveled there?
I’m from Indonesia. Well honestly, there is no such a one thing that visitor should see if they travel to Indonesia. Simply because there are thousands things they have to experience in Indonesia. Indonesia has 17.504 islands, 1.340 tribe culture, 546 languages. There are really a lot of amazing things to experience if you travel to Indonesia. 🙂
billsedison: February’s Developer of the Month
How did you first get started with Topcoder? What was your “beginner” experience like?
I started my Topcoder journey very early (since 2009) for algorithm practice. At that time, I was still an undergraduate student. My “beginner” experience was funny because the challenge phase of single round matches is intense but interesting.
What challenges have you been interested in lately, and why?
I have been interested in Game development related challenges. Because I’m a devotee of Computer games and like developing games by my own. In Topcoder, I can learn Unity3D/cocos2d-x from competing related challenges. Besides, because I have experience about spacecraft software development, I’m interested in NASA Cassini challenge too.
What languages/platforms do you consider yourself to be really good at and why do you like those?
I’m proficient in C/C++/Python/Assembly languages (because of the experience of spacecraft software development) and good at C#/Javascript/Java. C/C++/Assembly allow me to manipulate the hardware freely and deeply. Python/C#/Javascript/Java gives me abilities to make things done quickly.
Which industry (Financial, IT, Healthcare, Entertainment, etc.) do you have the most experience developing for both within Topcoder challenges and outside Topcoder?
Inside Topcoder, I have experiences in “John Hancock”/”Agile VR2″/”Copy Number” series of challenges. From my previous experience in college, I’m well versed in spacecraft software development outside Topcoder.
Tell us about your hometown or country. What’s the one thing a visitor should see if they traveled there?
I live in Hangzhou, China. West Lake is the symbol of Hangzhou. An ancient Chinese poet described the scene of West Lake as “Ripping water shimmering on sunny day; Misty mountains wonder in the rain”. So please consider to visit West Lake in different weathers and you will get different beautiful views.
anubhav94: February’s Algorithm Member of the Month
How did you first get started with Topcoder? What was your “beginner” experience like?
I learnt about Topcoder in college- participated in my first SRM in 2014. I think that the problems in Topcoder matches are really interesting – for beginners and experienced programmers alike! Most of them revolve around a simple idea which you need to strike upon.
You gained 336 ratings points after participating in all 3 December SRMs! What tips would you give other competitors who are trying to improve?
There’s actually a very simple formula to becoming good at anything- practice! I try to give as many good contests as I can and look for solutions to problems I could not solve. I believe there’s hardly anything we can’t achieve in life if we set our heart and mind to it.
What languages/platforms do you consider yourself to be really good at and why do you like those?
I’m always interested in any kind of challenge where I have the required knowledge and experience to compete in but I prefer code challenges because writing code is fun for me!
What languages/platforms do you consider yourself to be really good at and why do you like those?
Since I mostly participate in Algorithm challenges, my practice is limited to C++. I know a few other languages but am not particularly adept at them. I think C++ is really easy to learn and offers a bunch of useful standard library functions and data structures.
. Which industry (Financial, IT, Healthcare, Entertainment, etc.) do you have the most experience developing for both within Topcoder challenges and outside Topcoder?
I interned at Facebook last summer- that I guess is an exhaustive list of all development experience I have. Online I mostly participate in algorithm challenges- development just doesn’t excite me as much.
Tell us about your hometown or country. What’s the one thing a visitor should see if they traveled there?
I live in New Delhi, India. India has a lot to offer to travelers. You can visit the desert in Rajasthan – with the imposing medieval forts and traditional dresses; or the Himalayas in the north and forests and rivers in the north east. Then there’s the Taj Mahal in Agra which is particularly popular among foreign travelers. Pro tip: You should definitely not miss the street food here when you visit! 🙂
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