Hi there, I’m Varendra!

About Me #

I’m a newly minted software developer that loves to blend his creative and technical sides into creating fun products that users enjoy. In my spare time, I’m just a chill guy that enjoys weightlifting, photography and cooking.

How I Got Here #

I was always drawn to science and research, as I was fascinated in understanding the way things just worked. I also wanted to learn as much as I could, and therefore always tried to give myself that opportunity, even if it was difficult to do so. In high school, I elected to study 10 subjects for my GCE O-levels, which was 3 more than everyone else in my year group, and received Distinctions in 9 of them.

I elected to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Geoscience from the University of the West Indies, where I spent the next 3 years learning about the Caribbean’s geology and hydrocarbon resources. I graduated with Honours, at the top of my class, and also functioned as President of the local Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) student chapter.

I then spent the next 5+ years as a Geophysicist at my country’s Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, focusing on seismic data analysis and interpretation, data management and policy development. I was able to work on some amazing projects, such as hydrocarbon resource analysis of offshore deepwater environments, and development of a policy framework to guide licensing round evaluations. I also represented the government at many industry events and trade shows.

Although I enjoyed what I was doing, I began suffering from burnout and overwork, likely a leftover effect from the Covid-19 pandemic times. I had become interested in software development during my time as a geophysicist, and had already begun creating very small scale projects for practice.

I was fortunate to receive a partial scholarship to pursue my Masters in Computer Science at the University of Dundee. I decided to take a leap of faith and shoot for the moon.

Moving to a completely new country to study in a bid to take my career in a new direction was a surreal experience. I’m truly grateful that I was able to make that choice for myself, as I met some amazing people and got to learn so many things. I graduated as the Best Overall Student in my MSc cohort, and I’m looking forward to things ahead.

Experience #

Education #

• MSc. Computer Science (Distinction)

  • University of Dundee
  • 2023 - 2024

• Bsc. Petroleum Geoscience(Honours)

  • University of the West Indies
  • 2015 - 2018