Problem solving is a favorite activity of Dabble Lab member Shahla Zulkarnine, who’s known around Dabble as Zulkar. As a software engineer and JavaScript programmer, Zulkar derives energy and creativity from “trying to solve problems that haven’t been solved.” Since he joined Dabble last September, his favorite challenge was working as a tech lead and core contributor on Node Auditor, an internal project to monitor hosted blockchain nodes. Working alongside collective members Abel Masresha and Mark Hovsepyan, Zulkar turned an idea that floated around internal conversations into a system node runners rely on.

Dabble Lab Engineer, Shahla Zulkarnine (Zulkar)

Zulkar architected the application data model, working with Steve, Dabble Lab’s founder and managing director, to understand and deliver on core business requirements. The biggest challenge that the team faced was developing and managing automated processes that would keep the monitoring system in sync with the POKT network where the nodes were hosted. As Zulkar explained, “Blockchain network protocols are usually a bit slow, and since we wanted to show the users’ organized real-time data according to their needs, we had to develop sustainable data models and robust automated processes.”

The project was quite challenging and it was a problem that had not yet been solved–a perfect combination for Zulkar. The team was able to deliver the initial version of Node Auditor in a short 2 months. Recalling the project, he can’t help but smile: “We built it from scratch and we were the first ones to do it. This is the project that gives me the most joy… it was so perfect and flawless when we first released it.”

Zulkar with friends

Sometimes things aren’t perfect or flawless and that is something that Zulkar understands and is comfortable with. With any project, there are expectations to be met and you don’t get there on the first try or at times new problems surface as you go. What Zulkar loves about Dabble Lab and the clients that they collaborate with is that problem solving is a team sport: “I’ve never felt like I have the sole responsibility of getting it right, but the responsibility is shared with everyone jumping in with ideas.”

Zulkar welcomes and seeks out new ideas and approaches to solving problems. Some of his projects have led him to use Node.js, an open-source development platform for JavaScript. What he likes the most about Node.js is the community that is supporting it. “Whenever I am working on a problem, there is always a chance that someone has faced this problem, and I can learn from them to help solve it.” On occasion, he has posted his own ideas and would like to be able to share more with the community of programmers like him, but his work keeps him pretty busy and there is never a lack of new projects to jump into.

Zulkar reading with his cat, Watson, nearby

In fact, the variability of the types of projects he has had the opportunity to be a part of keeps him motivated and happy. He has built code from the ground up, he has helped to optimize code to make things better, and he has helped to maintain existing code, but, to him, it doesn’t matter what state he jumps into. The best part Zulkar says is “when the project works out, when it goes well, and is helpful to people–that is the best part.” At Dabble, he is always presented with new projects and “it is never mundane.” He has worked on client projects and internal projects, and the diversity of work that he does presents incredible opportunities for him–for instance, being offered the opportunity to stretch his knowledge and creativity to solve problems with blockchain, which keeps him engaged and his skills up-to-date. He likens joining new projects at Dabble to diving into a new TV series–”you totally binge that series and then wait in anticipation for the next season.”

He likens joining new projects at Dabble to diving into a new TV series–”you totally binge that series and then wait in anticipation for the next season.”

In addition to binging projects at Dabble Lab, Zulkar enjoys watching TV series to relax and unwind. His favorite type of series is comedy, and some of his favorites include Silicon Valley, The Office (U.S.), and How I met Your Mother. But, he also enjoys such wide-spread favorite darker crime dramas such as Breaking Bad and Peaky Blinders and is looking forward to watching Better Call Saul next. His binging of the most recent British Sherlock series resulted in his favorite cat’s name: Watson. Watson is a gray, long-haired, persian variety of cat who enjoys Zulkar’s company more than the other five cats living in his home. He named Watson after the famous Sherlock Holmes sidekick not only because of his loyalty, but also because the actor playing Watson in the Sherlock series has gray hair. Watson the cat is often right next to Zulkar as he is busy working–mainly overnight in his home in Bangladesh.

Zulkar working with his cat/sidekick Watson in his lap

Zulkar’s passion for his work is obvious and conversations about his projects flow easily. It is surprising to know that he actually did not set out to be a programmer. As he started out his academic career, he wanted to study biomedical engineering, and sought out a bachelor’s program at a university in China where he could get a scholarship and study in a country where engineering is flourishing. He found out that the program he was applying for did not have a scholarship, and it was taught in Chinese, which at the time was a language he had not studied. He started rethinking his path when the same Chinese university offered him a full scholarship to study computer science. “I was never into CS. I wasn’t particularly fond of math,” Zulkar remembers. He thought he’d give it a try to see what happens, and he ended up falling in love with the work.

When you talk to him about his work, you hear as much about the people involved as you do the technology he works with. Because of the people he gets to work with everyday Zulkar says, “It doesn’t feel like work.” One client project in particular had him working across multiple projects and teams. They have an extensive platform to manage and support their business, which includes client side applications, an API, server side jobs, cloud infrastructure, services from third party vendors and more. Zulkar needs to understand and deliver the expectations of the business and then when solving problems according to the business needs, he has to make sure the solutions he places are sustainable and scalable for the platform in the long run. For Zulkar, “it’s about caring about the platform” so that the business can succeed. However, at the core of all of this, for Zulkar, is delivering a quality solution to the people he works with–to the client and collective community.

“The people that are a part of Dabble Lab–it’s not just work–it’s like family. We don’t treat it like work, none of us do. I’m not sure where we get it from…maybe it’s Steve and the way he built his company or maybe it’s just luck that we all joined Dabble Lab with similar values…but it doesn’t feel like work at all.”

And, that is a core value that you can immediately feel from the first meeting with Zulkar: community. It’s what drives him to solve problems and it’s what draws him to Dabble Lab. As he puts it: “The people that are a part of Dabble Lab–it’s not just work–it’s like family. We don’t treat it like work, none of us do. I’m not sure where we get it from…maybe it’s Steve and the way he built his company or maybe it’s just luck that we all joined Dabble Lab with similar values…but it doesn’t feel like work at all.”