Maxim Nawangwe
Software Developer, 2016
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Software Engineering with Multimedia
Know that the knowledge you pick up from school is merely the foundation to guide you to get into the industry. There’s much more to learn and you should never stop learning. Read a lot more, practice even more.
01 October 2016
Maxim Nawangwe: Adroit Software Developer
The emergence of new mobile applications is changing the information technology and business landscape throughout all industries.
With organisations worldwide adapting to the app revolution, software developers and IT professionals are looking to perfect their mobile-design skills for clients.
One such software developer and gaming enthusiast is Limkokwing alumnus Maxim Nawangwe who is now working at Crave Asia Sdn Bhd.
He graduated from the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Software Engineering with Multimedia programme in 2013.
“I am primarily a software developer. I design, develop and maintain a wide array of entertainment software like interactive advertisements, virtual reality tours, mobile games and motion tracking displays.”
On what inspired him to take an interest in software development, Maxim mentioned it was his love for games.
“I started playing video games when I was about 6 years old. At about 13 years, I wanted to start making games similar to what I was playing. It was a difficult task to achieve and I had plenty of trial and error using easy drag and drop software to make simple playable games.”
Initially he wanted to pursue Games Design as his major in varsity. However, Maxim said this deemed impossible because of the uncertainty of job acquisition in the industry and so opted for software development instead.
“On my second semester I started making games and apps and in 2012 I joined the Nokia Knight app development competition. This was a good experience to help me get prepared for the industry.”
Maxim won one of the top prizes for the competition which was held nationwide for young student developers. “This was one of my biggest achievements at Limkokwing University. We did not only win the first prize, but we won three categories in that competition.”
“Additionally, I was a Microsoft student partner. I won the first place in a Microsoft student partners bootcamp called ‘Hackathon’, held at Port Dickson during the emergence of Windows 8.”
Maxim received an ‘Excellence in Industry’ award from Microsoft during his graduation ceremony in 2013.
“I joined Limkokwing University as an Android Developer as soon as I graduated. After a while I wanted to explore game development so I moved on to a game development startup.”
“Shortly after I joined Crave Asia Sdn Bhd, which offered me the opportunity to work with software similar to games. I was able to sharpen my skills further.”
“I’m currently working on a few interactive attractions for a digital theme park in Langkawi. One of the attractions is a magic mirror, which displays a 3D characters on screen that come alive and mimic the users every move using motion sensing technology.”
Maxim has also worked on a few projects for various clients which included a motion-sensing video wall with an interactive touch screen as well as a virtual reality tour of a store.
“The software for the campaign is not only used in Malaysia, but it is being adopted globally for campaigns in other countries like Singapore, China and Korea.”
Maxim credits Limkokwing University for the opportunities it opened for him. He describes it as a global educational hub with students from every corner of the world.
“Part of a good education is cultural exposure and networking, and there’s no better place to do that than in Limkokwing University. If you are an ambitious student, you’ll definitely have a bright future studying there.”
“Through a Limkokwing University education I’m now confident that I can work anywhere in the world. I sharpened my skills across all domains.”
He acknowledged that the extracurricular activities he was exposed to during his studies such as hackathons and student partner initiatives helped him get a quick foot in the industry.
Maxim Nawangwe gave a piece of advice to students who aspire to follow the same career path as he, “Start early, gain experience while still in school by doing internships and participating in events such as hackathons and industry talks.”
“Know that the knowledge you pick up from school is merely the foundation to guide you to get into the industry. There’s much more to learn and you should never stop learning. Read a lot more, practice even more,” he concluded.
