I didn’t always know I’d end up in tech.
In fact, my journey began with a rejection.
Right after high school, I had my heart set on pursuing mechanical engineering. I imagined engines, machines, and industrial design. But when my admission didn’t go through, I was forced to rethink everything. What felt like a detour at the time ended up becoming the path. That rejection pushed me into technology—and I never looked back.
I come from a formal education background, but most of what I’ve learned has been through building, breaking, and fixing things. I started in development, tinkering with code and eventually building full-stack systems from scratch. Over the years, I’ve shifted between roles—developer, freelancer, technical project manager—and each phase has shaped how I think about software and people.
Today, I work as a Technical Project Manager, but I still code. Laravel, in particular, has been more than just a framework to me—it’s the language I used to truly master the craft of building scalable, maintainable software. There’s something deeply satisfying about creating something end-to-end and seeing it live in the hands of real users.
Currently, I’m leading the development of JainDirect, a platform designed to connect the global Jain community by offering free technology solutions to non-commercial Jain organizations. JainDirect aims to digitize and automate operations for temples, educational institutes, and other community centers, providing them with tools to manage member data, showcase activities, and receive donations online—all at no cost. It’s a project that resonates deeply with my values, blending technology with community service.
In my spare time, I’m also working on side projects like developing backup tools using Python, exploring ways to enhance data security and reliability.
I’m equally passionate about what happens off the screen. Leading teams, managing projects, and aligning people with purpose is where I thrive. I’ve learned that code solves problems, but people build solutions. Along the way, I also picked up a love for photography and trekking in the mountains. These hobbies teach me patience, perspective, and sometimes, how to frame a story before I write it.
I still feel like a student—because I’m always learning. Mistakes have been my greatest teachers, and failure is something I’ve learned to treat like a debugging session: a step toward clarity.
This site, and my content, are part of that journey. I write, build, and share—not because I have all the answers, but because I know how valuable it is to see someone else figuring things out in real time.
Thanks for being here.
— Shivam Pandya