This article was contributed by Akash Raj, Technical Writer at the SUSE documentation department.  It is part of a series of articles focusing on SUSE documentation and the great minds that create the manuals, guides, quick starts, and many more helpful documents.

Early life

I was born in Mangalore, a beautiful coastal city, and raised in various cities, thanks to my dad’s frequent work transfers. It wasn’t exactly my favorite thing growing up, but it did teach me the value of “moving on” early in life—something I’ve come to really appreciate.

Around the age of 13, my parents and I moved to Bangalore and we’ve been settled here ever since. I absolutely love the city… mostly for the weather (😛 traffic 😛 population 😛).

Years from my youth that I cherish! ….& education

My middle school years were easily some of the best of my life. I ended up in schools best known for their approach towards education from a perspective of social foundation in children, and not just focusing on academics. I genuinely couldn’t wait to get to school every morning.

A few life lessons I picked up during those years—lessons I’m eternally grateful for:

• Adapt; not crib.
• Be punctual.
• Cleanliness, in every sense, is fundamental.
• Fitness is vital.
• Hobbies are indispensable.

And then came… university. A kind of pseudo-dark phase in my life. Dark—because I never passed Mathematics on the first try in any exam for the rest of my education (a whole 6 years) 😎—probably making me the bane of my mother’s life.

Still, I wouldn’t trade that phase for anything. Why? Because during the final two years, I met my college sweetheart. Needless to say… I pursued her, annoyed her, confused her, made her swoon, and eventually won her over!

First stint at professional work

After graduation, I started job hunting. I knew one thing for sure: I didn’t want to get into “coding roles”. Upon further research, I came across the role of a Technical Writer—and it felt like a natural fit.

I kicked off my career at a startup fintech company called Zeta, where I learned a good portion of how to operate in a professional environment. After three years there, I moved through a couple more startups over the next two years, gaining experience in various domains—employee benefits, application guidance systems, and cybersecurity.

And then…

… the best thing ever happened—I married my college sweetheart! 🥰

Exit startup—enter MNC

Post-marriage, work started to feel hectic. Until then, work-life balance had never really been a concern. I was just focused on scaling my domain knowledge and growing professionally. But now, I didn’t want to be on 9 PM calls updating task statuses—and then be expected to warm my office chair at 7 AM the next morning. That’s when I decided it was time to leave the startup culture behind and start looking at multinational corporations.

After quite a bit of searching, I landed at Red Hat, where I got my first real experience with open source, well-established processes, a hustle-free culture, and—most importantly—a truly productive work-life balance. That’s when I knew exactly what I wanted for the rest of my career journey: to work in and contribute to an open source environment.

Roughly a year later, an unexpected email threw us into a cloud of uncertainty—we were being moved to IBM as part of a product merger between the two companies. The transition wasn’t exactly smooth; our only options were to move to IBM or politely look elsewhere. I chose to make the move to IBM.

SUSE came knocking

Things were going well during the first year at IBM, despite a few cultural differences. But the second year… wasn’t as smooth. Things started to shift toward a startup-like hustle culture, as we had to manage both Red Hat and IBM documentation requirements, each with its own set of docs, toolchains, release timelines, and stakeholders. It became increasingly difficult to manage, and I knew it was time for a change.

And believe it or not, just as I was considering giving SUSE a try, the recruiting contact reached out to me on LinkedIn! Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity, and the rest is history! 😀 Luckily, I continue to work at an open source company with a collaborative and open-minded culture, wonderful people, and always-engaging tasks.

Ever-expanding hobby catalogue

I have a few hobbies that keep me busy in my free time, and over the years, I’ve added more to the list. But therein lies the problem! I’ve accumulated so many that I now struggle to find enough time in a week to do them all. 😎 But hey, I guess this will teach me some time and project management skills! Want to know more? Here’s a peek at the hobbies I’ve picked up along the way:

• Fitness: This is not exactly a hobby, but more of a routine that’s been a part of my life since college.
• Reading: Naturally, this is a staple for most technical writers.
• Writing: I write blogs, books, articles, etc. I even have a personal Website where I share my travel experiences, though… I HAVEN’T UPDATED it since I created it 😂. As I said, consistency is a challenge for me.
• Gaming: I enjoy it, but thankfully, I’m not addicted.
• Travelling: A passion I’ve felt since childhood, which I began pursuing after getting married.
• Video shooting and editing: My most recent discovery. I never expected to get so hooked, but this is where most of my free time goes now. I fell head over heels for it, so much so that I started a travel YouTube channel, as well as one for my cats. (Disclaimer: The videos are still at a beginner level. If you decide to check them out, be prepared for some charming awkwardness!)

A long-held dream, almost fulfilled

Continuing from the previous thought, I’m on a journey to reinvent myself as an author—specifically in fiction.

Back in January last year, on my birthday, I made the decision to write a book (and I can’t thank my wife enough for encouraging me to do it—she saw my potential long before I did). It’s been a bit of a challenge to finish it with work, responsibilities, family obligations, writer’s block, and other hobbies pulling me in different directions. But I’m almost there! With any luck, I’ll have it ready for publication within the next two months. Fingers crossed!

I won’t get into a full-blown rant about what my book is about now. But I’ll save that for when it’s officially published—promised. 

Going forward

Two specific things I still have in mind to focus on and improve as I move forward: writing books and, hopefully, building a solid catalog someday—along with gaining a much stronger grip on my domain knowledge at work.

It’s been one heck of a journey so far. It won’t always be smooth sailing, of course, but I believe it’s better to stay prepared and welcome whatever challenges life throws your way.

Find me on socials

If you want to get in touch, find me on social media:

• Instagram: Me / Cats
• YouTube: Wandering DayDreamers / KiKi meets LuLu
• Personal website: https://coolsky.in/