Huzaifa is a HubSpot integration and backend developer on our integrations team. He’s constantly pushing the envelope on what HubSpot can do and always comes up with interesting ways to solve complex problems. In this installment of Behind The Coding Huzaifa tells us why his work is his love, the difference between religion and technology and why he’s incredibly curious.
Hi Huzaifa! Ready to go?
Hi Sajeel. Yes, I am!
Ok! What are the last 3 things you Googled?
You are going to see a pattern here.
I’m ready for it!
The most recent thing I Googled was developers.hubspot.com
No surprise there.
The second thing I Googled was HubSpot API Client Packages.
I am noticing a pattern.
The third thing I Googled was HubSpot In and Not-in Operator.
Ok. Let’s talk about In and Not-in Operators. Why were you Googling that in HubSpot?
Well, the in and not-in operators for the APIs search in a data set to see if a record falls in a set or not. Not in the official HubSpot package. I cloned the repository, made some modifications, and submitted it to the HubSpot team. Let’s see if they merge it or reject it for any reason.
Fingers crossed that they do! Usually, they are pretty good about these things.
I love this type of habit. The open-source methodology. You teach me something, I teach you something. We both improve.
How do I improve by teaching you something?
I believe you improve something by teaching someone something else. Presenting helps you with understanding.
You know, there is nothing about any sort of hobbies in your Googling habits.
Coding is my hobby.
You don’t have any other hobbies?
I love coding. I love waking up in the morning, finding a problem to solve, and solving it.
Do you code on your days off?
Yes absolutely. I code on my days off, learn new things, and try new things. I have been coding for many years and I will code for many more years. I really love coding and coding is my hobby.
So this isn’t something you do for money or take on as a job because you are good at it. Is that a fair thing to say?
That is totally fair. I mean this is a hardcore love marriage between coding and me. I really enjoy my work and I do this for fun. The things I Google are all related to coding. I’m not really into movies, music, TV shows, or things like this. I’m happy to say that coding is my source of entertainment!
But you are doing other education right and have other interests, right?
Well yes, I consider myself to be a person holding strong Islamic faith and values.
Let’s talk about that. You are a technology person and a religious person. A person of logic, science, and faith. Some would say those are two opposite ends of the same spectrum.
People say that but I disagree.
Why?
I don’t know who said it, but there’s a famous quote ‘nonsense remains nonsense even if it’s spoken by a scientist.’
It’s 2022.
Hahaha. I don’t mean it in the context of current events or anything. I mean science is something that is based really on observation. I have a theory based on the data I have. 50 years in the future may be new data comes out from technological advancements and my theories are disproven or added onto. They evolve.
Right. They get built upon.
Precisely. Based on the information you have presented; you base a theory. That’s science. Religion, on the other hand, is different.
How so?
Religion and faith is knowledge based on feelings and absolutes. The unexplainable. Generally, if you ask ‘why’ enough you get to a point where there is an unlimited amount of things that are unexplained. Yet, somehow they happen and the reason is something that we define as religion.
What if someone says ‘unexplained until it is explained?’
Potentially yes, but there is way too much unexplainable to me on things that will happen, have happened, haven’t happened or might happen to not have strong spirituality.
Fair points for sure. When was the last time you worked after hours to solve a hard problem?
I work before, during, and after hours pretty much every day!
Ok, I know, but can you pinpoint a specific time and place where you did?
About 6 years ago. I was trying to build my own SaaS application to sell small-medium-sized businesses. I spent a lot of time building it, but it didn’t materialize….yet!
Religious and technologist - Nonsense remains even if it is spoken by a scientist. Technology/science is based on observation. Faith is knowledge based on absolutes.
'Who are 3 people you'd like to have dinner (Davaat) with at the same time and why?" Can be famous.
Dennis Ritchie for sure would be one.
Why Dennis Ritchie?
As the founder and creator of Unix and the C language, I would love to pick his brain on these things and get better at them.
Who else?
Another person I can learn a lot from. Linus Torvalds! The father of Linux
Why would you want to talk to Linus?
I have so many questions about Linux Kernel. I’d love to pick his brain on it.
Ok. Who else?
Sir Noam Chomsky of course.
Why Noam Chomsky?
To find out why the hell he invented the third normalization form!
Again, this really shows how much you are interested in your craft. You are an incredibly curious person.
Thank you. That is a big compliment
Where does this curiosity come from?
My dad was a Ph.D. graduate. As you know, I’ve done my Bachelor’s in Computer Science, I have a master's, MPhil (Master of Philosophy) is in progress, and eager to do a Ph.D. as well. I love learning and education.
What would you eat at your dinner with Dennis, Linus, and Noam?
I’d take them for grilled fish and mutton.
When was the last time you cried tears of laughter?
I don’t remember honestly. I usually don’t laugh so hard that I cry!
What do you love about coding?
I love everything about it. Like I said this is a never-ending romance for me. Coding teaches me how to think and is very enlightening. That is one reason I can think of off the top of my head. But there are many other reasons.
Where were you when you first saw a laptop/desktop?
I will never forget that day. It 2001. I was so fascinated. It really was love and interest at first sight. What are these keys? What do we do with this thing that moves the cursors? My life changed forever that day.
How so?
My friend’s circle totally changed. I started to spend time with more engineers, programmers, and technical people. People who shared a love for computers as much as I did.
Hahahaha! I can feel your passion
Yes, it is true. It is a true passion Sajeel. Once I saw it I was hooked. Shortly after I would be going to every computer I find and try to fix them. No two computers for 2 users are the same. I loved trying different ones and trying to learn about them.
What is something your teammates don't know about you?
They don’t know much about me! I need to join the office a bit more for them to get to know me and get to know me better.
