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_From dreaming of becoming an astronaut to studying medicine and ultimately helping make music and DJ gear sound as good as it possibly can for some of the best artists in the world, Kotisi Fakalata, Senior Software Engineer Team Lead at [Serato](https://serato.com/) has had a really interesting career journey into tech._

_The age old adage of 'if you find something you love doing you will never work a day in your life' could not ring more true in this instance. We caught up with Kotisi to learn more about how he ended up at Serato, what a day-in-the-life looks like from his perspective and why he loves working there._ 

_Add to that some sage advise from his sister that can apply to anyone faced with a career decision. Thanks for sharing your story, Kotisi._ 

> “My 5 year old thinks I just play with music and DJ gear all day” 

**Firstly, how would you explain to a five year old what it is you do?**

My 5 year old thinks I just play with music and DJ gear all day :) I would say that I take DJ gear and make music come out of it. Without the work that we do, DJ gear wouldn’t reach its potential...

**And for the adults, what does that translate to in regards to your day-to-day?**

Our team receives the latest DJ equipment, and implements the software changes so that the equipment can be used to play music from your laptop. This allows a user to simply play songs in your music library, or perform more complex DJ'ing techniques like scratching and mixing. 

We also implement new software features to create new software effects that DJ's can use while performing.

**What are some of the common misconceptions about working in Software Engineering Team Lead Role at Serato?**

Common misconceptions are: 

‘We are based overseas’. Practically the whole company is here in NZ

‘Our software team is small’. Serato has a large number of software engineers and testers, comparable to other similar sized software tech companies.

> “My ultimate dream would have been to be an astronaut ” 

**Was working in tech something you dreamed about doing as a kid, if not what was?**

Kind of. As a kid, I loved playing around with batteries - I don't know why, but connecting tiny little lightbulbs with a wire to a battery, and seeing it light up fascinated me. And like most kids, I liked video games. 

But my ultimate dream would have been to be an astronaut - something I think I would have achieved if I had set that goal earlier in life.

**Tell us a little bit more about your career journey and ultimately about how you ended up working at Serato?** 

Coming out of high school, my passion was technology related, but Engineering wasn't really a well known career path in my family. So I went down the path of medicine at Auckland Uni. After 5 years of study, I switched to Embedded Software Engineering, and never looked back. 

I graduated from Manukau Institute of Technology and worked at Fisher and Paykel Healthcare for 5 years (awesome workplace), then moved to Cubic Defence New Zealand and became a Senior Software Engineer, then a team lead, then a Software Project Manager (another awesome workplace).

I then moved to Invenco for a couple of years and worked as a Project Manager, which was great but I missed working with the team on software development. I left my job, and spent 6 months working part time from home while looking after my new-born daughter. 

Then I saw that Serato was hiring Software Engineers, but it wasn't really an area of software I had much experience with. I had enough tech experience (>10 years) to bluff my way in (haha sorry Gary, our CTO) and I was really passionate about DJ'ing (I was really into DJ'ing as a teenager, before it became too expensive to buy records). 

Once Serato hired me and recognised my value, I became a team lead not long after joining.

I have always felt "at home" in Serato - the best place I've worked for in my career, and the best fit for my skill set.

> “When you're doing something you love, it no longer feels like work.” 

**What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?** 

It wasn't exactly these words, but my sister always kind of told me, if you don't like something, then don't do it. I was a bit young and immature when I was studying medicine at uni to be able to act on her advice, but at the end of the day, if you don't like your job - then don't do it, and find another one. 

I know it's not that easy, but when you're doing something you love, it no longer feels like work.

**What do you love about working at Serato?**

Everything. The work (playing with music all day), the workplace (great environment), the people (always friendly!), the management team (they treat everyone as an equal), the respect that people show me (and I reciprocate this back).

I can give everything I have to Serato, utilise all my skills, and have fun at the same time!

  
 **Lastly, Serato continues to grow and evolve. What kind of candidates do you think Serato is looking for in terms of experience, attitude and character?**

Serato is looking for passionate people that are willing to work hard and put in the effort to make the product the best in the world. Serato realises that a degree or qualification isn't the be-all / end-all - it's really the character of the person that will determine how well they will do at Serato. 

Of course experience in the tech industry and the right skills for a particular role is a plus. Serato has a lot of different roles within the company, that are suitable for people of different skill sets - software programming, testing, HR, support, sales, IT, management, web design, etc etc.

Kotisi Fakalata, Senior Software Engineer Team Lead at Serato

_Busy playing Street Fighter and reading Wolverine comics, Young Ly, CEO at Serato never really thought too hard about his career when he was younger. Instead, Young followed his natural interest in playing computer games to studying computer science at university, which eventually led him to starting a gaming company._

_We caught up with Young to learn more about his career journey into becoming CEO at Serato, an amazing New Zealand music software business that is used by the likes of FatBoy Slim, Erykay Badu, DJ Jazzy Jeff and many more. Young shares some insight into what the day-in-the-life of a CEO looks like, why he loves leading the team at Serato and who they are looking to attract. Thanks for sharing your story, Young._

**Firstly, how would you explain to a five-year-old what it is you do?**

I make music software.

> “Ultimately, I’m responsible for everything. But, no-one can do everything...” 

**And for the adults, what does that translate to in regards to your day-to-day?** 

Ultimately, I’m responsible for everything.

But, no-one can do everything, so my job mostly consists of:

* Finding people that you can trust to do things
* Dealing with things that are especially problematic
* Setting goals and company strategy
* Refining our culture

**What are some of the common misconceptions about working as a CEO.**

I think the title CEO stands out and makes the role larger than life. I’m just a dude, who plays a role in a company, just as you play a role in your company.

I often don’t feel that different from when I was a graduate. The role and responsibilities are different, but, it’s still a role.

Sometimes, I’m in a meeting and someone says something like “That requires CEO approval” and I think “oh, that’s me”.

> “To be honest, I never really thought about my career when I was younger. I was too busy reading Wolverine comics...” 

**Was working in tech something you dreamed about doing as a kid, if not what was?**

To be honest, I never really thought about my career when I was younger. I was too busy reading Wolverine comics and playing Street Fighter. When combined with a great work ethic, I think it was an advantage to enter the workforce without the burden of expectation. No-one really understands what a job is like until you try it.

**Tell us a little bit more about your career journey and ultimately about how you ended up working at Serato?** 

I chose computer science at university because I enjoyed playing computer games. It was just luck that I chose such an in-demand career path.

Out of uni, I started a small games company with some friends. The company got far, but ultimately, it didn’t end up being profitable. But the experience that I gained from running a company gave me what I needed to excel at subsequent positions.

My next big step was at Air New Zealand. The internet was emerging as an important channel for the airline and no-one had any experience so they gave 25-year-old-me a go with some massive projects.

The ride was great, I lead the airlines online and interactive development teams for a total of 8 years. We did a hell of a lot of stuff that I’m still proud of and I grew a lot as a leader.

New Zealand’s a small place. I was referred to Serato when they needed a development head.

> “If you prove your abilities then opportunities can find you in the technology industry.” 

**What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?** 

I’ve never thought about my career that much. It was a simple case of focusing on your current job and doing your best. If you prove your abilities then opportunities can find you in the technology industry. I suspect this advice only works in industries with a talent shortage.

Thinking back at my career, I suspect that two other characteristics that helped me a lot are that I’m naturally adaptable and risk-friendly. These are mindsets that you can decide to take on.

**What do you love about working at Serato?**

I make products that I’m proud of, work with people that I genuinely like, and I represent New Zealand globally. Then, ever so often, I see an A-list celebrity using or promoting Serato. Still blows my mind. Honestly, I love it here.

**Lastly, Serato continues to grow and evolve. What kind of candidates do you think Serato is looking for in terms of experience, attitude and character?**

The world keeps changing, at a faster and faster rate. So you need to be an adaptable problem solver.

We’re also a wide group of amazing people. Computer scientists, DJs, producers, organisers, musicians, artists, misfits and outliers. So you’ll also need to be good at collaborating with radically different people.

Young Ly, CEO at Serato

_Dreams of becoming a zoologist, journalist and/or athlete were quickly derailed the first time Daria Derecha, Junior Software Engineer at [Serato](https://serato.com/) first picked up a computer game. Having immigrated from the Ukraine, Daria worked a number of years in hospitality before studying software engineering._

_We caught up with Daria to learn more about her career journey into working in tech, why she thinks a stint in hospitality would be good for everyone and why she loves working amongst a talented group of people at Serato. Great to have you in New Zealand Daria and thanks for sharing your story._

> “Software engineers at Serato create cool music creation tools with virtual building blocks.” 

**Firstly, how would you explain to a five year old what it is you do?**

Together, software engineers at Serato create cool music creation tools with virtual building blocks. And we also solve puzzles that make sure these tools are super reliable so that music artists can always count on them when making music or playing live.

**And for the adults, what does that translate to in regards to your day-to-day?** 

See above but with fancier words ;) We collaborate with product owners who figure out what our engineers can do to make DJs and musicians’ lives oh so much easier. And then we do it. Simple! 

**What are some of the common misconceptions about working as a software engineer at Serato?**

_You have to know how to DJ or be a musician to work at Serato_ \-- Although there are heaps of incredible musicians and talented DJs working at Serato, it is not at all a prerequisite. It is a fantastic starting ground if you are keen to get into mixing, though.

_You have to know it all_ \-- many young Software Engineers, especially those underrepresented in the industry, suffer from so-called imposter syndrome. We tend to feel that we must know everything to be successful in a role.

This is not the case; no one expects a graduate to understand all the intricacies of C++ on the first day (can anyone claim that they do?) or know the way around the codebase.

Don’t be ashamed and use your lack of knowledge in something as an opportunity to ask questions and draw from other people’s experience. This is a fast track to becoming an expert!

_There is no room for a mistake --_ this is the bane of a juniors’ existence; most of us are terrified of getting things wrong. I find there is no better way to learn how to do things right than getting them utterly wrong at first. Befriend your patience and perseverance!

> “I dreamt of being a zoologist, journalist, athlete...that was all before I played a computer game for the first time...” 

**Was working in tech something you dreamed about doing as a kid, if not what was?**  

I dreamt of being a zoologist, journalist, athlete...that was all before I played a computer game for the first time (thank you, Diablo), and my life changed forever. I got entirely mesmerised by computers and tech in general, and there was no coming back from it.

**Tell us a little bit more about your career journey and ultimately about how you ended up working at Serato?**

Despite always being interested in computers and technology, my professional career started in hospitality. After finishing high school, I immigrated to NZ from Ukraine with my big Slavic family.

We took over La Vista, a Spanish restaurant down in St Heliers bay. We all worked very hard to revitalise the business and make it into a thriving venue, and I played my part working as a maitre d’.

I dreamt of doing higher education, but I could not enrol at Uni as it was way too expensive to study as an international student. Instead, I worked in a bunch of cool restaurants and bars across Auckland, earning money and working on becoming a NZ resident in the meantime.

Hospitality is a fascinating industry to be in with heaps of things to learn, incredible people to meet, and great stress to endure: I genuinely believe that every person should have at least a little taste of working in hospo.

After becoming a permanent NZ resident, I enrolled to a software engineering programme at the University of Auckland and got involved with SESA - Software Engineering Students Association. Serato truly believes in the value of young unspoiled minds, so we support and get involved in student communities.

I learned about Serato at one of the SESA’s industry nights and ended up landing an internship in the Web department. This was a gratifying and fun experience, so applying for a grad role was without question.

And here I am today, proudly working on Serato DJ!

> “Don’t be set in your ways and put too much pressure on yourself for choosing the right path. ” 

**What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?** 

Don’t be set in your ways and put too much pressure on yourself for choosing the right path. Embrace the courage to try things out, be open to new ideas, and have the patience to see where life takes you, making the most out of any circumstances you may be in. I wish I received this advice a bit earlier in life! 

**What do you love about working at Serato?** 

It is very easy to be proud and passionate about what we do when we see talented artists using Serato products. You cannot help but think, “I am a part of it. How freaking cool is that!”.

Serato is made by its people, and it is mindblowing how many talented, interesting, and cool folk there are. Everyone has a story to tell, there is a great diversity of backgrounds, and Serato’s company culture embraces this diversity. As a young engineer, I feel very inspired, encouraged, and supported by the people I work with. 

**Lastly, Serato continues to grow and evolve. What kind of candidates do you think Serato is looking for in terms of experience, attitude and character?**

The running theme with Serato folk is that we have a genuine interest and curiosity in what we do; we are fast to adapt and keen to keep learning. Being such a diverse group, it is important to stay down to earth and be easy to connect and collaborate with. If that’s who you are, it’s a match!

 

Daria Derecha, Junior Software Engineer at Serato

Serato empowers artists to create.

**The Market Opportunity Ahead for Serato**

Serato is leading a new era of Machine Learning technology in music production and DJ.

**Why Serato is a great place to work**

The work you do at Serato will be used by millions of people worldwide, including some of the world's greatest DJs and producers. Our culture centres on serving the artist and building products that shape music.

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Kotisi Fakalata, Senior Software Engineer Team Lead at Serato

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