My story is like every other software engineer’s. I was hooked on computers the moment I got to know about their existence and wanted to learn everything about them. However, no two people can have the same path and face the same difficulties, The same goes for me!
As a computer application enthusiast, I always knew I wanted to walk down the path of getting a B.Tech degree. As far as I can remember, the obsession started in 6th or 7th grade when I used to play a ton of computer games. For most kids, it is part of their playtime, but for me it was so much more. The world of computers fascinated and intrigued me so much that I knew that I’d become an engineer from the very beginning.
I was enrolled in Gayatri Vidya Parishad College of Engineering, where my friends, teachers, and peers were really supportive. This created a great learning environment for me. As for my family, my father is a government teacher and has been the most significant pillar of support for my education. I had everything I could have needed to achieve my dream, which was to work for a product-based company. However, there was one hurdle to this dream: I came from a tier 3 college which translated into me lacking the skills that were required for such a profile.For me, I’d say that’s the biggest hurdle there could’ve been.
Whatever we think, we become. I thought that maybe because I was from a tier 3 college, I didn’t deserve a product-based company. This is why my first job was in TCS, a service-based company. After applying to several jobs and gaining some amount of work experience, I was still not able to get even a single reply from any of the product-based companies. Of course, this was because we, as engineers, need to be very efficient in problem-solving, designing scalable systems with very strong programming skills. Somewhere or the other my resume lacked this very important element. My search for online coding courses started upon this realisation and this is when I came across the Scaler Academy.
What attracted me the most about Scaler was that they had short courses all over the internet that, if put together, can cover all the significant subjects that need to be covered for one person to upskill themselves. They were obviously a step ahead: they offered a detailed curriculum which covered all topics, excellent teaching assistance, interview preparation, and mentors all under one roof.
One may call it an intelligent decision, but it might also become a lazy one. If you’re a current student, I would really advise you to fully utilize the curriculum for your advancement and look nowhere else when it comes to seeking either information or help. Use your mentor and teaching assistants in every way possible and watch your work transform for the better. As I began to start sitting for my placements, I took every job opportunity as a learning curve. I performed well in all rounds but wasn’t able to finish on time. Even in rounds where I did complete the task in the designated amount of time, I never qualified.
I remember Kshitij sir giving me blunt advice to work on my speed, pace and try to focus more on design. This advice completely changed my goals from what they were earlier. I became stricter in my approach and started timing myself, thinking out of the box for creativity. Slowly, I improved and started receiving call backs from companies.
Today, I’m a Software Developer at Walmart, and I have already achieved my dream of working at a product-based company. But, I don’t plan on stopping here. I have grown a keen interest in design, and now I plan on becoming a good solution-based architect. And I would also like to work on the developing part of those architecture projects that I pick up. There is no limit to dreaming; no one tells you can only dream about these many things! I began with wanting to achieve one dream, but now I know that as long as there is will, there will be a way. I just need to find it.
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