Before I begin with the review of Scaler Academy, it is imperative to share my background :
I come from a small village in Bihar; a village where education still doesn’t play any role in the lives of the people. Until I was 5 years old, my days, along with those of my siblings, were full of playing and nothing else. My father was a cart puller and used to work in Dhanbad in Jharkhand to provide for us. But while he was there, he saw that with education, we could have a better way of life, and decided to shift our family with him.
That was why the first time I entered school was when I was 6 years old. I started studying in a hindi medium school, but I didn’t even know how to write an alphabet in hindi. School felt more like a suffering. It only got worse for me when we started learning computers in school. I was already behind my classmates in other subjects, this was one more. Everyone somehow knew what to do, while I would just stare at the screen, terrified and clueless. Since that would earn me a beating from the teacher, I would end up copying from my neighbours, even during exams.
Finally, I realised that this couldn’t continue. So I requested my father to get me a basic computer and started learning it. I also settled in at school eventually and became good at academics too. But it wasn’t until my 8th grade that I truly fell in love with computers. A computer coaching centre had opened up next door, and my father told me to attend classes to make better use of my time. The more I learnt about computers and the internet, the more I was fascinated by it. The fact that you could type something on your screen and millions could see it the world over — how can it not awe someone?
That was when I decided to become a computer science engineer. I didn’t fare well in my first attempt at JEE, so I decided to take a year gap and try again. I spent a year pouring over everything I had learnt. In my next attempt, I scored well and got admission in IIT Guwahati. I was one step closer to my goal. Along with it came the realization that I was wrong in believing that web development was everything. There was much more to it. So the next few years of my college life were about exploration and learning.
In my second year, I joined a startup of Bitcoin trading, and ended up becoming a cofounder since I was managing everything on the backend singlehandedly. When RBI banned Bitcoin, my partners and I shut it down, and I got another learning opportunity when I became the web ops head for Alcheringa — our college cultural festival. It was a road of ups and downs, but I managed to get everything done, despite all the hurdles. It was morale-boosting, to say the least.
But when companies came to our college for an internship the next year, and I didn’t get selected by any, it was a serious setback. I understood my lack of knowledge about the coding basics — Data Structure and Algorithms. I sought help from my seniors, and they recommended that I look up Scaler Academy. The problem was that I didn’t know the basics enough to even clear the entrance exams for the Academy. But with some help from my friends, I managed to clear the exam and get through.
My Observations with Scaler Academy program :
1. The first thing I noticed was the course — it was very well structured and expansive. Throughout my academic life, I had memorised everything by rote, but I knew this strategy wouldn’t help me succeed or grow in life.
2. So the first few months at Scaler were very important for me as I understood the basics thoroughly.
3. The batches were then divided into backend and full stack development, based on our interests. That along with the usage of the latest technologies was immensely helpful.
4. The highly qualified mentors, the teaching assistants, the success managers(Mayank Manohar, in my case) – everyone was there to help us reach our full potential. To me, Scaler always felt like a family. I could reach anyone at any time and would always receive help. They never turned me away, no matter what time of the day it was.
5. The Mentorship pillar was one of the highlights of the course. Every fortnight, I would have one-on-one sessions with my mentor, Ashutosh Agarwal from Visa.
6. The mock interviews and his feedback gave me better insight into how to crack interviews with any and every company. He was incredibly supportive throughout the course. In fact, I still reach out to him from time to time.
Cherry on the Top:
By the time the placement season rolled around in college, I was well prepared and confident. And it showed when I sat for my interviews with PhonePe. My concepts were so clear, that I could explain every step and detail in my answers. The interviewers were impressed and I landed a job with them with a handsome package!
Based on my experience, Here’s my final verdict :
My journey with Scaler Academy has been a cherished experience. Even today, I watch the recorded classes and solve questions on the Scaler website after office or in my free time. Learning is a process that never ends, and the people at Scaler understand this better than anyone else — it’s no wonder that they offer lifetime association. So whenever I meet any fellow engineer, I always recommend Scaler Academy to them. It’s a sure-fire path to both professional as well personal growth! Thank you, to each and every person who makes Scaler Academy what it is!