Learning in this field has taught me to dream big.
It has taught me to not settle for anything less than what I can achieve with my capabilities and I have done just that! I have gone from being a passive learner in this field to becoming a senior software engineer in a company that I aspired to reach at!
Like every little kid out there, I was obsessed with video gaming during childhood. At that time, I would often have a childish dream of becoming a game developer. This dream took a concrete shape in grade 9 when I decided to do B. Tech and make my career in computer science.
But my graduation experience didn’t turn out so well. There was no mentorship or guidance that I could look upto. I also felt that the overall learning environment of my college didn’t work for me as it was neither challenging nor competitive. As a result of this, my interest took a backseat and I spent the entirety of my college in a very laid back manner. There weren’t even any good placements or opportunities, yet I joined Chumbak design immediately after graduation.
My passivity in learning during college reflected when I stepped into the shoes of a working professional. It was like a whole different world out there in the professional side of this field. I used to be astonished by the level of expertise and knowledge that my colleagues had. It was then that I vowed to improve myself. I started working on data structure and algorithms mainly.
It was a smooth process for a while but things took a major turn when I was laid off from my job in 2020 owing to the economic downturns brought by Covid-19. At the same time, I was doing Scaler’s course too. Overcoming the dejection, I gave all my efforts to Scaler during that time. I think all the disappointment was channelized into learning. With the help of Scaler, I was able to find a job soon thereafter and I knew that I was on the right track.
Apart from the lectures, I used to spend 3-4 hours practicing and revising the concepts taught in lecture for the initial 2-3 months. The requisite hours decreased to 1 or 2 everyday once I got the hang of the course. Despite my time commitment, I used to give up on assignments pretty easily. That’s where my mentor during the online course helped a lot as he would motivate me to keep solving the problems. We used to make charts and plans for laying the roadmap for better learning.
But I have to admit that one of the best things that I experienced during the course was the community and peer groups that we had at Scaler. Since the majority of students were from average or below-average colleges, the zeal for learning was tangible. This was something that I didn’t find in my entire graduation. I mean even if one of us was stuck at a problem, everybody would get invested in helping the person. It showed me that it doesn’t matter what you were before you began with the process of upskilling yourself. It is the end result stemming from your efforts that actually counts.
Before this learning experience, I never had any concrete goals as I was content with whatever I was doing and earning. But after my professional experience in this field, I have come across people who are so passionate about what they do that it can literally motivate anyone to change their perspective. So was the case for me as I realised that the impact that you can create through your job is what matters the most and it has no possible equivalent. It was these subtle learnings that led me to receive the position of the senior software engineer at my current job at Ula. My aim is to just create a significant impact in whatever position I work.
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