I grew up like every other average Indian student: drilled with the idea that one should cut one’s dress only according to the cloth.
Having come from a family with limited means, but my father, who is a hard-working farmer, never limited me with that thinking. My plan was to get a bachelors, then a master’s in science and become a teacher with a stable salary. I dreamt small and wished for whatever was within reach, never knowing what the future held for me. It was my father who recognized my potential and became my driving force!
As a school kid, I was very interested in cricket and looked up to M.S. Dhoni. It was a match that I watched and felt inspired by his leadership. India was on the verge of losing the match but the leader pulled through, with his quick adaptations and the signature calm demeanor, and won us the match! That is when I realised that you can’t control your life but you can change the situation through the choices you make. If you have made good choices, the result doesn’t need to be favourable for you. But, the choice is always in your hand, and you can take the risk and watch the future unfold. I took this learning to heart after that match.
My engineering journey began at Kurukshetra University and immediately I realised I was not getting enough exposure, so much so that I didn’t even know that we needed data structures to crack interviews. Every day, I would feel confused and disillusioned with my choices.
One day, during my third year of college, we had a couple of internship programs set up for us. Up till that point, I still had not found my reasons to fuel the zeal to have a career in computer sciences. During the internship programs, I learned all the parts of a website. I think that is when this subject clicked with me. I wanted to replicate people’s methods and find my way out of this maze.
Soon enough, I cracked the campus placement and bagged an offer at Libsys. I followed the herd and got this job. However, I still felt pretty clueless. I did not feel connected to the work I was doing. Moreover, I felt like I was not making a difference through my work. I wanted to feel curious, excited, and motivated about my job. But it just was not happening!
I knew it was time for some drastic measures. With the learning from M.S. Dhoni’s match in mind, I made my choice and left Libsys.
I did not get a job after Libsys for two months. Never did I ever feel more dejected with my choice. It felt like the biggest mistake of my life! I got an offer from Paytm, and because I had nothing else, I accepted it. I did not feel challenged there. I am curious by nature, and when I stopped asking questions about my role and work, I lost all interest. I realized then and there that my journey with Paytm had reached an end, and I needed to get off this train.
Coincidentally, around this time I saw an advertisement for a masterclass. I enrolled without much thought. After attending some masterclasses, I immediately wanted to enroll for more. For the first time in a long time, I felt curious again! It was then that I joined Scaler and discovered that I genuinely enjoyed their teaching style and organizational skills.
It was a combined package of wonderful mentors who motivated me to be more than I was. They helped me become more substantial and I directed all of my energy towards my goals. I studied and practiced for four hours every day. I finally understood the latent tricks of the trade and eventually gained a lot of confidence! My goals became clearer: I wanted to work for a coherent team such as the one leading Google Maps or Google Search Engine. Research has become my passion and I want to integrate it in every aspect of my life!
To those who are told to stick to what they know, never settle. My father never let me settle and I am most grateful to him for having raised me like that. Having taken the risks that I did, I changed my life with my choices and hope to make others’ lives better as well!
Sachin Jindal is currently a Software Engineer at Intuit.