I belong to a family that only gave me two options growing up: one was to pursue the medical sciences, and the second was to become an engineer. This is a story we’ve all heard (or even experienced) before. I chose the latter because computers fascinated me, and considering that my family knew plenty of successful engineers, it seemed like the safer choice.
In tenth grade, I was more inclined towards political sciences and eventually wanted to do something that would change the country.
But it was one particular teacher in my school, Mr. H.K Verma, who introduced me to the beauty of computer sciences and how we could harbour technology to solve complex problems through code. I still remember one of the examples that he provided: the ATM. Before it’s invention, people would line up in queues and spend a great deal of their time doing a task that now only takes seconds to do. It was through this example that my interest in computer science grew in leaps and bounds.
In the early days of my profession, I was struggling at CarDekho when I realised that there was still so much to learn out there. Back then, InterviewBit was a great website to practice my coding skills, as UI was better than most. After some deliberation, I decided to join their course as I wanted to focus on my personal betterment.
The support I discovered in their community was immense. The instructors, teaching assistants, and students motivated me to start learning again in the most structured ways. Obviously, after giving 8-9 hours of your life everyday at work, it’s challenging to focus on learning. However, the Scaler community and Kshitij Sir, in particular, helped ease me into my courses. The focus in Scaler is not on demonstrating hours of dedication every single day to your coursework but to give consistent efforts towards your goals. So even if I had one hour after work, I would push myself to utilise that one hour. And of course, if I struggled, I could call my peers and instructors, who would always be there to help me.
Like many others, I also looked at growth in terms of earning money. My goals were monetary and entirely based on my salary and job transitions. I remember going through several rounds at Amazon but only to be rejected in the very end. Anshuman Sir, however, didn’t let me look at it as a failure but one step closer to success. After every interview round, I received a call from Scaler checking on how it went with tips on how to prepare for the next round. As it turns out, I got a job at Lenskart.
Nonetheless, by the time I received the offer letter, I was comfortable with my job at CarDekho. It was the same job that I was earlier finding so difficult to pursue due to the inherent knowledge gaps in my skills. I had a hard time leaving that job as I had created appreciable bonds and had worked hard to gain the organization’s trust. Although with the help of the Scaler community, I took a leap of faith and accepted the opportunity to advance my career at Lenskart further. I am determined to work hard and become an inspiration to others in this new venture, just as I had done in CarDekho. My next dream destination is working in an organization like Zoho, as I am attracted to their beautiful work environment surrounded by nature.
I know now that nothing is impossible as long as I keep working on myself and my skills as a necessity.