Scaler Academy Review: How I Went From a College in Bangalore to My First SDE Offer
I’m currently holding an SDE offer from Converse Now, and it won’t be an exaggeration to say how the path wasn’t even close to being linear.
So, I’ll start form the beginning!
I have been interested in computers for as long as I can remember. I remember sending an email to my mom which said a simple “Hi”, and she replied back, and that excited me a lot.
I also created a website and an IRC bot. My parents never really pushed me towards one particular path, so I had the freedom to explore whatever interested me.
Because of that, I grew up thinking that I didn't necessarily need to get into an IIT or NIT to become a good software engineer.
After Class 12, I gave EAMCET a shot and cleared it, but my marks weren't enough for a good Computer Science college in Hyderabad. Around that time my sister was working in Bangalore and she suggested to join a college there, so I moved to Bangalore.
The first couple of years were quite different from what I had imagined. There wasn't much of a coding environment in college, and I didn't end up doing much programming during those years.
It was only in my third year that I found my way back to it.
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+1000 moreFinding My Way Back to Coding
A training company visited our college in my third year. The program didn't really cover data structures and algorithms, but it brought my interest in coding back.
Then, at the beginning of my fourth year, I took up an internship where the coding became much more rigorous. I was creating coding problems, writing solutions and test cases, and building full-stack and front-end applications.
I really enjoyed that work.
Around the same time, I spoke to an old school friend who was studying at IIT Varanasi. I was curious about how he was preparing for placements and the kind of companies he was interviewing with. He told me he was practising on InterviewBit.
I went to the platform, solved a few problems, and quite liked it. So I kept practising there.
A few months later, I received an email from InterviewBit about a new program called Scaler Academy.
I went through the curriculum and the course details, and I immediately felt that this was something I wanted to do. I thought it could change my career quite a bit. I also felt that I deserved a better environment and better opportunities.
There was just one problem.
I had to clear the entrance test first.
Five Attempts, Then One More
I registered for the first batch and took the test on both Saturday and Sunday. I couldn't clear either attempt.
The following month, I tried again on both days. Again, I didn't clear it.
That was four attempts, and by then I had started wondering whether I even wanted to take the test anymore.
There was one final batch for 2019 graduates, and I had two attempts left. On the day of the test, I wasn't particularly interested in trying again. But then, about an hour before it started, one of my friends called me.
He insisted that I take the test.I had nothing to lose, he said, so I should just try again. Honestly, that made sense to me.
I took the test on Saturday but couldn't clear it.
I came back on Sunday to try again. And this time, I managed to solve a few more problems and started feeling that I might actually have a chance.
A few days later, I got a call from InterviewBit telling me that I had been selected for the next batch.
After five failed attempts, I had finally cleared it on the sixth.
The feeling was difficult to explain. But more than anything, I felt relieved!
Leaving My Internship to Focus on Scaler
I was already interning at a pretty good product-based company. Leaving that internship to focus completely on the Academy was a big risk, and I knew that when I made the decision.
But I had faith in it.
I had seen people talking about practising on InterviewBit for a couple of months and then getting the jobs they wanted. So the goal didn't feel impossibly far away anymore. To me, at that time, it felt achievable.
I decided to quit the internship and focus on the Academy curriculum.
But yes, It’s not like it made everything easy.
One thing I had always struggled with was consistency. I could study for a few days and then take a long break. There were times when I felt stressed because I knew I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing.
But I didn't stay away for too long. After a few days, I would work on my concentration, get back to studying, and start again.
Over time, it got better! I started solving more problems and adapted to the kind of preparation I was doing.
My mentor helped with that as well. He was a very good coder and an ACM ICPC World Finalist, which inspired me a lot. I was particularly bad at mock interviews in the beginning, but his guidance helped me perform much better in the interviews that followed.
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I started getting interview opportunities when I had completed around 35% of the course, after being referred to two startups. The first one didn't go very far because there were two questions in the coding test that I couldn't solve. I hadn't really started preparing by then, so I failed the test and went back to studying.
A few days later, I had another interview. This time, I wasn't putting too much pressure on myself to get the job. I thought of it more as a regular discussion where I could learn something from the experience as well.
The first question was an algorithmic one. I initially came up with a brute-force approach and then worked towards the optimal solution. There was a follow-up question after that, and I got stuck, but the interviewer kept pushing me with questions. Eventually, I was able to work through it and complete the problem.
We then moved on to a few technical and non-technical questions, and the discussion went well. I cleared that round, and a few days later I spoke with their VP and director.
Those conversations went well too, and I received my first job offer from Converse Now as an SDE.
That was the first time I could see all the preparation turning into something real. I had gone from not being able to solve the questions in my first coding test to sitting across from an interviewer, getting stuck, working through it and eventually getting the offer.
What I Would Tell Someone Starting in College
If I were starting college again, I would begin competitive programming in the first year. That gives you a few years to get comfortable with problem-solving before interview preparation becomes the main focus.
By the third year, I would start preparing more seriously for interviews alongside competitive programming. That way, by the time the final year comes around, you already have a base to build on rather than trying to learn everything at once.
My own journey wasn't that smooth. There were periods when I would study for a few days and then take a long break, and I failed the Scaler entrance test five times before clearing it on my sixth attempt. Even after joining the Academy, I had to keep working on my consistency. But I kept coming back to it, and that is probably what I would take from the experience most. Things won't always work the first time, whether it's a test or an interview, but there is always another chance to improve and try again.
I'm still learning, and I'm looking forward to applying what I learnt at Scaler in the work I do.
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FAQs
How many times did Arjun attempt the Scaler Academy entrance test?
Arjun attempted the entrance test six times. He failed his first five attempts and was selected on the sixth.
Why did Arjun leave his internship?
He was already interning at a good product-based company but decided to leave it and focus completely on Scaler Academy. He considered it a significant risk but believed the program could give him a better environment and stronger opportunities.
How did Arjun get back into coding?
He had been interested in computers since childhood but didn't do much coding during his first two years of college. A training program in his third year brought his interest back, followed by a fourth-year internship where he worked extensively on coding problems and applications.
What does Arjun recommend to college students?
He recommends starting competitive programming in the first year. By the third year, he suggests adding focused interview preparation alongside it so that there is enough time to build problem-solving skills and prepare for interviews before graduation.
If Arjun’s journey has you thinking about building your coding skills with more structure, you can explore Scaler Academy to see how the program can fit into your own preparation.
