From Backbencher to Big Tech: My Engineering Journey

It all started with a clunky desktop computer in the corner of our school's library. For most kids, it was a machine for playing Road Rash or printing out projects. For me, it was a box of pure magic. I was the kid who’d stay back after school, not for sports, but to fiddle with MS Paint or try to understand what made the little cursor blink on the black screen of MS-DOS. That initial curiosity, that simple "how does this work?", was the first step on a long road I didn't even know I was walking.

The decision to pursue Computer Science Engineering felt less like a choice and more like a natural conclusion. The two years of +2 were a blur of coaching classes, thick textbooks, and the looming pressure of entrance exams. Everyone was chanting the IIT-JEE mantra, and I was right there with them, solving physics problems late into the night. It was a grueling phase, but the dream of getting into a good engineering college, of officially starting my journey into the world of computers, kept me going.

College was like opening a door to a new universe. Suddenly, I was surrounded by people who spoke my language—the language of algorithms, data structures, and C++. The initial semesters were a mix of excitement and intimidation. Terms like 'Big O notation' and 'polymorphism' felt like ancient spells. There were late-night coding sessions fueled by countless cups of chai, debugging code that just wouldn't compile, and the sheer joy when a program finally ran without errors. It wasn't just about academics; it was about the friendships forged over project deadlines and the life lessons learned in the college canteen. We weren't just learning to code; we were learning how to think, how to break down complex problems into manageable pieces.

Then came the final year, and with it, the placement season. An air of nervous energy took over the entire campus. Polished shoes replaced worn-out sneakers, and resumes were drafted and re-drafted a dozen times. The days were packed with aptitude tests that twisted your brain, group discussions on abstract topics, and multiple rounds of technical and HR interviews.

I remember my first few interviews. I was a bundle of nerves, fumbling through answers and feeling the crushing weight of rejection. Each "we'll let you know" felt like a door slamming shut. There were moments of doubt when I questioned if I was good enough, if this path was right for me. But with each failure, I learned something new. I went back to my books, practiced more coding problems, and sought advice from seniors and professors.

Then came the day a major tech company arrived on campus. The process was long and intense, stretching from morning till late evening. After a written test, a coding round, a technical interview, and a final HR round, a small group of us were asked to wait in the placement hall. The silence was deafening, each tick of the clock amplifying our anxiety.

Finally, the placement officer walked in with a sheet of paper. He read out a few names, and then he read mine.

For a moment, I didn't react. It didn't feel real. The entire journey—from that kid in the school library to this very moment—flashed before my eyes. It was a wave of relief, joy, and gratitude all at once. That piece of paper, the offer letter, wasn't just a job; it was the culmination of a dream nurtured over years of hard work, perseverance, and an unwavering love for the magic inside the machine. The backbencher who was fascinated by a blinking cursor had finally found his place in the world of big tech.