Avinash, a college dropout who sold groceries is now a Developer
This is the epic story of how a small-town boy from Raighar, Maharashtra went to have a well-earning job in coding despite coming from a very different background, His life was full of challenges. After 5th grade, his medium of study shifted from Marathi to English and school became very difficult for him because of the shift in the language.
After the 7th standard, he lost interest in maths and science and took commerce after 10th. Even then, he dropped out of college while studying B.Com right after his first year. He realised he was not learning anything and it seemed like he was wasting his time. He wanted to have practical experiences. He wanted his own startup, learn about the stock market and have algorithm trading. He decided to open his own business selling online groceries during the onset of the covid-19 pandemic.
He was trying to learn a technical language alongside his business, as a side hustle but was not fairing very well. When asked why he chose to join Masai school, he said that he had an interest in learning web development but lacked the discipline that was needed to practice every day. We had a chance to interview him and here is an excerpt from his conversation with Varun.
- Why did you choose commerce and why did you drop out? What was your family and friends’ reaction to this?
I did not like maths and science in school and decided to go ahead with commerce after 10th standard. But, in my first year of my B.Com, I realised I was not learning anything and was wasting my time. I wanted to do my own business, have a start up and decided that I will drop out of college. My family and friends did not support this decision and told me that I should at least complete my degree before doing anything. But I was not interested in studying and wanted practical experience. I was very much inspired by Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates and wanted to follow in their footsteps. I started my own online grocery shop. I had the mindset, “jo bhi hoga, dekha jaega.”
How did you come across Masai School and what intrigued you to join it?
Once my business started during covid-19, I realised that I was not making any profits but also no loss. I was surfing youtube channels and found a YouTuber talking about Masai School. I found it to be interesting. They wouldn’t take payment till placement. I immediately went to check the website. I checked the curriculum and also found the ISA model () and decided to go for it. Again, I was told that this might be a scam and should focus on the business. I would just be wasting time or get stuck in a company. But, I had made up my mind and decided to focus on this programming school for 6 months and invest my time. After reaching out to you guys, I found that I don’t have to sign the ISA for a month. Once I started the program, I enjoyed it from the very first day. I realized I was finally learning to code and nwas ot simply looking at videos and taking in knowledge passively. I was told to do assignments, had classes and it made me 1% better every day.
Did you like the Mastery based Learning model at Masai?
The Mastery-Based style of learning is a wonderful way to learn. It makes sure that you master the skill before you move on to the next one. Unlike college, where you have to give exams, rote learns everything and somehow get to the next level where you will be forced to learn a new concept, no matter what. Masai school ensures that you get a holistic teaching experience. This includes 1200 hours of hands-on coding, 100 hours of soft skills training, 100 hours of mathematics with a 9-9-6 training regime.
What was your experience with the 9 to 9 and 6 learning curriculum?
At Masai School, for the first three hours, we attended live classes, and then solved assignments related to the classes we attend earlier. The 9 to 9 model for 6 days a week helped me become more disciplined and work harder towards my goals. Earlier, I used to be very lazy and would not program for more than an hour a week. Now, I was programming all the time and was getting better at it every day. The 30-week program ensured that I would work hard and be disciplined to come out of the school having learnt good skills at coding.
Was there any pressure from your family after you finished the course? What was their reaction to finally getting a job?
I come from a middle-class family which only has me and my mother. Due to covid-19, she lost her job and we were in a very financially unstable place. I was getting job offers but Because of my skills, I was not sure if I should take them or wait for better ones. The decision was very difficult. But one of the team members, Vishakha, helped me a lot. She consulted with me and I decided to wait for better job opportunities. Within a month, I got a very good job offer and was placed at. My family and friends were all very happy.
After concluding the interview, Avinash told us that he was very grateful to Masai School for making him better at coding. He was ecstatic that his once improbable future was now secure. He had the right skills to make sure that he would be able to apply for jobs. He was very happy that he had us to help him along in his journey.