Harsha overcame every hurdle in his path to become a Software Engineer
Harsha Vardhan was born and raised in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. He works as a Software Engineer at Global logic. While his road to success was fraught with difficulties, he pushed himself harder in life and faced every challenge single-handedly.
His experience at Masai School was likewise difficult, but ‘in the most fruitful manner’. He says-
“One should not lose hope at the most crucial times of their lives because there are always new doors and opportunities that will help you in growing and being the best version of yourself. Never stop striving harder at your toughest time.” Read the conversation to know more:
What made you take non-medical classes in school?
Initially, I had planned to take the medical stream in class 11th, but my familial background progressively encouraged me to work towards engineering. Also, after our school hours, there used to be preparations for IIT which interested me and because I was young and directionless in life, I decided to take JEE exams. I did not pass JEE examinations, but cleared the state entrance exams with good marks which landed me into a good engineering college where I took B.Tech in Computer Science. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy studying in college due to the traditional teaching methods and my interest shifted to civil services.
So what did you do after your graduation?
After graduation, I worked as an associate Software Engineer at a firm, but nothing truly piqued my interest there because no major projects were assigned to me for a long time which led me to try civil services.
While preparing for the exams, I realised how much time it demanded from me and I did not even know if it was worth it – so I opted to return to where I began from. Looking for a new job in my field was not my only goal; I also wanted to learn something new and then pursue a career as a Software Engineer. Although I could easily fabricate experience on my resume, I chose not to do so since I knew it would jeopardise my survival in the longer run of my career.
How did you find your need to learn coding?
After submitting my profile to numerous sources, I began receiving employment inquiries, but none were for the position I desired. I understood that I needed to improve my skills in order to obtain the position I needed. That is when I began seeking for more possibilities to master new skills using cutting-edge software and technology. While looking for such opportunities, I came across an article about Masai School which intrigued me.
Did you have any doubts regarding Masai School initially?
Yes, my reservations about Masai School’s ISA did exist but at that time I was confused with a lot of aspects of my life. Where most institutions took students with some form of experience, Masai asked for none. Here the students were required to only pay the fee after landing a job of more than Rs.5 LPA.
I felt comfortable and secure as the risk was shared and was not entirely on me.
How was your experience in Masai School?
I believe that Masai was more than just a place where we were trained in Software Programming; it was more about the overall growth in technical and soft skills. The mentors groomed the students at all levels which further increased our confidence to work on projects which required us to rigorously apply what we learned every single day.
How was your experience with the placement team in Masai?
I had no issue in landing a job because I was able to crack the interviews and get placed in a short period of time. Mock interviews and soft skill training greatly aided me throughout those interviews, and I felt more capable of being an employee.
My initial job was going well, and I was learning new technologies and refining my abilities, but due to the pandemic of Covid-19, some internal issues in the firm started taking place which led me to quit my job after 6 months of working there.
The career gap on my resume was enough to discourage me, and losing a job after only 6 months made matters worse. At that time, I was a little disappointed in myself.
Did the mentors from Masai encourage you to not give up?
The mentors always gave us constant support during the course and even when I graduated, they were always there if I had any trouble. Thus, my first instinct after losing my employment was to call my Masai mentors, and while I was still serving the company during my provisional term, I received another job offer from Global Logic within 25 days of losing my first position.
Such an approach of assisting students, in my opinion, should be practiced at every educational institution. To be honest, I felt quite unjust at college, as do most of us, but the new generation of learning will act as the pillar of modern-day learning as most existing educational establishments are not focused on grooming students and developing skills and this shall change soon with noble organisations like Masai.
The Masai Experience
Harsha believes that Masai not only encourages and prepares professional coders, but also individuals who can excel in any environment -this is what still drives him in the corporate world. Even after numerous failures in life, his desire to do things he enjoys has not faded and he is now a well-respected Software Developer with indispensable work ethics.
Watch his conversation with us to know more about his journey.