Prajwal became a Software Engineer with a Pay after Placement program

Born and brought up in Gwalior (MP), Prajwal Goyal was an avid gamer in his early days. This hobby sparked his interest in the world of computers and programming. 

So much so that he opted for the computer science stream in B.Sc. He graduated from Green Valley college in 2020.

Unfortunately, his college didn’t have a campus placements facility. Prajwal hunted for jobs on his own but all that effort was to no avail as he admittedly lacked the technical skills required by the companies.

Feeling the need to up-skill himself, Prajwal joined the part-time full-stack developer course at Masai which offered a ‘pay after placement’ fee structure. And today he’s working as a software engineer for GlobalLogic. 

In a recent interaction, we asked him a few questions about his Bootcamp journey and career afterward, so that aspiring developers like you can get some insights and pursue their goals. Here are a few excerpts from the conversation-

How was your early education?

I have always been interested in science since childhood. I’ve had a fascination for computers from a very early age. I used to think about how they work and how these programs are created. What goes into building the software that we use every day.

How was your experience in college? Did college fulfill your expectations?

The reality was completely different from expectations. I had joined college to learn the ins and outs of Computer Science and programming, but I didn’t learn anything.

College professors didn’t show interest in teaching. Going to college was more like a formality for attendance, nothing much. There was no such thing as campus placements in my college.

What did you do after college?

I was hunting for a job, submitting my resume to different companies. But, no one wanted to hire a fresher like me. Moreover, I also lacked practical skills because of the low quality of education in my college. I wanted to up-skill myself and start working in the software industry.

How did you join Masai?

I watched a YouTube video of Masai School which said – ‘Become a developer and get placed in top companies with a minimum package of 5 LPA’. That lit up my eyes. Plus, they weren’t asking for any payment upfront. (Pay after placement)

The thought that I could learn software development without investing money encouraged me a lot.

When I researched more about Masai, I got to know about the everyday assignments and projects that a student has to work on. I didn’t get anything as such in my college.

I became assured that it was a legit course and it’ll help me grow in many ways. I also learned that there are sessions for soft skills and other job skills, the areas I wanted to improve in. All of this gave me the clarity to enroll in Masai.

How was your experience during the program?

So, I joined the PT Web 1 batch on April 26th. In the first unit, I learned data structures and algorithms in detail including arrays, stacks, etc.

After clearing the 1st unit, I moved to the 2nd where I learned the front-end elements – HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. At the end of the 2nd unit, I worked in a team to build the front-end part of a website. I faced many difficulties initially in building the pages, collaborating with my team, etc. But, in the end, it all worked out together and I felt amazing. It was a great team exercise that prepared us for industry jobs.

In the 3rd unit, I learned one more data structure called linked lists. Then came advanced JavaScript which was an uphill task as it had so many subtopics.

During this unit’s Construct week, we created another project- a clone of the ‘Freshly’ website.

The fourth unit started with React and Redux and we went on to build a full-stack project for Airbnb’s website.

The instructors helped us every step of the way. If I had issues in any of the concepts, I’d just raise it and they’ll solve it then and there. 

Prajwal had joined the Spartan 2 full-time batch earlier but he wasn’t able to understand the concepts well in the first unit. He took a break, learned how exactly programming languages work, and joined again in the part-time batch.

How did you prepare for Placements?

Placement preparations started after the end of Unit 4. The focus here was to develop professionalism and job skills in students.

I learned how to build a solid resume and portfolio, how to answer questions in an interview, what approach should I follow while answering questions, etc.

I also faced mock interviews by some of the best industry mentors who gave important tips on how to solve a problem in an interview setup.

All of this accounted for me performing well in the interviews and getting a job offer from GlobalLogic.

Why did you opt for the part-time batch? What’s the difference between full-time and part-time?

I was working at that time. So, I had no other option than to join the part-time batch. Honestly, I don’t think there’s much difference between full-time and part-time batches.

Part-time students get less training time but they have to make the same amount of effort in completing the assignments and projects.

For a beginner, the full-time batch is the best option.

What do you think companies want in candidates today, apart from technical skills?

It has to be your soft skills. That includes communication skills, teamwork, people skills, etc. Companies want someone with crisp and clear communication, someone who can interact well with their colleagues, and work well in teams to build projects. (Learn the Employability skills needed for a job in 2022)

Apart from that, having a growth mindset is a big bonus. If you’re interested in learning new things and can propose innovative solutions, companies would prefer you.

How would you spend your first salary?

I want to travel. I want to visit this temple first, which is about 300 km from my home. I’m looking forward to making investments with a good part of my salary.

What’s your opinion on Masai’s ‘Pay after Placement’ model?

I think every educational institute in the world should work on the Pay After Placement(PAP) model. 

Colleges demand high fees and still don’t deliver results.

In PAP, the institute is equally responsible for a student’s success. If a student doesn’t get a job, the institute also doesn’t charge any fees. Both parties depend on each other’s success. That’s how it should be.

Masai School adopts advanced teaching methods like ‘Mastery-based Progression’ and ‘I do-we do-you do’ to craft students into software developers. Owing to such unique methods, students from even non-tech backgrounds are able to become proficient in coding. 

If you’re also willing to get high-paying jobs as developers and engineers in top companies, check out these courses and get onboard with zero upfront payment.