Shashank left Amazon to upskill with Masai and doubled his package

Unhappy with his job at Amazon, he decided to learn new skills to be relevant to the ever-changing times. Shashank could find nothing better than Masai for learning full-stack web development.

Shashank left Amazon to upskill with Masai and doubled his package

Shashank was born in the Chandrapur district, which is located in the far east of Maharashtra state.

Shashank completed his secondary education at a school in his hometown only. For further studies, he moved to the Nagpur district. There he was also preparing for JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced. Sadly, he fell short just one mark to the cut-off marks.

In 2016, Shashank enrolled in Computer Science & Engineering at Modern education society college of engineering of Pune, to complete his graduation. Shashank completed his engineering in 2020.

Shashank also has a special interest in sports and has successfully represented his district and college at various levels. He represented his district in the games of Chess and Badminton at the district level. He also represented his university in Badminton. Shashank has been an outstanding sports person throughout his life.

Unhappy with his job at Amazon, he decided to learn new skills to be relevant to the ever-changing times. Shashank felt that Masai is the best place for learning full stack web development. So, he joined Masai. After the completion of the course, he grabbed an offer that was 2x of what he was being paid at the previous job.

Shashank recently joined us to share his inspiring story.

What made you interested in computers and programming?

I come from a decent place where the knowledge of computers of people is below average, especially of programming language. So, even though I had a computer at my home, I was never aware of all these programming languages. I just used to play games like Prince of Persia.

It was in the first year of my college that I came to know about different programming languages. I still remember my first coding program. It was of adding numbers. And, that really amazed me at that time. For the next two years, I did no complicated coding. All I did was basic programming and was not much interested.

In the third year, when the assignments started, I got interested in coding and paid more attention to it. It was during these days I understood the use cases of code in creating software products that we use daily.

What were your expectations from your college, and how did they turn out to be?

I genuinely did not have many expectations from my college as I was aware of the reality. I just had thought of doing whatever the teachers would ask me to do and completing the syllabus regularly.

I did not even think of placements till I was in the third year. After seeing my seniors getting placed, I learned about all of these. I was not very hopeful about my placements as well. I had just thought of getting a decent job and starting my career.

Luckily, I got placed into Amazon through college placements and that was a good start. I had been trying to get into the role of SDE-1, but I lacked the required set of skills because I did not get those skills from college.

Amazon is a dream company for a lot of people, but not in your case. So, what made you take the decision of leaving it?

My work at Amazon was fundamental, and it was not hard-core coding. It was a supporting role. I was not developing anything substantial. Even though my shift was from 9 to 6, I used to sit idle after 12 o'clock. I used to complete my work in less than three hours and then used to sit idle for the rest of the day. It was kind of boring because it was very easy for me.

At the same time, my school and college friends used to work on developing new software products and were building something meaningful. That seemed really interesting.

I realized that with this environment and work, I will never be able to push myself further and will never progress in my life. I will be stuck here forever. That is when I decided to move on from that job.

Shashank Borkar - Software Engineer at MPL

How did you come to know about Masai?

One of my friends was learning at Masai. He also had left his job to learn full stack web development at Masai.

I inquired about the curriculum, mentors, and methods. He assured me about everything. Since he was a very trustworthy friend, I believed him and left my job and joined Masai the very next month. I enrolled in a full-stack web development course and gave my 100% for the next six months.

How was your experience at Masai?

The very first unit was very easy for me, to be very honest. All the basics were taught, which I already knew and that made me really comfortable. My friend told me that the first few units would be easy for me.

The challenges started after two units, especially during data structure and algorithms. Coding was also challenging for me because it introduced me to new programming languages. But, with the help of mentors, it was not that difficult.

What are your thoughts on practice-based curriculum?

Actually, it is not just studying from 9am to 9pm for 6 days. It is more of 9-9-7. Because you have an exam every Monday and you definitely will have to prepare for that on Sunday. I was very well aware of the vigorous training. So, I was prepared to work hard.

Even though it is hectic, we ‌get time to freshen up in between. We get to relax at that time. The lectures are scheduled properly. But, it does not end at 9 o'clock. You always need more time to complete assignments. I used to work till 11 o'clock. But, it was for good. In my case, I used to get stuck on different problems. That consumed a lot of my time.

I got so accustomed to coding that during holidays I used to miss coding a lot and I felt empty without it.

How was your experience with the placement process?

Before the placement process, there are revision sessions of everything we have learned throughout the whole course. This prepares us well for the interviews.

Unlike college, the placement process is totally different at Masai. During college placements, you get a job after clearing just one interview. That does not happen at Masai. There are many interview rounds and you have to clear all the rounds to get a job. These interviewers test your knowledge properly and you should be really smart to crack these interviews. You get a job, only and only if you are worthy enough. You cannot fake anything.

That is where the learnings from Masai come in handy. I struggled in the first interview. But, after that, the fear was gone, and I was able to appear with confidence. Masai trains us very well for the interviews.

Where did you get placed?

They hired me as a software engineer by Mobile Premier League (MPL), which is India's largest Esports and mobile gaming platform, based in Bangalore. And, the package is 2x of what my previous job was offering. I am so happy with this job.

What is your take on the Mastery-Based Progression method of Masai?

I feel that when you want to learn something, the knowledge or the resources are not just enough. You need the proper guidance too. If you do not know how to structure your knowledge or how to implement it, it is useless.

That is exactly where Masai excels, with the philosophy of You do - We do - I do. It really helps and makes learning fun. This method has boosted the learning speed of students.

What do you have to say about ISA?

My take on this is that there is a lot of transparency here. What they are saying is that you have to pay only if we are able to help you, otherwise you do not have to pay. I think it is really fair. This is not charity, so they will not teach you free of cost. This is really helpful to those people who do not have money for learning.

What was your parents' reaction throughout your journey in Masai?

My parents have always been really helpful and understanding. When I quit my job, they were not shocked. They were really supportive at that time when I told them my plans. I had said to them ‌I am joining Masai to upskill me. My family has been always supportive. My mother used to bring breakfast and other meals while I was learning. They have been really kind. I am thankful to them.