People who never graduated college and doing well what is your story?

Software Engineer

People who never graduated college and doing well what is your story?- Grapevine

Welcome to Business Roles's Private Community

Wanted to say Hi, what do you do, how do you see current phase of your life, how do you look at your career so far, and what do you plan to do in next 5 years, etc.

Any 40+ Grapeviners here?

Solution Architect

Cousin had their 12th boards result come out today. Reminded me of how anxious I was when it happened.
I scored well in 12th, 95%. But had always been an average student before that, which resulted in me having less confidence throughout my school life.

Cuz marks were so important. Now I realize a lot of my personality got shaped because of school. 
And studying hard in 12th and then college helped me be more disciplined at work all these last years too. 

Wonder if you guys connect your education years with work years?

How were you academically in school? Has that had an impact on your life?

Corporate Strategist

Welcome to Indian Startups's Private Community

I have three younger cousins. They don't want to code. They have their clarity. They don't want to pursue any particular engineering stream as well. 

They want to get a decent paying job. Let's say 6-8 lpa start with a path to 15-20 lpa in 4-5 years. 

I tried advising them to not invest a lot of money and four years of time in engineering. Their family is average middle class financially. I told them that I'll advise you what all to learn like content writing, seo, data analytics etc. So do a simple course, save money and rather invest in something that matters for job. 

They did listen but did not get confidence to act. 
All three went for engineering stream. These are private colleges with tier 3ish names. Now they don't get time to put a lot of time because 8-4 is usually college time. Unlike tier 1,2 college where you get campus and a lot of freedom, the colleges usually have a lot of classes and compulsory 80% type attendance. 

Did you face similar situation? What did you advise? Do you think I was giving them right decision?

Did you try advising your cousins not to pursue engineering if they don't want to code?

Your advice is misleading. You don't become a best in class data analyst if you can't code. SEO is a shady business and there isn't growth. Even a PU graduate can do content writing or SEO. Engineering is like a passport. You use the degree to make your career. The number of people earning 20L with 5 yoe with a non engg degree is pretty low. I empathize with the 8-4 struggle. I have seen such people, but they are still better off by doing engineering than anything else. There are other core engineering career options in non-software industry, but you will have to be competitive to secure a decent job even there. There are banking, insurance etc. Even these require people to be competitive. There is no free lunch. May be in European nations, but these won't last long.

Analyst

Product Manager

I can't seem to relate to much of the non-FAANG junta out there. I mean I have a cushy job with probably 0.1% pay of all SWEs(pretty much like all of us do). But these cookie-cutter roles have been taking a mental toll on me. Like I am getting paid but I feel a little purpose-less. What am I gunning for in this life? 

All my life I wanted to go to a good college to get into a good company. In college I wanted to get a good codeforces rank so that I could get into FAANG. Now that I am in FAANG I have nothing to look forward to. 

Any of you all feeling this way? Because I don't see myself offer-shopping and feeling much happy about that either.

Feeling depressed at Amazon(2YOE/41L CTC). Anyone else feeling the same way?

Recently watched Soul on hotstar and this actually makes sense now. The character was trying hard to perform in front of a crowd and  when it happened he wasn't feeling any change at all. At that time, he was told about the fish and the ocean story :-  
  
 I heard this story about a fish. 
  
 He swims up to an older fish and says, “I’m trying to find this thing they call ‘the ocean.'” 
  
 “The ocean? the older fish says, “That’s what you’re in right now.” 
  
 “This?” says the young fish. “This is water. What I want is the ocean!”

I turned 30 last month and I still feel i am a 20 year old. I lost the last 4 years of my life working from home and have started to go to office recently. I never worked together in a team, never been out for team lunches/dinners, never presented my work to the seniors/leadership. I have 4.5 years experience on the paper and my interaction with colleagues in person has been almost zero .

I don’t know how to do my taxes, can’t do basic servicing of my bike, extremely indiscipline’s, rarely track my expenses, can’t say ‘No’, haven’t upskill we and hence stuck in TCS, can’t stick to a hobby or interest, pathetic in managing my time, have no sense of punctuality, socially awakened, overweight with a pot belly and hence have confidence issues, can’t take care of myself in terms of self grooming, couldn’t maintain friendships as I used  to get offended when someone made fun of me or mocked me- my inflated ego is just useless. 

I can’t control my emotions, I sometimes get emotional and have tears in my eyes, I show emotions easily on my face, not smart when it comes to dealing with others, don’t know how much to talk to whom, whom to talk to, how to talk to and when to talk.

I’ve been told I’m pessimistic and highly negative about myself but I’m just saying things the way it is.
I have no responsibilities on life. I’ll be getting married the next year and I know I can take up the responsibility. But I still have the fear of putting my fiancé down. I love her a lot and I never even  would do anything to put her down.

My bad time management skills, inability to focus, getting distracted badly, being a slow learner, not networking, not having idea on making switches regularly, being too lazy and impatient to learn new things, not being updated in terms of on demand skills, tools , technologies, reluctance to learn something new and hence staying in comfort zone has screwed up my career.

I feel stuck and lost in life.
I honestly don’t know what to do.

Being a man child at the age of 30

Product Designer

Moral of the story: finish college

Generalist

During my B.Tech, I balanced my studies with active participation in clubs and committees, and also engaged in sports and exploration. Aspiring for a non-core placement, I didn't participate in hackathons or apply for internships. After graduation, I pursued various paths, including preparing for the CAT exam with only three months of preparation time, but I didn't succeed. I then applied to several companies for data analytics roles but kept making new mistakes in each attempt. In one instance, I was rejected for oversharing my passion for data science in a final interview.

To improve my chances, I optimized my resume and completed significant projects, but these efforts haven't yet yielded the desired results. Realizing the challenges of relying on a single target, I also started preparing for the GATE exam. Reflecting on my journey, I recognize that I should have applied for on-campus opportunities, as off-campus job hunting is challenging and unpredictable, regardless of one's preparation.

Tell me your story? In order to get some hope that we can make it and it's never too late

Let me tell my story

People over 35 what is one thing you regret from your younger years?

Based on comments Jo career pe focus Kiya use chahiye ladki, aur Jo ladki pe focus Kiya use chahiye career. Grass is always greener on other side.

Product Owner

From the outside, my life right now looks great. I graduated with a great GPA from one of the best universities in DU, completed my banking stint in a top tier group and am now happily working as a Management Consultant in Monitor Deloitte. I'm in a relationship with a girl I'm crazy about, I have good friends, I'm attractive, fit and have the world ahead of me. That's what the outside sees. In reality, I'm a messed up kid feeling my way around in the dark through a world that I feel wholly unprepared for.

I grew up poor. At times, I was very, very hungry. The first few months my family was able to crawl out of poverty, I continued to overeat because I still vividly remembered the hunger pains that often kept me awake at night. I lost one of my siblings and I always blamed myself for what happened. I was sexually abused by a relative. I witnessed things in my city that still send chills down my spine.

And then there were my parents. Sure, my mom loved me and wanted me to be happy, but unfortunately she had no idea what it meant to be a good parent. My dad was an abusive piece of shit that saw me as his competition, not as his son. We still don't speak very often. On an especially bad day, he had once again taken his rage out on my mom, but to rub in the humiliation he had her wipe her own blood off the walls while he stood and watched. I tried to intervene, but I wasn't much of a match.

I, too, was a bit of a piece of shit. I was aggressive and found myself in fights very often. Though I was smart, I was lazy and didn't do all too well in high school, where homework and not exams governed your academic performance. Needless to say, at 16 I looked like I was destined for a mediocre life at best, but probably likely to end up as another case of wasted potential.

I don't know what changed, but one day I started turning things around and ever since I have kept the momentum going. I had the highest grades in my class in 11th and 12th.

I soon got into a college that I did not deserve and met the love of my life there. And from there I busted my ass to get to where I am today.

I earned my own money and paved my own way. I didn't use my past as an excuse to fail. If I didn't make it, I knew it was nobody's fault but my own. I also knew that nobody would care. 

If one day I broke down because of all the stress, the world would keep on turning as it always had.

Nobody cares about the struggles I went through. They care about who I am today and who I'm going to be.

And, I guess, that's my message: take responsibility for who you are, where you are now and where you will be. I don't care that it's a tough economy. 

I don't care that you go to a shitty college. I don't care that an unlucky string of events rendered you less competitive than your peers. And nobody else does either. We will continue living our lives the same way we always had, but you will suffer the curse of your own laziness and incompetence. It's a tough world out there and if you want to compete in an environment as ruthless as India, you need to forget about the excuses and find a way to succeed. 

And if you can't? Well, you weren't cut out for this world anyway. Nobody is going to pamper your bruised ego and give you a job just because you want it. You need to earn it.

My Story: My father used to hit my mom so hard that the walls were red with blood...

I was with you till last paragraph, unnecessarily harsh. Many people face unavoidable circumstances, women especially, doesnt mean one can look down on them. 
  
 Fully agree with taking extreme ownership for yourself and your career.

Data Scientist

Consultant

How did you stay motivated during long job searches? I'm feeling discouraged after months of applications and rejections.

Recent college graduate struggling to find work

Welcome to Software Engineers's Private Community

I’m graduating this year from an IIT. I didn’t participate in any research activities and was busy doing internships to support my family financially.
I will be joining a company and plan to stay in the industry for atleast 2 years to pay off my student loan.
I wanted to know is it possible for me to join a reputed institute like CMU for my masters without any previous research experience, and how i prepare my profile during these 2 years.

Masters with no previous research experience

Site Reliability

I am originally from a small town and did my BSc in Computer Science. My relatives and neighbours used to say that I am a good for nothing freeloader who is a "nikamma" - unemployed. It was very hard to find a job back then and I used to have deep anxiety about it. My only dream was to get my fathers appreciation. He is my biggest hero. 

So I started preparing very hard and practiced my skills. The only one who supported me was my mother who used to give me tea even at 3 in the morning while I used to study. Even my own father gave up on me and from time to time he used to say that if you are living under my roof then you have to follow my rules. He also used to say that look at the neighbour's ladka who got a government job and he asked me to prepare for Bank PO.

So I moved out from my town and shifted to Gurgaon where I got a small PG with some money that my mother had given me. I also started freelancing on Fiverr and which led me to improve my communication skills. Finally, when I got my Google offer letter I felt like I made it. It was the best response to all the taunts by people around me. 

I suddenly became a superstar in my town with people congratulating my parents. I bought my mother gold bangles and dad a new watch with my first salary. I was looking at my offer letter today and it reminded me of all the hardwork I did to achieve this moment.

This is the story of my life. In case anyone needs help. I am ready to provide support to aspirants here as a way to give back.

Family said I am good for nothing but I finally I got an offer from Google

This is what 100% of Indian men want to achieve since their childhood. Jewellery for Mom and Watch/Car for Dad. It is an appreciation for all the hard work they put in to help us succeed in life.

I graduated from college about 3 months back and have been applying, cold emailing and doing everything but things aren't moving- either there are too many applicants, budget is not right or the role is shit. I have good internship experience with established cos. but still unable to land at a good place where I can grow and learn.

What shall I do? Do you know if someone's hiring? I have also been thinking about doing masters but not so keen.

No job, graduated 3 months back

Intern

A question to folks with more than 4/5 YOE. Please do mention your job/industry, and what success means to you. Heck, it can be professional or personal. 
Did you see your job as just a job? What was THE factor for your success? 

Excited to hear your stories!

Is there someone who did NOT network and still achieved success?

Account Manager

My overall education started a bit late than normal people due to my fathers transfers and school admission rules. Consequently when I applied for JEE Advanced back in 2017 i was 19.5 years old.  I got it but wasnt satisfied so dropped a year and got a better rank. I was 20.5 years old when I finally joined IIT. 
Somewhere subconciously throughout my college life i felt that I did achieve what I wanted to but really late. I know theres nothing I could do about it but this was something still killing me inside. Most of my batchmates where 18 year olds and even the ones who dropped where at most 19. 

I always wanted to pursue my masters and phd but somewhere at the back of my mind I feel I would have to go theough the same feelings again. It just kills me so much inside. 

Currently I have completed 2 years as a software engineer and I am 26 years old. 
On one part my mind tells me that I am made for much more than just an IT job and should go to academia. On the other hand it feels like I am too old for it. 

I dont know what to do. I am not able to rationalize my thoughts. I am not able to understand how can I bring myself to overcome my fears and achieve what i really want in life.

A subconcious insecurity

This quote I read - you will get old irrespective of your masters and PHD degrees too.
Might as well be old with them.

Founder

Software Developer

You are 35. What have you stopped believing in that you totally believed in when you were 25?

Life lessons

Business Analyst

Life has become so dry and meaningless nowadays. Struggle connects us on some level. I’d love to hear your stories of struggle and how you overcame it.

Here’s my story.
I studied B.E for 7 years because of backlogs. Every year was a new batch, no friends. Extreme depression, humiliation everywhere. Isolated myself from an extremely judgmental society. 
Confidence had no meaning in my life. 
Somehow struggled and cleared all the backlogs. Studied programming and web design. Started working for free.
After 1 year, first salary was 2k per month.
Then 18k. Then 30k.
I always felt dumb because of the backlogs. Want to rectify it. So went to the US with the only admit I got. Studied my ass off. GPA 3.95. But I was broke again. Cried my eyes out multiple times because I had no money for food. Couldn’t tell this to parents.

Found a job later after many many applications. 
Happiest moment of achievement was when I bought my first 43 inch LED TV. With my own money.

Current pay: over 2L / mo.

Tell me your story of hard work and difficulty

[TL;DR former National quizzing champ dropped out of B. Tech in 2020 during peak of addiction and depression . Got over it and sober in Jan'23, resumed college and completed my B. Tech in Feb'24. Picked up coding again and feel ready for a job now Should I be honest or lie about the gap? Been ghosted my few recruiters whom I was honest with.]

JS developer here. I used to be a decent student, public speaker and one of the best quizzers in the college scene (former National Champ). But I never addressed some traumatic events that took place in my life before I turned 16. My depression took refuge in substance abuse and I abandoned all studies/career prospects during the pandemic. Eventually after 7 years of using, I got clean/sober in Jan'23 and resumed my studies. I earned my degree but on paper it took me 8 years to complete a 4 year B. Tech (2016-24).

Reasonably I get asked about the gap in my academics by hr/recruiters whom I push my CV to. I've been dead honest to them about my struggles with mental health and addiction in the past. And I've been getting ghosted. (It could be because of skill reasons on my part but I'm not even getting a feedback).

Should I not tell recruiters the truth about the gap? Should I leave the addiction bit out? How should I word it? I've never held a real coding job before but been slogging for the last 6 months to get better each day (my github and projects will reflect that). Please help me out with all your valuable suggestions. If you're a tech recruiter let me know how you would perceive my case.

Sorry if this is the wrong board to post in, I'm desperate. Should I be honest about my past struggles of depression/addiction with recruiters while explaining the 4 year gap in my resume?

You don't have to. They are not your friends and you don't know how someone might take it as.  
 You have been brave enough to come out of it but unfortunately not everyone will see it.

People who never graduated college and doing well what is your story?

Discover More

Business Roles on

by Kendall Nadeen

Conga

Any 40+ Grapeviners here?

Misc on

by Karilyn Carmden

Series A Startup

How were you academically in school? Has that had an impact on your life?

Indian Startups on

by Kendall Olive

Paytm

Did you try advising your cousins not to pursue engineering if they don't want to code?

FAANG on

by Kendall Lee

Amazon

Feeling depressed at Amazon(2YOE/41L CTC). Anyone else feeling the same way?

Adulting on

by Kendall Carmden

TCS

Being a man child at the age of 30

Indian Startups on

by Jordon Lee

Stealth

Moral of the story: finish college

Indian Startups on

by Jordon Lee

Student

Let me tell my story

Misc on

by Jordon Taye

Eli Lilly

People over 35 what is one thing you regret from your younger years?

Business Roles on

by Matilda Gabriel

Deloitte

My Story: My father used to hit my mom so hard that the walls were red with blood...

Business Roles on

by Jordon Lee

Leap

Recent college graduate struggling to find work

Software Engineers on

by Isaiah Lee

Stealth

Masters with no previous research experience

Software Engineers on

by Kendall Vernon

Google

Family said I am good for nothing but I finally I got an offer from Google

Misc on

by Blair Lee

Stealth

No job, graduated 3 months back

Business Roles on

by Kendall Nadeen

FAANG

Is there someone who did NOT network and still achieved success?

Misc on

by Anise Vernon

Oracle

A subconcious insecurity

Misc on

by Jordon Gabriel

SocGen

Life lessons

Misc on

by Dezi Taye

Stealth

Tell me your story of hard work and difficulty

Misc on

by Kendall Lee

Anand Rathi

Recent college graduate struggling to find work

FAANG on

by Jordon Lee

Student

Sorry if this is the wrong board to post in, I'm desperate. Should I be honest about my past struggles of depression/addiction with recruiters while explaining the 4 year gap in my resume?