How a struggling Network Marketer turned into a Software Engineer - Meet Dhirendra

Dhirendra was born in a small village of Uttar Pradesh, and is the son of a farmer who earns his living by toiling hard in the fields. 

His parents always dreamt that one day their son would be an engineer. That is why they had spent nearly one lakh every year, for four years, just on his education. But, all of that went in vain as Dhirendra wasn’t able to get a job after graduation. Left clueless, he decided to switch to network marketing. After spending three years into network marketing without much gain, he lost the trust of everyone, including his own parents.

But, Dhirendra did not give up. He always had an interest in computers. And, that interest brought him to Masai School where he rewrote his destiny by grabbing a high-paying job. He finally earned the lost trust and respect from his family and relatives. 

Recently, we had an interaction with Dhirendra, where he answered a few questions about his journey-

Tell us about your educational background.

In 2017, I completed my B Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from SVN Institute of engineering and Technology, located in UP. Although I was very serious about my studies, the curriculum and teaching methods were inefficient. There were no practical implications of learning. I had learned the basics of a few coding languages on my own.   

How did your college placements pan out for you?

Today, many colleges promise guaranteed placements but that doesn’t turn out to be true. After four years of hard work, all that college could give me was just a degree. I lacked skills. I lacked the required knowledge. I tried to get into a few companies, but I was rejected immediately because of my lack of skills. A few of my friends who did join a company through college placement lost their jobs within just one month. 

What did you do after graduation?

After multiple failed attempts at getting a job, and due to personal problems, I was sitting idle at home, helpless. I had visited Chandigarh, Delhi and Lucknow for a job, but did not get any. That is when one of my friends approached me for network marketing. As I was doing nothing, I accepted the offer and joined him. That was the biggest mistake of my life. I wasted three precious years of my life because of network marketing. I lost a lot of money. Above all, I lost the trust of my parents. Relatives whom I had involved in network marketing also started hating me and my family. 

To get out of that mess, I got into door to door selling of Airtel Broadband. My salary was a meagre ten thousand per month. I used to roam door to door, looking for buyers. There was also the pressure of selling at least one unit every day. I had terrible experiences during that job. Some people used to abuse a lot. After being tired of all the hate, anger and frustration, I used to sit in a park for some rest and peace. I used to cry on myself and wonder how and why I messed it up. Network Marketing had destroyed everything I had. 

How did you come to know about Masai School?

One of my friends came across an advertisement by Masai School, and he informed me about it as he was aware of my situation. I looked it up on the internet and found it interesting. Initially, I was skeptical about it, especially about the ‘pay after placement’ offer (Pay only after you get a job worth 5 LPA or more- Income Share Agreement). It was too good to be true. But, I researched more about Masai and found it trustworthy after reading the stories of its alumni. 

Since I was desperate to do something worthwhile at that time, I gave the test the same night. I also appeared for the interview, and was eagerly waiting for the results. This one day I was sitting in the park, unhappy and frustrated, when I received the mail confirming my admission in Masai School. Trust me, I was probably the happiest person on the earth that day. I immediately called my manager and quit my job. 

How was your first month at the Masai School?

It was not that good. After a gap of three years, it was difficult for me to develop the habit of learning. I was demotivated. But, I was determined to do it because this was like my last resort. I decided to work harder. From the very next day, I became serious about everything. I made my own schedule and followed it vigorously. I stopped going to bed before 2:30 am. And, that paid off. I caught up with everyone else soon. 

When did you tell your parents about Masai School?

I had lied to them that I got a job as a software engineer in a company. I had told them that I would not be paid for six months initially as it would be my training period. I had even lied to them about my sales job. They did not trust me and were least bothered by anything. I told them the truth only after getting placed. Now that I have received my first salary, they finally trust me. 

How important are the everyday assignments at Masai?

Due to the assignments and projects that I did at Masai, I don’t feel any pressure at my job. I am totally relaxed when I am assigned a task in my company. I am also more productive and I complete my work faster than my other colleagues. 

Completing regular assignments during the program developed a go-getter mindset in me which definitely is a great quality to have for a successful career.

How did the non-CSE background students of your batch perform at Masai?

They did very well. In fact, a lot of them performed way better than me. Anyone who is serious about learning and really wants to upskill themselves can shine through Masai School, irrespective of the background. The curriculum and assignments are very well-designed while maintaining their simplicity, so that a beginner can easily learn software development. 

What projects did you build during the Construct weeks? 

My very first project in the first unit went really well. I, with my team, developed the front-end part of the ‘GROWW’ website.

In the second Construct week, we worked on the back-end of the same website. 

The whole idea behind the Construct weeks is to give students a real-time experience of developing a website on the basis of what we’ve learned. 

We summed it up by developing a full stack website from scratch, and our team worked relentlessly on the project.

All those experiences taught me a great deal of teamwork, task distribution, and communication which is of great help in the job I’m working currently.

How has Masai School helped you in building your confidence?

Honestly, I had zero confidence before joining Masai. Finishing assignments within deadlines and interacting with instructors and my peers gradually made me more and more confident about my skills. At the end of the course, I was a totally different person. 

Everyday, we had Skillathon sessions by Yogesh Sir, which took our job skills to the next level.

We were also suggested a few self-help books by the mentors. I was quite impressed with the book called ‘Power Of Subconscious Mind’ and had implemented the same theory in my life at that time. I had all my goals set on the wallpaper of my laptop, and that encouraged me to work towards my plans.

How many companies did you sit for during placements, and how was the experience?

Only one- Qapita Fintech Pvt Ltd. I was selected for the same. 

In the interview, I was asked about Java and other coding languages. It was a very hassle-free experience as I’d already prepared well, credits to the multiple mock interviews I faced under Masai Accreditation(MAC). (What is MAC?)

What will you do with your first salary?

I will give my whole salary to my parents, in their hands, when I go home. 

What is your advice to the current students at Masai? 

When you are at Masai, you are taught everything that is necessary. The curriculum is very well-designed. So, just focus on learning from that and don’t get distracted by other external sources. If you complete the course and assignments properly, you will definitely be worthy enough to get placed in a good company. 

What’s different at Masai School? How do students become professional developers in 30 weeks?

Compared to colleges, the curriculum of Masai School is updated and relevant to the technologies that are used in the IT industry. Plus, as I said earlier, the assignments are really helpful. 

See, you can find a lot of tutorials on different coding languages from the internet, but it is really difficult to find relevant assignments. That is what Masai does better than anyone else. Daily assignments make you really good at everything you have learned throughout the day. Other than that, you also become a good communicator by the end of the course because you get to interact with everyone in English. 

That’s how Masai crafts students into industry-ready developers.

What are your future plans?

I want to focus on learning new skills, and gain knowledge about different coding languages. My ultimate goal is to get into Amazon and I am preparing for the same.