From Gaming to Android Development, Dheeraj has come a long way
Dheeraj spent most of his life in Nagpur before moving to Pune to attend college. His relationship with technology started when he was just 10 years old; he would play games on his brother’s computer all day. This interest further escalated when he got introduced to Android when he was only 13. Since then, he decided to explore the world of Android on a deeper level by taking Computer Science as his major subject in class 11th.
He pursued his B.Tech in the same stream from Sinhgad College of Engineering, Pune. It took him approximately 5 years to finish graduation due to a backlog in Mechanical engineering, which he felt was not even necessary for a course like his.
So what is his story and how did he land up here at Masai School? Let’s find out.
How was your experience in college?
My experience in college wasn’t very delightful. Our curriculum followed the traditional methods of teaching and learning. Instead of preparing us for the corporate world, we were instead taught how to mug up codes and answers for the exams.
Moreover, having a subject like Mechanical while pursuing a degree in IT did not make much sense to me. I was not interested in the subject, so I ended up having a year of backlog after being unable to pass the exam.
So what did you do to utilise that one year gap in between?
I started travelling and exploring new places. I also did a lot of online gaming in between and even started a YouTube channel of my own to see if I could pull it off. However, I soon realised that it wasn’t something I would like to pursue in the long run because of various limitations. With this, I spent one entire year just understanding my calibre.
I graduated in 2020 with a CGPA of less than 6.5, which meant that I was not eligible for on-campus placements. Moreover, it was also the time when the pandemic of Covid-19 had just hit the world. I could not find a suitable job for myself and it was slowly bothering me.
What led you to Masai School?
I got very dejected after finishing college and had no job in hand. To avoid wasting time, I decided to give myself another chance and try out newer ways of pursuing my passion for Development. I was exploring my options when one of my cousins who was taking the Full Stack Web Development program at Masai suggested I must give it a try.
All of a sudden, I was blessed with what I had been looking for – a course that would prepare me as per industrial standards, would help me polish my skills in Android Development and would not cost me a single dime. I only had to pay if I landed myself a job of more than Rs.5 LPA and this suited my current condition where I did not have the personal means to pay for such a valuable course.
Did Masai fulfil your expectations?
Yes, totally! Masai School is all about dedication and discipline. I joined the 2nd batch for Android Development and worked beyond the 9-9-6 schedule to understand each concept thoroughly. When I joined, I was not very proficient in DSA and it’s something that is required for learning Android Development.
While the entire batch took almost a month to reach the same level, it was a tough nut to crack to understand DSA in that period. Once I got the hang of it, it became easier for me to complete all the assignments and group projects with flying colours.
How did the placements go for you?
I was an introvert before joining Masai. I was shy of talking to people and could not muster up the courage to speak in front of a large group. Even though we were attending the classes remotely from different parts of the country, none of us felt hesitant to communicate with each other on a regular basis for group presentations. This helped me enhance my communication as well as leadership skills for job interviews.
I got placed at Koo app, just 2 weeks after completing the course.
The Masai Experience
Dheeraj wants to convey to aspiring coders that they must not give up on hope and should have faith in their skills and passion. There was a time when he did know about his next career move but seeing how people from other streams were enthusiastic to learn to code, he understood that he could still achieve his goals if he tried hard enough – and we at Masai are glad he did.