Aditya

Posted on Feb 12

From Clueless Freshman to Tech Intern: My Unexpected Journey

#webdev #programming #internship #devops

Hey there! I'm Aditya, a second-year student at Manipal University Jaipur, and boy, do I have a story for you. Picture this: it's 2023, and I'm fresh out of high school, clutching my JEE Mains results. Good news? I scored pretty well. Bad news? Not quite enough for CS at an NIT. So, there I was, packing my bags for Manipal, a mix of excitement and "what the heck am I doing?" running through my head.

Freshman Year: Dreams vs. Reality

Now, let me tell you, freshman year was a wild ride. I had these grand visions of:

Conquering GSOC
Snagging a fancy internship right off the bat

Reality check: I spent most of that year doing what every other freshman does – figuring out how to adult, making new friends, and let's be honest, a whole lot of "timepass." You know, the usual college shenanigans.

Meanwhile, some of my friends were hitting it out of the park:

One buddy landed an internship at GitLab with a dreamy stipend that made my eyes pop
Another friend cracked GSOC, living the dream I had for myself

Talk about a wake-up call! I was happy for them, sure, but it also lit a fire under me. If they could do it, why couldn't I?

The Summer That Changed Everything

Fast forward to the end of my second semester. Summer break hits – three whole months of freedom. That's when it hit me: I needed to get my act together. So, I did what any confused CS student would do – I dove headfirst into the alphabet soup of tech:

ML
DL
GenAI

You name it, I was trying to learn it.

The Plot Twist

But here's where it gets interesting. I'm chatting with some seniors, all proud of my newfound ML skills, and they drop this bomb:

"ML is great, but only if you're gunning for research or an MS."

Talk about a curveball! There I was, thinking I had it all figured out, and suddenly I'm back at square one.

The Pivot That Paid Off

So, what's a confused sophomore to do? Pivot, of course! I decided to give development a shot. Little did I know, this split-second decision would lead me to juggle multiple internship offers just a few months later – and get this, without even breaking a sweat in interviews!

Sounds too good to be true, right? Trust me, I'm still pinching myself. But if you're curious about how I went from a clueless freshman to a tech intern in high demand, stick around. I'm about to spill all the tea – the ups, the downs, and everything in between.

Whether you're:

Feeling lost in the tech maze
Looking for a good laugh at my expense
Searching for some real-talk advice

I've got you covered.

Ready for this rollercoaster ride? Let's dive in!

The Wake-Up Call: When Reality Slapped Me in the Face

Okay, picture this: I'm scrolling through Instagram, probably liking memes or something, when BAM! My phone blows up with messages. Turns out, my buddy just landed an internship at GitLab with a stipend that made my pocket money look like chump change. And if that wasn't enough, another friend casually drops that he cracked GSOC. You know, just another Tuesday for them, apparently.

Now, don't get me wrong. I was hyped for them. Like, genuinely "jumping-up-and-down" excited. These were my boys making it big! But then... it hit me. That sinking feeling in my stomach, like when you realize you forgot to study for an exam, but way worse.

I looked around my messy dorm room, Cheeto dust on my fingers, and thought, "Dude, what the heck have you been doing?"

Sure, I had a decent 8.9 CGPA. Mom and Dad were proud of that. But let's be real - in the tech world, that's like bringing a spoon to a knife fight. I'd spent more time perfecting my video game skills than my coding ones.

That's when the panic set in. If I didn't get my act together NOW, I'd be watching all my friends land awesome jobs while I... what? Became a professional couch potato?

The thought of disappointing my parents hit me like a truck. They've always believed in me, even after I bombed JEE. (Yeah, that still stings.) I couldn't let this be another "Oh, Aditya tried his best" moment. No way.

I needed a win. A big one. Something to make up for the JEE mess and show my parents that their faith in me wasn't misplaced.

So there I was, staring at my reflection in the black mirror of my laptop screen, a half-eaten pizza beside me. It was time to get real. No more "I'll start coding tomorrow" lies. No more excuses.

This was my wake-up call, and it was screaming louder than my alarm ever could. It was time to answer it, or risk sleeping through the biggest opportunities of my life.

Game on, world. This lazy freshman is about to level up.

My 6-Month Glow-Up: From Broke Couch Potato to Accidental Tech Prodigy

Alright, gather 'round for the most ridiculous tech Cinderella story you've ever heard. Spoiler alert: There's no fairy godmother, just a pirated course and a whole lot of caffeine.

The "I'm Too Broke for This" Moment

So there I was, broke as a joke, when my buddy drops this bomb: "Yo, Harkirat's cohort2 is fire!" I'm like, "Cool story, bro. You gonna lend me the cash for it?" Spoiler: He didn't. But here's where it gets juicy – I, uh, found the course. Yeah, you know what I mean. 🏴‍☠️ (Don't judge me, future me can donate to charity or something.)

JavaScript: The Illegal Edition

Armed with my totally legit (cough) course access, I dove into HTML, CSS, and JavaScript like it was stolen treasure. Which, well... you know. But let me tell you, pirated or not, Harkirat's explanations were so clear, I started dreaming in code. Literally. It was weird.

Backend Shenanigans and TypeScript Tomfoolery

Next up: Node.js and Express. At first, it was like trying to read hieroglyphics while drunk. But those assignments? Pure black magic. Before I knew it, I was slinging TypeScript and Next.js like a caffeinated monkey on a typewriter. Shakespeare, who?

The "Wait, I'm Actually Good at This?" Epiphany

Around week 10, I hear Harkirat say, "You guys are ready for internships!" I almost fell off my stolen... I mean, borrowed chair. Me? The guy who couldn't afford the course? Ready for a real job? Mind. Blown.

Project Chaos: The AI Edition

I went project crazy. Every idea got AI-infused, LLM-powered, and future-proofed. My GitHub looked like Skynet's baby photos.

Hackathon Hero (The Plot Thickens)

Guess who snagged 2nd place at a hackathon? This imposter! 🏆 The judge (some bigshot CTO) was so impressed, he offered me TWO internships. I was half expecting him to ask for my receipt for Harkirat's course. Dodged a bullet there!

Offer Avalanche

Suddenly, I'm drowning in offers. That Peerlist chat? Turned into a job offer. My current startup internship? Old news. Hyderabad startups are throwing money and equity at me like I'm the last developer on Earth.

The ML Resume Mixup

Oh, and because the universe loves a good joke, my hastily made ML resume (yeah, I have two, like some kind of resume-hoarding goblin) caught IIT Bombay's eye. Summer research internship? Sure, why not add "accidental academic" to my fraud... I mean, portfolio.

The Grand Finale (or Beginning of My Villain Origin Story?)

Six months ago, I was a broke kid with more dreams than dollars. Now? I'm juggling offers like a circus performer on Red Bull. From full-stack sorcery to AI wizardry, from "Who's that?" to "We need that guy!" – all thanks to a course I didn't actually pay for. (I'm sorry, Harkirat! I'll make it up to you, I swear!)

So here I am, living proof that with determination, a questionable moral compass, and an internet connection, anything's possible. The view from up here? It's amazing, but I'm a little dizzy.

Moral of the story? Sometimes, you gotta fake it 'til you make it... and then maybe lawyer up, just in case. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go figure out how to actually do all these jobs I've accidentally qualified for. Wish me luck! 🚀🤞

P.S. Kids, don't pirate courses. But if you do, at least become a tech prodigy so you can pay it back later. With interest. And maybe a small tropical island as an apology.