If Saurabh Netravalkar, who had figures of 2-18 and bowled USA to victory in the super over vs Pakistan, wasn't disgustingly talented enough -- ( He is an engineer at Oracle and an MS in CS from Cornell University.) he's also a damn fine ukelele player. (video from his insta)
Something fun happened recently...
I contributed to an open source project and one of its maintainers happened to be the CTO of a US based startup.
Got me a ₹1.5 lac/m internship (no interview).
Opportunities are everywhere...
You just need skills, diligence and sincerity.
As an Indian engineering student, you must be good at speaking English.
You know that most money in tech is in the West, and you had English as a subject in school. There's simply no excuse.
Yet there are many students who speak like...
"Ya ya ya, you money, me work.."
NGMI.
You're not a real web developer if you can't explain these concepts -
Closures
Hoisting
Reduce
'this' in JS
Prototypical Inheritance
IIFE
Promises
SPA
React hooks
Virtual DOM
Webpack
REST
Lazy Loading
JWT
CSRF
XSS
CORS
Some of my wins in college:
- 2x GSoC (in my favorite orgs)
- built many cool connections (senior engineers, researchers, millionaires)
- Ran a profitable business (₹1lac+ pm) in 2nd yr
- Stable freelancing income
- Retired my parents
- 4k+ followers on X (y'all are awesome!)
Working with an early stage startup, I told the CTO that their APIs look like they were written by some noob...
He took it personally, and then I realized that it was his code...
I guess I should start looking for a new job! 😂
This is how simple it is to change your life within a year..
Learn to code.
Build an online presence.
Show your work publicly.
Contribute to open source.
Build a portfolio that stands out.
Reach out to dozens of potential clients daily.
Focus more on experience, less on money.
The easiest way to make connections with 'real' engineers is to learn Java, C++ or Rust and contribute to niche open source projects which have very few contributors.
Most devs are mediocre.
Understand this and you'll lose half of your mental stress.
Right now, you're probably among those mediocre devs.
Know this and you'll learn a lot faster.
You get 3-4 years in college.
These are the years when you should
Learn multiple skills.
Build cool stuff.
Take positive risks.
Rebuild your body and mind.
Work your ass off and become the man that your parents can be proud of.
or
Enjoy these 'best years' and give it all away.
I didn't study for JEE in school...
Spent most of my time coding small projects in Java and games in Unity.
In drop year, I started freelancing.
Sometimes I regret not studying for JEE and fucking up my career...
But mostly I'm grateful for how things turned out eventually.
The best thing about freelancing is that you can delegate your work to others.
I got a data sanitation related contract at $20/hr.
Hired two Indians at $3/hr each.
Did no work...Shitposted on X all day..Still earned decent money.
You won't be allowed to do this at your job.
I've observed something...
Most tech and business guys with good education and actual contribution to society are inclined towards Right Wing.
Most privileged, unemployed, humanities students, who ironically have no regard for humanity and art, are inclined towards the Left.
GenZ leftists are such drama queens. You say something like you can save money by cooking at home and they reply with something like
"genuinely disturbing how so many people believe disabled people don't deserve access to quality, nutritious food"
If you're above 30 and you still blame the society or govt for your poor condition, then you're just coping.
You had 10 years to fix things.
To build your ideal life.
To build a business.
To give your kids a privilege of not giving a fuck about govt.
You gave it up.
After learning something for a long time, you should also learn its opposite.
If you're humble, learn to be proud.
If you're a generalist, try to specialize.
If you're a nerd, try to get jacked.
If you're a sportsman, learn Maths...
Don't be like simple-brained insects.
Just got hit with this.
Asked an Ex IITian Microsoft employee for a referral.
My resume has GSoC, multiple commercial projects and a Monte Carlo based personal project.
But that guy asked me for my Leetcode, Codechef handles.
I had none, so he told me I don't know enough DSA.
@christinainms
Because most companies in India ask DSA in job interviews. When people say degree doesn’t matter in tech, that doesn’t apply to India.
Even if you cure cancer, FAANG India will not give you any attention unless you’re good at Data Structures & Algorithms.
As an employee/intern, the best way to ensure your job security is to make your team lazy and dependent on you.
Don't just work hard. Work smart.
Don't grind simple tasks which anyone can learn/automate easily.
Focus on tasks which are important but hard for others.
Started a small business(currently generating around 1 lac/m profit for me).
Worked with over a dozen clients.
Almost met all my 2023 financial goals.
Got accepted into Google Summer of Code.
Helped 8 non-tech guys get jobs as web/mobile devs.
Connected with so many cool people.
If you're a newbie in programming, don't listen much to all those JS devs on youtube who tell you how bad Java is.
Most of them have skill issues.
Many of them have created their whole personality around hot takes.
Few of them have written any Java code beyond Java 7/8.
A group of my batchmates who have learnt so many frameworks and tools can't complete a Computer Networking 1O1 assignment in C++/Java which involves a simple chat program using TCP sockets...
Such people will graduate soon and will blame the govt for unemployment.
There are many freelancers who earn more than senior devs at FAANG.
But you'll rarely see them making youtube videos or courses.
They have under 100 followers on X and almost no LinkedIn posts.
You don't need to sell courses when you're actually building stuff.
Here's an example-
As a Java developer, I feel absolutely no fear of competition from these MERN devs moving to Java.
Java job market is more brutal for freshers than MERN job market.
Once you start earning decently through a job or freelancing, focus on freeing up your time.
Learn to delegate your work.
Build connections with people both above and below your skill level.
Focus on building an agency or self-sustaining business, not on "saving" money.
It's funny that I've never got a single interview in my entire life lol...
No interviews, no take-home assignments, no free work.
I got almost all my freelance work by showing my projects, cool proposals and sometimes simply because nobody else applied for the job lmfao.
Lots of 1st/2nd yr students ask me about freelancing...
Guys, stay away from freelancing while u r just a student with no achievements!
Do GSoC, LFX, hackathons, etc. instead.
In 1st and 2nd yr, your focus should be on two things -
1. Upskilling
2. Collecting proof of skills
Should post some L's too-
No clubs (of any kind).
No hackathons.
No socialisation.
No parties.
No dates. No female friends.
I don't even talk to girls in my college.
No concert, no fest.
No hobby other than coding.
Went to gym, but quit very soon.
No friends, only connections.
Some of my wins in college:
- 2x GSoC (in my favorite orgs)
- built many cool connections (senior engineers, researchers, millionaires)
- Ran a profitable business (₹1lac+ pm) in 2nd yr
- Stable freelancing income
- Retired my parents
- 4k+ followers on X (y'all are awesome!)
Learn HTML, CSS and Javascript.
Then learn React and React Native...
Get a job and start learning Swift...
Then switch to ios app development.
Imo this is the easiest route for an average non-tech guy to break into development and start earning 50k-1lac INR monthly within a year
Pessimists are cringe.
Instead of striving to achieve great things, they're always whining and spreading negativity.
They are toxic for your growth.
To win in life, surround yourself with optimists and confident people.
You will achieve goals which you never even dreamt of.
1. Current job market sucks.
2. You suck.
These two are not mutually exclusive.
Some people neglect 2nd point and are always whining...
And some ignore 1st point to mock unplaced freshers.
Grow above that bs.
Just give your best efforts, and leave the results to God.
I'll be 21 this year and I already earn twice the starting salary of IAS officers. I have some friends around my age who earn 2-4 times that amount. Imagine where one can reach with this momentum by the time they're 30!
No need to waste time for UPSC if your goal is MONEY.
@AnujDTech
Man !! Try UPSC or if you are an engineer try IES or any state government job...better than this DS-Algo shit. This DS-Algo will fly when you are young after you cross 30 game is different.
I didn't "prepare" for GSoC.
My github activity is blank lol
Just saw my favourite org, selected a proposal on a tool that I could relate with, contacted past GSoC participants and community members.
Wrote a proposal, showed it to them. Applied. Got selected.
Easy.
Remember guys... It's never about your CTC. It's about how much money you get to keep as yours.
I know many freelancers who earn more but pay almost no taxes.
Most of the work is remote, so no daily travel expenses.
Have a house in any tier 2 city, so no rent or emi.
@Immortal_abdul
I often feel the same as him...
I see below avg people in relationships, 4-5 lpa guys partying like there's no tomorrow, graduates showcasing their lame projects, etc.
But then I remind myself that not everyone can or has to think like this.
But it's a truth(not 'the' truth).
I think employers focus on your BTech degree so much not because it's a proof of your competence...
But because your degree is a proof of your ability to suffer consistently and tolerate bullshit without quitting for four long youthful years.
Not a very good advice imo.
Tier 1 college students can easily get placed through on campus placements just by grinding DSA in final year.
They'll tell you what works for them.
It's not going to work for most of you...
Learn instead from people with similar background as u.
If I was in a Tier 3 college I would make it my first priority to make some friends in Tier 1 colleges just to stay aware and updated.
I have seen people wasting their entire college life thinking that only a good CGPA would get them a job and they do nothing else in college🤡
Something fun happened recently...
I contributed to an open source project and one of its maintainers happened to be the CTO of a US based startup.
Got me a ₹1.5 lac/m internship (no interview).
Opportunities are everywhere...
You just need skills, diligence and sincerity.
If you missed GSoC and Outreachy this year, you should definitely try C4GT (Code for Gov Tech).
It's a little lesser known program focusing on Digital Public goods.
The stipend is around ₹1 lacs.
All the best!
As a teen I used to argue with strangers online.
But ever since I read Naval, I started to take my time seriously and set a mental hourly rate.
So now I avoid stupid arguments, petty bargaining, coupon hunting, etc.
For others to value ur time, u should first value it urself.
But there's one similarity.
Both of them are pathetic teachers if you want to be a serious developer.
Most of the guys I know who follow them can't make a proper project from scratch.
Most of the good developers I know seriously hate them...
Indian constitution is not secular.
It's anti-Hindu.
Your army, your Prime Minister, your judiciary...
None of them are yours.
They are there to rule over you, not to serve you.
Systematic destruction of Hindu civilization is the sole objective of Indian constitution.
@sandythapar
Defence Services Regulations expressly forbid display of religious marks in uniform. One has participated in many religious functions in uniform, but it was customary, thereafter, to wash off the tilak & reverently transfer the ‘mauli’ thread to a tulsi plant at the earliest.
At his lowest, man either dies or gets reborn.
Some lose hope and fall into despair. Lots of such guys in Kota.
Some use their desperation to turn to God, have faith and give one last final push. For them, life becomes a mere game after they've overcome their lowest point.
Working as an intern/employee at any company is totally different from working as a freelancer.
Senior devs at your company will happily mentor you even in some basic things, but as a freelancer, it's YOUR job to figure things out.
Clients don't like underconfident devs.
I'm not selling anything, so why would I care if hundreds of such people unfollow me!
Many "influencers" turn anti-national coz they're afraid of losing followers for saying the right things.
But to me, my Nation and freedom are more important than thousands of such followers.
I got some work on LinkedIn without applying.
Founder of a Gurugram based startup approached me on LinkedIn.
We connected on WhatsApp.
No interview. No test. No assignment.
Just a quick call with their techlead.
They paid me around 2.5lacs for two simple RN PoC apps.
A recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn and I had 3-stage interview. I lost a potential good job and one reason was I told them someone helped review the task I was given when I was done. I taught I was being honest, can someone teach me about “ethical lying”😭
I got from 3.5k to 5.3k followers on X in just three days...
To grow on Twitter, you don't need a well designed banner, mindlessly commenting on big accounts or follow-for-follow games.
You just need to be authentic and share interesting stories, opinions or work.
Dost aise h ki saans leta hu to party maangte h...😭
GSoC, iphone, mac, birthday, 1k/2k/5k X followers, fir GSoC, internship, GST return, exam result...sbpe party chahiye Inko 😂
If you want to become a dev, why are you learning from influencers?
If you're an avg tech student in India, stay away from FAANG influencers/tier 1 college twelebs.
Most of their advice about LC, DSA vs Dev, JEE and what not is just onsolete.
Learn from real devs/researchers.
As an entry-level backend dev...
When looking for your first client, don't let them know that it's your first client.
There are lots of people who will hire you for frontend roles without any experience, but very few will hire a backend or DevOps guy with zero experience.
Specialize.
Specialize.
Specialize.
Don't run after multiple languages and tools. Just master one or two things, and you won't need to worry about getting a job.
In getting your first client, good writing and sales skills are just as important as your technical skills.
If you're an engg student, you should definitely learn some copywriting, sales and the general 'corporate language'.
I'll try to write a thread or blog on it someday.
Our culture doesn't teach us to hate our enemies after their deaths.
Don't be so blind with hate that you forget how all of this world is just 'Maya'.
Your hatred shouldn't be bigger than your love for God and His creations.
Destroy your enemies, but don't shun your humanity.
Once you try game dev, everything else starts to feel simple.
Performant web re-renders are child's play compared to maintaining 60+ FPS in a 3D game.
Websockets are child's play compared to Multiplayer game dev.
The levels of optimization in games is insane compared to apps.
@wtravishubbard
In my opinion, the best way to learn a massive amount of programming concepts, solve interesting problems, with huge overlap to real life problems. I've been building my own game with my viewers. It's been eye opening. Also, a lot of fun.
Valid point that engg colleges are teaching obsolete skills...
But couldn't help showing off the money I earned by working on swing/applet lol.
When everyone is running after cool shiny frameworks, people like me who are ready to do such dirty work make easy money 😂
This weekend I'm working on three projects...
- An old webapp for Go board game (built using PHP and JS)
- A mobile app for annotation documents(React Native, android Java)
- A custom authentication system for a big org's internal use (Java, React)
What are you working on?
@codingmickey
Politics primer-
2 wings - Left and Right.
On the Left, nothing is right...
On the Right, nothing is left.
Only this political ideology matters -
Focus on dharma and artha...
Follow ur religion, be righteous, earn lots of money and raise a based family.
Rest is noise.
Don't fall for such bell curve memes.
You may think you're among the high IQ people who don't need debuggers, but there's a very high probability that you're just a noob dev on the left.
Learn to use a debugger.
It will save a lot of your time.
Specially on the backend.
I have a friend who was in IT support.
We were on a casual call one day when he mentioned he's stuck in that job.
I told him he could just quit, learn to code and get into dev.
After some discussion, he trusted me, quit his job and came back from Chandigarh to Lko.
@riksucks
It was a win for me... Maybe not for you...
There are millions people for whom you are just a small fry.
All your wins are nothing for them.
Should it stop you from celebrating your wins?
Get out of your crab mindset. Stop shitting on others.
btw it's 5.9k now, not 4k lol.
There are two types of people -
1. Those who have a solution for every problem
2. Those who have a problem for every solution (lol)
Try to be the first type, and if you can't, then at the very least try not to be the second type.
Learn to break that cycle.
Ever since I started earning, I've tried my best to help people around me.
There's no point in whining about your sob stories and being bitter.
Positivity is less contagious than negativity, so you need to give extra effort to spread it.
Have faith.
Salary != CTC
Most of these guys will take home only around 1 lakh as monthly salary... and if the location is Bangalore or Mumbai, then it's not considered "enough".
The package is good for freshers, but such tables give unnecessary FOMO to students and push them towards JEE.
A real life example -
Today I was in a meet with a DevOps engineer...
He's really good at K8s, Docker and Git.
But he absolutely sucks at web dev.
He can't even call a simple REST API using fetch.
But his monthly salary is over ₹1 lacs.
Just think about it!
Specialize.
Specialize.
Specialize.
Don't run after multiple languages and tools. Just master one or two things, and you won't need to worry about getting a job.
I know a north-east guy from a poor family. Never went to college. Started with an old laptop...
When he first contacted me 2 yrs back, he was a noob WordPress freelancer.
Soon became Top Rated on Upwork.
Quit freelancing last year for an online hustle.
Now earning ₹1lac+/month
In the current age you can't really blame your bg, ancestral wealth or luck for your current situation. You have a laptop and internet you have enough to decide your own fate!
Me: How bad is the funding and corruption condition in our college?
Lab assistant: Pankha dheere chal rha tha to hmne request kiya ki sahi krwaya jaaye... Pankha utaar ke to le gye pr 2 saal se lgaane nhi aaye.
😭 ab mai lab instruments or placement ke liye kya hi bolu
Unlike some FAANG influencers fresh out of college, I don't speak mumbo jumbo what I've heard from others.
I have spent time in the industry. Started from scratch. So I know perfectly what I'm talking about.
So please don't claim anything with me if you can't bet your money.
One thing I really like about freelancing is that nobody cares about your college, your CGPA, your cultural background or even gender lol.
No diversity hiring, no reservation, no politics... Just true and fair capitalism.
Business owners mostly care only about results.
To people who keep bashing LinkedIn coz it's hard to find jobs there...
I'm not even active on LinkedIn. I have a single post that itself is a rant against linkedin.
I've said it earlier and I'm saying it again...
Focus on skills, don't force networking on yourself.