From Zero to Multiple Remote Offers | An incredible freelancing journey
Summary
TLDRIn this engaging podcast, Vin shares his remarkable journey from a BCA student at a local college to landing a role at a YC-backed startup. Initially a commerce student with dreams of becoming a CA, Vin's path pivoted to computer science, leading him to freelance work and eventually a TA position in edtech. His proactive approach to learning, networking, and seizing opportunities, even when they seemed out of reach, showcases his impressive growth and adaptability. Vin's story emphasizes the importance of hard work, continuous learning, and the power of building a strong online presence to attract opportunities.
Takeaways
- đČ The speaker was impressed by their own growth and the amount of work accomplished in a short time, which led to recognition from others.
- đ The speaker transitioned from being a Teaching Assistant (TA) in edtech to working at a Y Combinator (YC) backed startup, showcasing significant career progression.
- đ« The speaker is pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce (BC) from a local Tier 3 college and has observed a lack of awareness among peers about the opportunities available through hard work.
- đĄ The speaker's initial attraction to coding began in school with Java and basic HTML/CSS, and was further fueled by the desire to create cool applications.
- đ The speaker's journey involved exploring opportunities beyond college, such as freelance work, which provided real-world exposure and experience.
- đ€ Networking and community involvement played a crucial role in the speaker's growth, including participation in open-source projects and Twitter interactions.
- đ ïž The speaker's technical skills were enhanced through practical experience, such as fixing and improving a 2-year-old startup's codebase, which led to a job offer.
- đ The speaker emphasizes the importance of being proactive, creating opportunities, and not relying solely on luck for career advancement.
- đ Learning web development was suggested as a good starting point due to its ease of testing and circulation, and the foundational skills it provides.
- đŁïž English proficiency, particularly fluency and a good accent, was highlighted as essential for communication and standing out in the job market.
- đą The speaker mentions the importance of Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) for developing problem-solving skills and meeting the initial technical requirements of big tech companies.
Q & A
What was the individual's initial career goal before pivoting to computer science?
-The individual initially aimed to become a Chartered Accountant (CA), but later pivoted to computer science after developing an interest in coding.
How did the person's coding journey begin?
-The person's coding journey began in their school's ICC curriculum, where they started learning Java in class 10th and basic HTML and CSS.
What was the individual's educational background before pursuing a BCA?
-The individual had a Commerce background and studied in the same school for both 10th and 12th grades, without initially being a science student.
How did the person's interest in computer science develop?
-The person's interest in computer science developed after being attracted to coding and building applications, which started as a hobby in school.
What was the individual's first freelance project about?
-The individual's first freelance project involved building a website for a client introduced by someone close to their family.
How did the person's skills and professional experience grow in the last six months?
-The person's skills and professional experience grew significantly through self-learning, networking, and hands-on experience in various projects, including freelance work and contributions to open-source projects.
What was the individual's initial hesitation about purchasing a coding course?
-The individual was hesitant about the financial investment required for the coding course, as it was a considerable amount of money for them at that time.
How did the person get connected with the YC-backed startup?
-The person got connected with the YC-backed startup through a Twitter DM from the founder who was impressed with their portfolio website and was looking for someone to help with a project.
What was the main task the individual performed for the YC company that impressed them?
-The individual impressed the YC company by reviving and improving a two-year-old application, fixing bugs, adding features, and setting up deployment pipelines within a few days.
What advice does the person have for beginners looking to get into programming and startups?
-The person advises beginners to start by learning a programming language, explore web development, maintain curiosity, and not lose the passion for learning and exploring new technologies.
How important is Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) according to the individual?
-DSA is important for developing problem-solving skills and is a crucial part of the interview process for big tech companies, especially for internships and entry-level positions.
What role did English proficiency play in the individual's journey?
-English proficiency played a significant role in the individual's journey, as it was essential for communication and standing out in professional settings. The individual improved their English by teaching a young boy through Twitter.
Outlines
đČ Impressive Growth and Career Transition
The speaker reflects on their rapid professional development, from starting as a Teaching Assistant (TA) in an edtech to working at a YC-backed startup. They discuss their educational journey, beginning with a BCA from a local college, overcoming the lack of opportunities and awareness in their peer group. The speaker's initial attraction to coding started in high school and evolved into a serious pursuit, leading to a pivot from a Commerce background to computer science. They share their experience of joining a podcast to discuss their journey and the significant contributions they made early on in a cohort, which led to recognition and opportunities.
đ€ Pursuing Excellence Beyond Academic Constraints
The speaker talks about their proactive approach to learning and gaining industry exposure, which included doing freelance work and seeking out opportunities beyond their college curriculum. They mention building a website as a freelance project and their experience applying for an edtech TA position, which they eventually turned down due to restrictive clauses. The speaker also discusses the influence of online communities and learning resources, such as YouTubers, in broadening their horizons and gaining self-confidence through successful project completions and contributions.
đ§ Hands-on Experience and Skill Development
The speaker describes their journey in gaining practical skills, particularly in building and improving web applications. They recount their experience with a video preview feature and how they connected with a community member on Twitter, leading to collaboration and recognition for their work. The speaker emphasizes the importance of self-learning and exploration, as well as the role of networking in their professional growth, including how they leveraged Twitter to gain visibility and opportunities.
đ Leveraging Luck and Networking for Career Advancement
The speaker shares their experience of being contacted by the founder of a YC-backed company for a potential job opportunity. They discuss how they impressed the founder by quickly fixing and improving a two-year-old project, leading to a job offer. The speaker also talks about the importance of being proactive, creating opportunities, and the role of luck in their career trajectory, including the serendipity of their Twitter activities leading to professional connections.
đ ïž Overcoming Technical Challenges and Delivering Results
The speaker details their experience working on an outdated codebase for a YC startup, where they had to quickly learn and apply new skills to meet the project's demands. They discuss the challenges of working with legacy systems and the steps they took to modernize the application, including setting up CI/CD pipelines and improving deployment processes. The speaker also credits a mentor for teaching them about DevOps and the importance of continuous learning.
đ Navigating Multiple Projects and Tech Stacks
The speaker talks about their involvement with multiple projects and the variety of tech stacks they have worked with. They mention their proficiency in JavaScript and TypeScript, their preference for the Next.js framework, and their interest in learning Go. The speaker also discusses their experience with freelance work and how it helped them develop unique solutions for clients, as well as their plans to continue exploring different technologies and expanding their skillset.
đ« Scaling Skills and Embracing New Opportunities
The speaker provides advice for beginners looking to break into the tech industry, emphasizing the importance of starting with web development due to its accessibility and the ability to quickly test and share projects. They suggest learning a programming language, building applications, and exploring various technologies to find one's niche. The speaker also highlights the importance of maintaining curiosity and passion for learning throughout one's career.
đ Creating Your Own Luck and Networking Strategies
The speaker shares strategies for creating opportunities, such as directly reaching out to company founders with offers to improve their products in exchange for potential job opportunities. They discuss the importance of being quick, focused, and proactive in seeking out and creating chances for career advancement. The speaker also touches on the significance of Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) for technical interviews and the crucial role of English proficiency in communication and professional success.
đ The Role of English Proficiency and Closing Thoughts
The speaker emphasizes the importance of English proficiency in their career, sharing their personal experience of teaching English on Twitter to improve their fluency. They stress the need for clear communication skills to effectively convey ideas and solutions. In conclusion, the speaker encourages persistence and the development of a strong work ethic, acknowledging the role of luck and support from family in their journey.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄGrowth
đĄEdtech
đĄVC-backed startup
đĄBCA
đĄTI 3 College
đĄCoding
đĄOpen Source
đĄFreelancing
đĄYC
đĄPortfolio
đĄDevOps
Highlights
Impressed with growth and work in a short span, transitioned from TA in edtech to working at a VC-backed company.
Pursuing BCA from a local Tier 3 college and facing challenges due to lack of awareness and opportunities among peers.
Experience coding since Class 8 with Java, HTML, and CSS, and pivoting from commerce to computer science.
Developed a passion for coding during high school, leading to pursuing a BCA degree despite initial plans to become a CA.
Secured first freelance project from a family member, leading to significant self-discovery and skill enhancement.
Freelance work motivated by curiosity and the need to explore industry-level practices.
Got shortlisted for a TA job at an edtech company among 25,000 applicants, boosting self-confidence.
Involvement in open-source projects and contributions to the community, leading to a job offer from a YC-backed startup.
Networking through Twitter and leveraging online presence to secure freelance and job opportunities.
Focused on learning new technologies and continuously improving skills, including exploring DevOps and CI/CD pipelines.
Importance of guidance and community support in personal and professional growth.
Building projects and showcasing them online to attract potential job offers and freelance gigs.
Developing a love for programming languages and continuously exploring new areas like Go and DevOps.
Importance of problem-solving skills and Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) for landing jobs at top tech companies.
Emphasis on effective communication and English proficiency in professional success.
Creating opportunities by reaching out to potential employers and offering to improve their projects.
Transcripts
so they were very impressed because the
amount of growth and the amount of work
that I did in the that short span so I
need to do something sneaky to get the
thing done they were like hell impressed
and they said okay you've grown a lot
you know you've gone from almost zero
just starting out applying as a TA in an
edtech to you know now working at a VC
back company so right now I'm pursuing
BC I'm in second year um I'm just
pursuing it from a local TI 3 College
here the the main problem in TI 3 is
like there is not many people who
realize what kind of opportunity they
can have if they just you know kind of
work hard and they don't realize it so
yeah talking about the pr group it's not
that good um it's mostly like the guys
who are just more dependent on College
um that's when I got to know that yeah
you were launching a code and I was very
hesitant should I buy it should I not
and it played out really effing well
man can't thank you enough so hi
everyone welcome to a new podcast in
this podcast we have Vin who has
recently joined a ycy bag startup and is
in talk in getting into another one
we'll understand his journey from the
top he's been coding for a really long
time he was part of cohort 2.0 he was
one of the highest contributors right
from the beginning we'll understand what
it takes to get hired at a YC backed
startup so um I'm originally from West
Bengal India and right now I'm pursuing
BC I'm in second year um I'm just
pursuing it from a local TI three
College here and like about my schooling
I have done from the same like same
school I've done both 10th and 12th and
I'm from an ICC background along with
that like I'm not a science student I'm
a Commerce student initially like my
dream was to like become a CA but it
like at the end it pivoted to computer
science and like being a commer student
I didn't had the privilege to you know
get admission to a B Tech get a btech uh
admission so that's why I like thought
that okay if I if I have to pursue
computer science I think BC is just my
way and I had maths so I was able to get
it and like talking about like um the
coding attraction like the thing that I
got for the coding was just initially I
I remember that in class 10th like
initially what happens is in ICC um in
the I syllabus itself we have like a
Java in class 10th from it starts from
Class 8 and it's there to class 10th and
there is some high level Java towards
class 12th if you choose Compu science
so initially I started coding there
itself um along with some basic HTML CSS
thingies used to flex all of the little
Pro that I made just by copying some um
guy on the YouTube and Just flexing it
around my friends so yeah that that was
cool and that's probably like the only
um you know uh motivation I thought that
like okay pursuing computer science
would be cool because people you know
when they see cool things just in front
of the eyes they kind of crazy so I
think that this was just the thing for
me and initially like the attraction
towards the whole computer science thing
and taking it seriously started it
around like at the end of 12th probably
yeah before that I had the mind of like
getting into CA um the whole story goes
back from like in class 8 itself CU as
the school that I study in allows us to
choose what stream we want to pursue
from Class 8 on Words itself so we got
to you okay do you want to go to science
stream do you want to go to Commerce
stream or do you want to go for like
Arts what's your choice so initially I
thought why why should we like why why
would I study three subjects to get a
good marks in 10th when I can just study
just one and I can get good
marks so and initially like C Papa was
like okay by C so I thought like Okay C
was the thing to go so that's why I took
it then class 11th I got to know that
okay life is getting serious I need to
see think something for myself and what
I have to do so I
thought and then initially what
something happened they got attracted to
computer science and coding part and
stuff started doing L react and building
out some cool applications like not so
cool but yeah was time play just getting
my own IP address printed on the web
page was a big thing for me so that was
the first thing that I did and I got
very interested okay this I think if I
can do this I can do a lot more so yeah
initially the whole thing really started
from there itself makes a lot of sense
so you were destined to be a c at least
your family wanted to you to be that you
were in
icsc you chose Commerce but yet decided
you want to do computer science and then
you pursued BCA from what kind of a
college is it a good college how's your
peer group over there okay so um talking
about Tire like how is the college I
think it's good enough but yeah talking
about the peer group I think like the
the main problem in TI 3 is like there
is not many people who realize what kind
of opportunity they can have if they
just you know kind of work hard and they
don't realize it so yeah talking about
the peer group it's not that good um
it's mostly like the guys who are just
more dependent on college that they
going to getting everything from college
itself at the end they just right now
they're regretting so yeah that's that's
a it's pretty bad sense so how did you
how you differentiated yourself from
your college and number one two
questions U what made you you know look
out as you said you know you have been
looking out from the beginning not
dependent on your college and once you
did um I know you're part of the cohort
but what other communities have you
found which you know pushed you in the
direction or you know opened your mind a
little bit
okay talking about that um first of all
like
I uh there is it is not like like I I
was not dependent on College from start
it was just like I had that um you know
I had that Curiosity in the inside of me
that yeah okay I have to go and do
something good get uh get something good
for me and do a little out of the things
that all of the college students are not
doing probably go and learn some new
language go and try to get an internship
somewhere get some experience
and most of the thing I think that came
after that was just from Curiosity
itself to go and learn more to
understand like how does industry level
Works happen now there's a little story
behind it actually I got a freelance
work last year from March it was a
website and it was given by someone very
close to my family um very close to me
actually he's my family itself probably
he'll be saying and he'll be saying okay
but no he is my family itself
so and I buil that like okay I'm missing
out a lot of things in me that I have to
improve and building some basic stuff on
my own is not going to help it at all so
I have to find out a way to you know
kind of get those real exposure and
stuff so that's why initially started
doing freelance first of all the reason
was to get to explore the things in a
much more deeper way and in much more
like a pressured way to be honest cuz of
course if you have someone to answer you
will be doing it anyhow right second of
all second of all um I tried to you know
kind of explore all of the opportunities
that I may get so at first I applied for
um for a edtech um ta job and it was it
was like a good one uh I got short
listed among like 25,000 students just
from my resume and stuff so and they
then we like scheduled a call we had
like two interviews I think one probably
two interviews and then I cleared it and
I got the offer probably I rejected it
because the Clauses are pretty tight but
yeah that was the initial self booster
for me uh self-confidence booster for me
that made me realize okay probably like
V you can do something and probably if
you got this you can get other one too
right if you just work hard enough you
can just become more skilled and the TA
job was on months track so you know that
that kind of helped me to get all of the
thing up and going and exploring more of
the opportunities but yeah most of the
things that I realized was um I was
following some YouTubers um for example
EX stver for example like you and all um
that's when I got to know that yeah you
were launching a code and I was very
hesitant should I buy it should I not
because this is a good amount of money
for me at that time it was uh so okay I
thought okay I'll just give it a shot
and buite it and it played out really
effing well
man can't thank you
enough got it it's super interesting
so uh I would love to know how did it
pay out what exactly helped out I
remember so here is how I know your
journey I remember in January you were
the first person who picked up a random
issue in you know the first repository
we open sourced you and eding both
created some segments thingy you were on
the First YouTube live that I did um so
that's how I know you so I would love to
know okay you know what made you pick
that issue you as you as I can tell
already you when you know you throw a
lot of
dots so would that which is you know a
very underrated skill in computer
science people just want to you know
need a very structured path because
that's what we've been taught I would
love to know okay what made you pick
those issues up and what made you
skilled enough to you know either work
with that sing or you know independently
I don't know what was your you know what
level of contribution you had there and
you know just try this out on your own
with like no incentive at all there was
no incentive for you to you know make
money on that specific issue yeah so the
main motivation was like first of all if
you remember like you put out a bounty
for like uh showing up that um I think
it was like U the timeline segment over
the video right over the video preview
thing and like I did it I own that
Bounty it was like for like $50 somehow
huh yeah I did that and then I was like
very interested okay if I did this
probably there are some more issues that
I can you know contribute and build it
so not talking about like the Bounty the
incentive was very good um you know it
was a bonus but that was not the initial
motivation and then I talked with
anur uh okay like if I did this there is
any another thing that you want me to
pick and work on so initially he said
okay we want something for like a video
preview over the thing as you see on the
YouTube so can you make this thing I was
like okay now the main problem was I was
just in my own uh end Sims the Ed Sims
were going on and had like exam the next
day
and I talked with Singh okay like sing
was a very good friend of me um just we
met in the cohort and we discussed and
we built some projects together and
that's how I got to know him much better
so uh I said to him okay yeah idea and
let's collaborate and do it so I shared
him whatever thing I had whatever
findings that I did because I sat on
that for like probably one or two days
that was just in my in between my exams
I was like for seeking my exams so like
okay I'll get this done somehow I'll try
to do this but yeah so I sat for like
one or two days and tried to figuring
out how to do that before that I'll just
like I forgot about it remember you
asked uh I think anura I don't know if
you asked some like one of you asked
yeah if you if you click on that uh
contr buttons over the video if you
click on this double tap 10 seconds
forward 10 seconds back and stuff I
remember like I did everything and I I
like aggressively tagged you on Twitter
okay okay I did this I did this I did
this and you used to reply and uh that
you know kind of initially picked up and
then we did when we did the video
segmentation thing and stuff I dm' you
you got you dm' you back in the Twitter
and then that's how we connected and
that's how likeing also like Exel was a
major part cuz I didn't had any time
contributing in that cuz if I did I
would have failed my exams next day for
sure so I iing okay this is my finding
up till here please can you do something
and probably build it so he of course
he's a very talented guy he he did it
like in just one night probably because
he's just another level so uh he said
that okay I have done this I but just at
that moment only I just shared that um
you
know um I picked up that video and URL
and just posted on Twitter and just
tagged you there and said okay this is
the one and you just uh replied to it
and that's how you made yeah got it
super amazing yeah that's how I came to
know about you and since then like I
haven't really helped you too much
you've you know figur you've had your
own Journey you've picked up companies
yourself and you know in the last six
months professionally you've grown a lot
I don't know if your skills have grown a
lot in the last six months or not they
might have they might not have but at
least professionally from what I can see
from the
outside you know you've gone from almost
zero just starting out applying as a TA
in an edtech to you know now working at
a YC back company so tell me that
Journey tell me how number one uh have
you improved your skills in the last 6
months or did you have enough skills
initially uh but you know you just did
not have the right opportunity
connect okay so um talking about the
skills if I had it before um I would
disagree honestly to be honest I would
disagree cuz the main the most of the
things that I realized that was on on
like the the main idea of like enrolling
the coher was to getting to know how the
industry standed to work around and what
is the thing that is being utilized
right I knew about open source I knew
about how the things work out I knew
about GitHub and stuff I knew all the
basic stuffs and stuff but the main
thing that I was missing was some
guidance that okay this is something
that you should probably go and explore
and learn about and then apply it
somewhere and that was the major pack
that was missing right and probably like
I had no one to guide me like you know
at every step that okay this is if you
have done this you can can probably go
and do this this is the good path and
and I personally like feel very um
privileged that I didn't had that kind
of guidance for the six months also so
it was like okay you have to do it
somehow to figure out what's the good
way what's the bad way so first of all
that helped me grow a lot it taught me
like how to figure things out myself
second talking about the skills if I had
I don't think so I had uh those skills
that I having right now in the last 6
months I think I've grown a lot honestly
both
like professionally both um um
skill-wise and of course talking about
like if if I had uh you know without the
Cod I think I don't think so it was like
mostly possible cuz the network that I
had was the initial Pioneer was uh it
was was initial P that helped me set up
all of the important things that I
needed to learn and how can I do and I
basically you know juggled around
different people and DMS and ask like
okay what's you building I will just get
into it even if I not going to
contribute into it I don't time I know
it but I will just go and look onto
their code what's happening there and
just try to assess okay this is the
packages that are using why is getting
used is there any better alternatives to
there and that's how I picked up and of
course the bonus was the freelance work
that I was getting it was it helped me
to push uh my thinking out of the box
getting you know getting those unique
solutions to the clients making the
benefit from them and stuff and doing
the work all nicely yeah cor you
mentioned guidance could you elaborate
little more on that what what do you
mean by Guidance over
here by Guidance like I don't mean like
one to one guidance I mean like uh a
distributed like group of peoples all
having their own opinions listening to
all of them and then just thinking okay
if this opinion okay this opinion good
or not is this opinion good or not is
this opinion uh you know complimenting
the other one and what is good and what
is bad for me and then understanding and
then going from there and that was like
the biggest thing that I got from the
cad the network that I had and that you
know initially helped me explore devops
explore good full stack um full Stacks
the other Stacks like for example M next
and stuff and then go on from there and
yeah that's that's the story and you
mentioned all of the so all of these
conversations were happening on Discord
primarily you talk yeah yeah yeah it was
on Discord yep totally makes sense cool
uh cool man so let's get into your job
Journey now you know um your first
freelancing gig your next freelancing
gig how did you reach the YC companies
how many Hoops did you have to go
through
okay so talking about the first
freelancing gig um initially it was just
a simple website that I had to build
back in March
20123 and this was for your
friend not not for a friend but actually
for a client it was just given me by
someone very close to
me uh it's like he he knew that I was
into this thing and he asked me okay he
he's also actually a soft not sof but a
cyber security specialist probably I'm
not sure what's his position there but
he's working
right now remotely so it was given by
him and I thought that yeah this is
probably first freelancing thing that I
had and talking about like how got I how
I got into YC company it was like
through a lot of Hoops to be honest and
it was again there is always a luck
Factor honestly there's always a luck
factor to be honest and how it happened
was um for the YC company for the first
YC company um I got a Twitter DM
um the founder loved my
website and you know kind of initially
dm' me that if you're up for Gig or not
if you're up and if you're able to do it
and if you're able to like we will have
our interview and stuff if you're able
to clear it there is something good for
you there so it's like okay I'll do it
I'll pick it up uh I got that work he
said
okay if you're able to do any of them
you're good to
go so I basically like first first first
three or four days may I fixed their
whole deployment stuff I added a bunch
of features I basically uh you know
Undead Undead like Undead the whole
application that was like de two years
ago and got it up and running uh fixed a
lot of stuff added a lot of stuff made
sure the things are working got the
deployment up and running wrote the CSD
pipelines and stuff so they were very
impressed because the amount of growth
and the amount of work that I did in the
the that short span they initially had
just one call with me and after that
they were like okay once you this your
call if you want to start right now with
us and you want to pursue this thing the
whole gig cuz that's going to be
there or you what you can do is you can
just probably build finish this off once
and join us so I initially said okay if
I'm going to be two timing on both of
things it's it's not going to play well
for me right CU I won't be able to give
100% of both of them so it's better if I
complete that first and then I will join
you and he was like okay fine I'll agree
now it was around this was for a double
digit La figure um the first offer so
what happened is there was yeah annually
double digit La figure so and what
happened was for the like recently what
happened was I was just building the
service and we figured out we got to
know that the API that we are
integrating for like you know shaping
out the whole service doesn't provide us
the value that we need them to provide
us it's not up to the Mark it's not
going to do the job so I need to do
something sneaky to get the thing done
and I probably like did it for like two
or three websites um I don't know
some so I got it done and they were like
hell impressed and they said okay we
will hire you and you will get the work
done so it's not in the more like
freelance thing you will get hired hire
and then you can get the work
going and we'll just pay you like as we
playing in the freelancing thing Zia so
we'll just pay you there I'm not going
to reveal any income thing but yeah it's
Tic Tac so we'll do that and then yeah
so this is the first company you said
just the first YC company okay so to
kick things off you said they reached
out to you I would love to know what
made them reach out to
you I don't know I I just said it's fact
that the founder initially out of the
blue dm' me and Twitter he said he loved
my website wanted see wanted is just
like a portfolio website v. V
tech tech all right I'll check it out
afterwards okay but how did he come to
know about your website were you
Tweeting your project your website you
were okay makes sense okay actually what
I did what I do is I I I kind of you
know
um in Twitter you know what works if if
you do if you tweet something very um
catchy or stuff in the first headline
it's just going to be going viral so I
used to do this and I and my all the
tweets just went around like 5 to 10K
every tweet is going more than that so I
was just doing it and I had my portfolio
up in the thing initially the the main
idea for the Twitter posting was to just
gain a lot of followers not to show off
my projects CU nobody gives
a peep about it and they just care just
care about the source they're getting so
I just did that and I was lucky enough
that he did that checked it out and dm'
me right if you a free for a gig or not
and yeah just one more thing I actually
used to pay post a little about my own
freelancing thing and the clients and
how happy they are and stuff so probably
that is all that is what maybe he saw
and DED me for this thing and he said
that yeah if you're able to do this if
you're able to do the job cuz it was
like
mostly it was very tough on their part
probably because they don't have any
staffing there um the thing was the
project was of a friend of the founders
and he was working on it two years ago
but initially he discarded and moved on
so he wanted that to be backed up and
get it up and running so that's why he
was founding some guys but initially
they did hire someone's didn't did the
job didn't like you know met what didn't
met the expectations but like when they
hired me I met the expectations like
within three or four days so yeah that
was good go so it's a 2-year-old ycb
startup or maybe even older and the code
was just not no YC startup is like a
good one uh it's called travel
arrow.io the project that I'm working on
is of his friends um it's called concert
cal.com
right and and yeah so I I have got an
offer letter from the Tav itself and
they have said K okay bro you have got
an offer from us and it was initially a
pro of hours only but we discarded it so
just work on that okay now you were just
working on that so just work on that and
I'll hire you and just get the things
okay so tell me if this is right you got
approached by the friend of a VC
company founder of a y company founder
of a y company to work for his friends
startup is that right friends okay so
you overperformed there and then the YC
founder itself said you can join us as
well makes sense and then there was a
conflict so he said let me finish things
off there and then I will join you full
time that makes a lot of sense okay
great how that makes sense you know ad
Haw you got reached out by someone my
friend needs help us when there are a
lot of people trying out startups you
overperformed there so then that guy was
like work with us makes sense so what
does the teex stack look like there and
how proficient were you at before that
maybe so this other company it's like
very archaic code based you've just seen
it for the first time and you you're
just fixing everything left right and
Center engineer who has there's like
some code that's written years ago and
it's your job to bring it up is that the
case y That's exactly the case got it
makes sense and travel Arrow the company
that you're now getting employed at
fulltime um you've not worked there at
all they've just hired you based on your
skills yeah okay so what does the text
tack over there look like what does
travel Arrow do what's your day to-day
going to look like do you know
already yeah I do so the text tack in
travel arrow and like I'm I have not
given I have not been given the access
to the code base right now because I
haven't signed off a letter yet uh I'll
do it very soon um actually like say you
about that right you already know all of
the source so yeah so about that and uh
what does travel out does is basically
like let's say um you go and look a
flight using Google flights it's just
more user entric so if you go and just
search about a flight there or a hotel
or anything that's you know concerns
your travel and if there is any other
service that has the same Hotel on the
same date for something cheaper it will
just recommend you automatically okay we
have this for this amount cheaper you
want to go there and if you do you will
get some cash back you'll get some
benefits you will get some great points
and in return they also make some money
so that's the basic idea of how travel
works and they have a lot
like to quoting they have around like
three lakh people's user base as of now
and they're doing pretty fine now travel
arrow is like the founder has two
companies with card lift and travel
arrow travel Aro like was making bunch
of money so I don't think so like that's
probably the reason they didn't needed
any accelerator or stuff to initially
back them up but the with card lift is a
v company uh is a VC based company and
that needed the acceleration and stuff
so that's why they applied and they got
it so like if I'm hired by travel Arrow
I have to probably work on with card LIF
2 on travel Arrow 2 or probably in
concert Cal afterwards too so I'm going
to be like jumping around I don't know
go it so founder has a friend whose
company you worked at and the founder
itself has two companies one of the
companies is VCB you'll be working at
one of them okay makes sense cool man um
what's your primary Tech stack uh what
language do you code in what are you
very really proficient
in really proficient uh I would say like
really proficient in like JS of course
and TS uh primary text tag is um next J
initially it used to be M but yeah
initially I thought like next year I
kind of fell in love with it CU I didn't
wanted to write those react routers
stuff again so that's why I was like
okay next year is good I'll just use
this and like talking about which
language I'm professionally like talking
about the back end wise I would say like
I'm more confident in not JS but I'm
thinking of switching to goang very soon
and yeah I'm on the journey right now to
do that but yeah very cool and you
mentioned you built a bunch of cicd
pipelines do you know devops well or was
this Prett ad hoc you somehow
just brought things you're the one who I
have to give the credit for that you
have to
what you are the one who I will give
credit for that for teaching me that for
cicd pipelines and stuff for you know
getting more proficient in devops for uh
getting more proficient in deployments
cuz initially let's say I I didn't had
that much money before so of course I
don't have even a CR card and neither
that like neither did I had that much of
um you know curiosity to go and explore
deop s now cuz I was much into
development and all of the clients were
own handling their own development stuff
they didn't ask me to do it so I I
that's why I didn't explore that thing
that option earlier and even the
deployment that I was asked to work on
the concert Cal was one of the most most
major ones and had zero knowledge about
AWS I didn't even know how to spin up a
ec2 and log into it SS into it so so it
it it was a good journey of 3 days and
initially like your video um P G's video
and all of that helped me a lot and
initially the Cs palan I think you
taught it just in one of the classes
right there's a CSD palan class and that
initially helped me to build it own my
own and get it done and running if
someone wants to learn programming right
now um you know in a very job Centric
manner they want to get a job at YC a
very any YC back startup or generally
any startup for you know double digit
lack param as you said be it college or
otherwise I think double digitom like
lack perom is not at all bad as your
initial offer to I would love to know
you know if you could give them a road
map let's say it's a complete beginner
um what would you suggest to learn what
technologies how should they learn them
and you know how quickly can they reach
their first
offer okay so I I think if you're just
starting out from this beginning if you
have not done anything at all just go
and first of all see what you can make
as fast as possible now for everyone
it's just like web development yeah you
can get it up and running and share it
with bunch of friends very quickly but
in case of like uh OS thing let's
suppose you build something for Windows
an app using electron or a mobile app
it's much harder to get it circulated to
some users or someone you know or
probably use it daily base right in that
case I'll say that you go and just have
a kink of how web delint works because
it actually teaches you a lot of
fundamentals that are needed for any
kind of development at the end you are
going to be building you if you're just
going to be like forward for front end
Centric you're going to have to jump a
lot of stacks but if you are in like if
you're going to go for the back end I
think if you have very good knowledge
let's say you do web development and you
get a very good knowledge of back end
you can utilize this anywhere possible
whether it be like Os Os app development
web mobile anything now if you're
starting from beginning go and get a
like just first of all learn any
language Let Let It Be Like Java um just
pick up the easy ones don't go for like
rust goang cuz this is just going to
miss with your head as start so just go
and pick up a easy one I'll just set
python or C is C is a very good one for
building up the foundation or Java you
can pick any of this three go in from
there build out some basic application
see how this thing works build out some
guy application see how those thing
works and how those things plays out and
if you're interested in any of them
let's say you like python right now you
can move forward okay what are the
things what are the other things that
you can use Python to you know kind of
um use it for other things like build
out um web applications apis anything
like that go out explore the stuff first
thing you first first and last advice
would be like you know just to
never like you know give out that uh
leave that Curiosity that you have
inside of yourself for anything just
could be curious enough go and explore
anything possible anything whether it be
web whether B whether be web 3 anything
possible at last you have to you know
kind of you will get that King that
you're okay this is something that I'm
good at this is something that you know
kind of paying me a lot of money at this
time and probably this can you know help
me get out of my situation whatever
situation you are in and probably do
something good so yeah now talking about
the road if you want to do get a first
of all get a good programing language
that you love and of course you're not
going to get it because you're going to
hit it at first but you'll get you will
you will develop that love for that as
you go and as you master then go on do
web development the the reason that I
suggested this much easier for you to
test and get circulated that's why I
suggest is totally up to you if you are
more interested in mile dub moile du you
can just go for react native and yeah
one more plus more point is yeah of
course if you learn react or devopment
you can use the same logic that you have
in the react native to and build it if
you want to you know kind of go into
Mobile Dev you can go for flutter Swift
reactnative any of that if you want to
it's totally the whole idea is like
endless there endless number of
implementations at equ and endless
number of paths that you can take it's
totally up to you it's totally up to
your curiosity it's totally up to your
um
you know uh the level of love that you
have for the thing just make sure that
you don't lose that uh curiosity inside
of yourself and also General like
develop a kind of a Love or attraction
for that as you go on because of course
this is going to be a long-term thing
it's not going to it's not it's not a
short-term thing some of the peop like
get something in like very short term
and like luck played a lot in this part
in my journey I think God luck and my
family played a lot major role in that I
am not the one who's going to be taking
crade for any of this yeah I worked hard
but I think there is someone up there
who thinking okay this this is time to
reward me something but yeah if you're
going through a heart phase or anything
like that just know that if you are in
this thing long term there's a lot of
opportunities waiting for you wow that's
super cool super super cool um
interesting
uh so that makes a lot of sense for
learning um could you elaborate a bit on
how can you you create a little bit of
luck so that Founders can reach out or
you can reach out to Founders what
should one do if they have built a few
projects have decent amount of skills
other than luck is there something you
can
do yes you can do it's to just create
opportunities if you don't get
it how do I did I I did it for I did it
on one like you know there was one
incident I did it uh there there is uh I
I was interning at end bed startup and
it just ended today itself so what
happened was I just went around the
website and do something good and I can
build out something nice looking for
them so I directly dm' the founder I
said okay this your website is looking
good but I can probably like do
something more good with this thing and
build out something that you will
probably like and this is totally for
free but if I do this I want to make I
want to just you know kind of uh have
any kind of opportunity that you have in
your company and get me hired by
interview anything so he was like I was
very lucky enough he had a design
prepared at that moment of time he just
got a design prep prepared and he said
okay give it a shot I'll give you some a
little amount of money and you have like
2 days for doing this within 7 hours I
contacted back him again with the
landing page and he was very impressed
with it and he said okay bro done next
nice so this is something that you can
do is to be always like see there there
is always someone who's going to be
taking who's who's ready to take your
opportunity you have to be fast when you
get it you have to be very focused and
you have to create it yourself and you
don't get it makes a lot of sense um
last two questions for you
do you do DSA what's the importance of
DSA and what do you think is the
importance of English um in your whole
journey okay um DS of course it's
important the reason why I say so is
like I will just point out like two
important things why DS is important
first of all it helps you like you know
the most General answer that you'll get
from anyone is to develop your problem
thinking solute like the problem
thinking ability of yours and that's
true for the most part second thing is
of course it helps you like all of the
Big Top tire companies for if you go if
you're aiming from Fang or mang like
that if of course they're going to ask
TSA and that's the initial um filtering
out criteria that they have and the
initial technical La this is going to
ask for DS and then they move forward if
you're interning for not interning if
you're interviewing for like sd2 sd3
probably they will ask have some system
Design Round and stuff but for I think
for fresher s interns I think mostly
what they focus on was on DC only
correct me if I'm wrong but yeah that's
what I've heard for that if you're
aiming for that if you're aiming for big
things for sure go for that for sure go
for DSA and talking about English um
honestly like of course English is going
to be the most important um like if if
you know a bunch of things and if you
don't know how to communicate it to the
next person I don't think so it's of any
use if you know a bunch of things and
probably can get his startup scale to a
million dollars if you are not able to
communicate who your idea and your
solutions to him it's of no use what I
did for like improving my English was I
was very lucky enough again uh I I got a
English teaching class like I I was a
Twitter and I was teaching a young boy
he was from like he is from like Class 2
so I twed him and that helped me like
you know kind of flourish and like be
fluent on my own English and yeah this
this this was a very lucky factor of me
but yeah just try to make sure that
you're very fluent on English even if
you do little grammatical mistakes which
I of course do also but yeah you you
have to make sure that you fluent on
most of the Parts cuz this is going to
be the one who's going to be like you
know um making you stand out of the
crowd for most of the part for most of
the time and have a good accent because
sometimes they do like
accents cool man U I think it's getting
pretty late here the dogs on your street
are also complaining we should call it
that's it guys uh that's all we had for
this one I'll see you guys in the next
one bye-bye
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