My Tech Journey

Hi, I’m Rakshit. I’m an Android and web developer—or at least, that’s what I convince myself I am.

I have a deep-seated desire to explore paths less traveled and have tried out more career trajectories than hairstyles.

Where it All Started

As a child, I was greatly influenced by Sir David Attenborough and Sandesh Kadur. I was a wildlife lover who collected animal souvenirs, learned as much as I could about them from books, and watched hours’ worth of documentaries.

This passion slowly instilled another in me: an interest in filmmaking and photography, sparked by the production of those very documentaries. Unfortunately, I lacked the resources to pursue this, and my parents encouraged me to take a more conventional career path. So, I kept it as a hobby—capturing moments with just a mobile phone.

The Shift to Tech

Still, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. But the technology inside cameras—the CMOS sensors and the mathematical computations—intrigued me.

It was a lot to take in for someone without a background in the field, but that’s when it hit me: it’s all just computers.

I began learning about them, and soon after my 12th class ended, I had to make a choice. I eventually chose Computer Science (CS), as it was the current I was following at that moment.

Finding My Place in College

After finding myself at college, I felt a bit out of place. There weren’t many active communities, so I tried to create one. When that failed, I saw others succeeding and decided to join them.

I grew to love meeting people who were passionate about building things.

In my second year, I became part of the GDSC on my campus, but Google soon discontinued the program. Determined to build a community, I saw an opportunity with the Codecademy Student Leader program. I applied and was selected as one of 20 student leaders in India. In this role, I helped my peers by sharing quality resources and conducting fun activities.

Recognizing my engagement, I was also selected for the SAP University Alliance. I was grateful for the nitty-gritty insights into “the corporate world” and had the opportunity to lead and organize a hackathon.

Real-World Experience

Meanwhile, I interned at Masai School, an ed-tech startup. There, I used my data analysis skills to generate leads and also conducted in-person outreach.

This role gave me the opportunity to organize a workshop at my university in collaboration with IIT Ropar. That’s when I truly experienced the responsibilities of a “cross-functional” role, as I had to coordinate with multiple teams between both parties.

Wrapping Up

My technical competencies alone don’t define me. I won’t project myself as a flawless engineer, nor will I claim I’ll be perfect in a product team.

What I do know is that I am driven to explore. I believe I fit somewhere in this vast tech world, and I am determined to find my place—or create one for myself.