My First Blog Post

Hey if you're reading this, welcome. I'm Rishabh Sharma a Software Engineer by profession, a learner by mindset, and a surprisingly good cook by hobby.

I completed my 10+2 with PCM + Computer Science from Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2, Delhi Cantt. Back then, I had decided I wanted to become a Maths professor. I don't exactly remember why I made that decision, but one thing was certain I would never go into engineering. Part of that was teenage rebellion. My father suggested I prepare for the JEE exam, and like most teenagers, I assumed he knew nothing and did the exact opposite. Around the same time, YouTube was filled with videos mocking engineers with lines like "engineers toh nalle ghoomte hain", which only reinforced my decision.

Ironically, I was an engineer at heart all along. I loved computers. Back in classes 9–10, I dreamed of building my own operating system. That idea came after I rooted my MI 3S Prime phone and realized I couldn't simply install Apple's iOS on it 🙂. Curious, I started reading about how operating systems work and confidently decided, "I'll build my own OS one day" wildly ambitious, but deeply motivating.

After school, instead of Maths (Hons), I opted for Physics (Hons) and joined Delhi University's Keshav Mahavidyalaya in 2019. A year in, physics combined with nearly six hours of daily travel started to drain me. During this time, Computer Science was an additional subject, and I realized I was actually good at coding. I enjoyed it. So in 2020, I decided to switch paths and applied again for BSc Computer Science (Hons).

Then COVID happened. Cut-offs skyrocketed to 99% and even 100%. I had 88%, along with a 5% defence quota (thanks to my incredible father), but it still wasn't enough. Almost every science course was out of reach. Eventually, I took BA Programme with Political Science and Mathematics not because it was the plan, but because it was the only option left.

During college, I also prepared for the Indian Air Force, but the introduction of the Agniveer scheme disrupted everything, and our results never came out. By my final year, I made a conscious decision: I would give software engineering an honest shot.

I began learning seriously DSA, JavaScript, React, and even explored Blockchain. I did two unpaid remote internships (I honestly don't even remember the company names). Most of my projects were terrible copied from YouTube tutorials but I was getting better at problem-solving, Googling, and figuring things out. Those skills turned out to be far more valuable than polished projects.

At one point, feeling lost, I thought I needed a paid course to show me a clear path. The problem was that every decent course with placement support was outrageously expensive. Somehow, through a website, I landed an interview at a tiny startup. The interviewer was a recent graduate and also the company's CTO. What impressed him wasn't my projects it was the fact that I used Linux, asked curious questions, and genuinely enjoyed exploring how systems work.

That's how I landed my first job as a Full Stack Developer.

That job taught me more than any course ever could but that's a story for another blog.