Consistency is the Key to Success!

In conversation with Aromal Benny, one of many Programming Pathshala’s Successful candidates who could meet his dream of working in one of the top Product-based companies.

#100Stories is a series of transformational stories of courage and indomitable will to excel, picked from the lives of tech students, particularly in India. Initiative by Programming Pathshala.

Hi Aromal, let’s begin with a little bit of Introduction about yourself.

Hi Guys, my name is Aromal Benny and I am a Graduate of BTech Computer Science Engineering from Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology Cochin, Kerala. I currently work as a Programmer Analyst at Cognizant where I have been placed through my College Campus Placement back in 2020 and I joined Programming Pathshala in January 2021.

Great, so Aromal How excited are you to join your new Organisation ULA?

I actually fall in short of words to express my excitement for joining my new organisation, but one thing I am really looking forward to is the change from a Service based company to a Product based company. It will be a big shift for me as I work in a Service based company as of now and will be joining a Product based company by the end of this month, the work will be so much different and I would be needing to make changes in my current working style. As exciting as this sounds to me but at the same time it will also be a challenge for me to make this shift and excel in the same.

So what motivated you to be a Software Development Engineer?

To be honest, I love the Tech field. My father is a Mechanical Engineer but his Technical field is entirely different from mine. One of the most important reasons for me to love Tech is that here, You know what you’re building and how it’s gonna affect others lives. I started with coding from 12th standard itself and haven’t stopped loving it till date.

That’s great to hear Aromal, You have made your career in a field you loved since 12th itself and there’s no going back! Now tell me, How did you hear about Programming Pathshala and how were you tackling your Problem-solvings before joining PPA?

Ah! This is an interesting story. So back in my college days nobody really believed that we could be placed in big companies and our only hopes were our campus placements. And even in our college placements, we could not sit in multiple interviews because if you crack one organisation’s interview you’re not allowed to sit for any other to keep their 100% Placement policy.

Due to lack of awareness, we never even tried to learn about the opportunities waiting for us in the outside world, but I always wanted to explore more of it and get to know the industry in depth..

So when Pandemic happened, we all came back home and I began with my initial research for what all I was left to explore in the world outside my college placements. I started watching Youtube often to know more about people who have been able to excel in life and tried to follow their steps for success. I realised that what I have been doing until now was not enough as a computer science engineer and I need to work a little bit harder.

I began with my main research in Aug ’20 and that’s when I discovered websites like Leetcode, Codechef etc where you can give competitions and I started with my “Arrays and Maths” in Aug’20 itself.

Major shift took place in January 2021 when I casually messaged “Happy New Year” to one of my long-gone friend and he introduced me to Programming Pathshala. He actually had researched about this organisation from before itself but needed someone to join along with him to Renaissance (PPA’s course), and hence I tagged along with him to one of the Live classes taken by Vivek Bhaiya on weekends and we Loved the class, later had a word with Anoop bhaiya and joined the course.

So, for me It was like a “Meant to be” journey from a random “Happy new year” text to joining Programming Pathshala to getting placed at ULA. WOW!

Wow Aromal, that indeed was one interesting story! So what do you feel about the course Renaissance here at Programming Pathshala?

About Renaissance, I find it the best course available online. Before beginning with the course I didn’t even know that there are packages for what I do worth 10–12 LPA. Our college always made us believe that 4–7 LPA could be the best we ever get but as I began with my course here at Programming Pathshala I started to believe in my abilities and as everyone is so much approachable here, Anoop bhaiya was always there to motivate me throughout the course if I lacked confidence at times.

After giving a few tests and Contests here at Programming Pathshala, I began to score well and gained back my confidence while also started to believe in my capabilities a little more.

I won’t tell you that the course is Easy at all, but somewhere around Medium-Difficult, also with the help provided by our mentors at all times, you start to catch-up on the course and in no time, and end up being good at it.

Here comes the easiest yet difficult question for you Aromal haha, so Who has been your favourite mentor here at Programming Pathshala?

Haha it indeed is a difficult question. So here at Programming Pathshala, everyone is really approachable at any time of the day, be it whenever, so I never really faced any problem with anyone and loved everyone. But to mention a few, I would take the name of Bharat Bhaiya. He has always been there for me in any tech related problem, Vivek bhaiya for classroom interactions and finally Anoop bhaiya for always keeping me motivated. You could just reach out to any of them anytime, and they would be ready to solve your problems or boost your confidence, as and when required.

What has been your strategy for Resume and Interview preparation?

So I attended one of the Resume building sessions conducted by Programming Pathshala and there they provided me with a template for how I should be making my Resume and I built one with the help of that template in the similar format. Later I sent that to my mentor Vivek Bhaiya for reviewing and when he gave me a thumbs up for the same I started to use that resume for applying to various opportunities provided by Programming Pathshala and later got selected by ULA as their Software Development Engineer by the same resume, so that one session actually helped me build my resume and make an impact to organisations I was applying moving forward.

As for Interview preparation, I asked my mentors to help me with it by scheduling a mock Interview session with them to prepare better. To be honest, I still have so many problems left to solve on the Renaissance dashboard but with the help of my mentors and the learning that they passed onto me helped me crack my ULA interview and I will always be thankful to them for that.

As you said that the course isn’t entirely easy, so what kept you motivated throughout your journey as a Software Development aspirant to never stop learning and kept pushing you towards achieving your dreams?

For this part, I majorly have 2 people who I would give the credit for pushing me through.

In the beginning I started losing confidence in myself and was almost on the verge of giving up but then my friend who I joined the course with, kept motivating me and making me believe that these are just stones in the way of success, and later when I started speaking with Anoop bhaiya I realised that I can do it, If I will be consistent enough then nothing can stop me from achieving my goals and these 2 people helped me reach where I am today.

How much will you rate Programming Pathshala out of 10 based upon your experience ?

Oh! 10/10 No doubt.

It is a place which made my dreams come true and I can never be thankful enough to Programming Pathshala for giving me this opportunity to learn with the best course available till date and if I ever find any of my friend struggling in becoming the best Software Development Engineer, I will undoubtedly show him this place and ask him to join Programming Pathshala.

They have the best mentors and everyone is always available to clear your doubts, or to boost up your confidence as and when required.

It was so nice speaking with you Aromal, Thank you for throwing light on your journey with Programming Pathshala, we hope that you excel in your life and keep making us proud always!

Before you leave, could you please give a few tips to our aspiring Software Development Engineers?

Oh yes sure, to everyone preparing at the moment, Please believe in yourselves.

Keep daily targets and make sure you complete those before going to bed every night. You might feel under/over confident at times but never let it overpower your preparations and always target the course. In the end, don’t forget that consistency is the key to success!

Thank you.

Thank You so much for such inspiring words Aromal, we wish you all the luck for your bright future ahead :)

You can also start your journey for a transition like Aromal with Programming Pathshala. Take a free trial at www.programmingpathshala.com