My Rejections made me stronger : Journey to Algosec SDE

In conversation with Ishaan Prajapati, who got placed as SDE after facing many Top-Tech companies rejections in his life and finally landing with Algosec. Read about his complete Interview preparation in this blog.

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

Hi Ishaan, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi everyone, my name is Ishaan Prajapati and I graduated in 2022 from Lovely Professional University. I started coding very late in college around my 3rd year and it was a moderate journey.

So, Ishaan, you are going to start a new chapter in your life, how does it feel to be SDE in AlgoSec?

It feels phenomenal. After seeing numerous rejections from different companies, it feels really good to be here. There were certain interviews where I got rejected in the last round after completing the technical rounds and that used to get me into depression. In college placement opportunities, I used to give my best but I could not get into any company and that made me want to give up. Rejections can be demotivating but then something or someone makes us want to push ourselves to the limit. With that said, I joined Programming Pathshala to improve myself and gain the confidence I needed from there and finally got into AlgoSec.

That’s Lovely Ishaan, so can you take us through your journey to the same, from starting your coding journey to getting the offer letter?

Yes, I landed in Programming Pathshala right when I started coding. They conducted a one-month workshop in the month of December. With that course, I realised that I had a lot to learn and I needed to improve a lot. When Vivek Sir started teaching, it was like I fell in love with DSA. He has the power that when he explains everything in a detailed way and for me personally, while solving each question, I could hear his explanation. After that, I enrolled into a six-month course with Programming Pathshala. I had joined internships also and I could only attend weekly classes. Due to my absence in classes, Anoop bhaiya called me and started scolding me just like an elder brother. From there, my journey actually started, for AlgoSec. I realised that is the beauty of this course, as some students tend to get demotivated after a period of time and tend to give up, but here at Programming Pathshala, mentors make sure that no student gives up and pushes themselves to their fullest potential.

How was your experience with the course here at Programming Pathshala?

To be completely honest, I haven’t completed the course yet. In a way, I am happy that I have got the job but I will continue my course because I still have a lot to learn. Without completing the course, I can see the benefits I am getting and I am very happy with this course. Vivek Bhaiya has always taught us all the basic concepts in such a way that we can solve any problem thrown at us. I have benefitted a lot from the course syllabus and in a span of six months, I got placed as SDE at AlgoSec. So, all in all, I would like to say that I am very satisfied with the course structure and I am grateful to the course. For me, Anoop Bhaiya has always been my favourite as he always used to push me to my limit and he was not only a mentor but helped me like his own brother.

Would you like to share your resume building strategy with us?

Yes, absolutely! My resume did not get shortlisted in a lot of companies and I started to feel very sad. I did not know how to start building my resume and improving it. In Programming Pathshala, there are weekly classes on resume building process. They advised us on how to make the format and how to make it effective. I started implementing their advice and I was happy with the results. My resume started getting shortlisted in many companies and even in companies where it was rejected before. I improved my resume through Programming Pathshala and it was quite helpful.

That’s nice Ishaan, and how was your Interview process at AlgoSec?

I got a call on 23rd June from AlgoSec from that my resume was shortlisted. There were four rounds of interview. Two rounds were majorly focusing on DSA and one was the HR round and one more round was where I was asked all the technical points in my resume and ensuring that I know all the points mentioned in my resume.

My first round of DSA was easy to medium because I was asked three questions and I could solve each three of them. I attempted to give a sufficient answer for all the three questions. The first two questions were easy to medium but the last question was a little difficult.
Similarly, other rounds were on a level of easy to medium and I got the offer letter soon after the last round. The interviewer commented that I was the best problem solver that they have seen as I could answer all the questions given to me during the interview.

Why did you choose software engineering as a career?

From my school days, there were some subjects I had to opt for and I went with C++. I started gaining interest and I wanted to align with this career and with this subject. I started my journey in this career from my college life as I always had a passion for this field of work.

Amazing Ishaan, it has been lovely having a word with you, but before you leave, any piece of advice for our budding SDEs?

Yes. I would like to say one thing that if you feel demotivated, just always remind yourself why you started. With that said, you will get motivated and want to start again. If you feel like giving up, remember one reason why you should not and in no time, you’ll bounce back stronger.

Thank you so much for those amazing words Ishaan, It has been lovely having you here and I wish you all the best for your future endeavours. Take Care!

You can also start your journey with Programming Pathshala now. Log on to www.programmingpathshala.com and take a free trial.

Have a doubt or suggestion? Reach out to us at info@programmingpathshala.com