My Journey at Aliah University

It feels like just the other day I was passing through confusion and uncertainty in choosing a particular career path. Like many aspiring engineers, my first preference was Computer Science and Engineering, too. However, due to my rank in the entrance exams, I had to shift myself on a different path.

Passing through Electronics and Communication Engineering

I am MdAfnan Naushad, and this is how I got into Electronics and Communication Engineering at Aliah University.

One day, it wasn't a plan. Life has ways of sometimes presenting you with opportunities that you might not see at first glance but can rejoice over in the end.

The Road to Aliah

To take a seat at Aliah University, one needs to clear an entrance examination. Just like many of my classmates, I had my heart set on getting into the CSE course but when my results failed to match expectations, I had to take a difficult and thoughtful decision.

Although the scope of Electronics and Communication Engineering was not my priority, I realized that this field provides an assortment of opportunities, mainly in the present era when technology and communication systems have become the backbone of society. This realisation encouraged me to cope with ECE, and, with time, I am sure, I have learned to appreciate the depth and complexity of this discipline.

Early Challenges

The initial days at Aliah University were intense and challenging. I faced personal health issues and had to stay away from college for one month. Absence during the early phase of college makes it really hard to cope with the given environment. But once I was back, I was determined to adjust. Slowly, I started absorbing the culture and college scenarios. The student body was diverse, the academic schedule was tiring and exhaustive, but the sense of community was immense in Aliah. In total, although the first few weeks of my college life were pretty overwhelming, I started getting on the path to this new stage of life.

Diving into Interests

As I settled into routine academic activities, I was also finding opportunities outside the classroom and trying to catch up on the trending skills in the industry. The demanding nature of engineering can be overwhelming; however, Aliah University allows students to gain experience through extracurricular activities, especially those related to the technical field.

During my second year, I had entered several events. The most important was an internal tech fest that gave me my first taste of how engineers can really come together and solve real-world problems.

Later in my college life, I went to another international tech fest outside the college. This was one event that helped me represent Aliah University and communicate and interact with students from different institutions. That is when I learned from other students around me how they approach their problems through innovation, and it really opened my eyes to the possibilities that exist within my field.

Perhaps the highlight of my extracurricular journey so far has been that I got an opportunity to participate in an internal hackathon as part of the SIH. The hackathon gave me extensive opportunities to work with a team, come up with solutions under pressure, and experience the joy of engineering innovation firsthand. It has been an awesome learning experience, and it made me look forward to setting my aims higher in the future.

Getting Help

It is not just about academics and technical events but also about the friendships and connections you make on the way. To share friends who understand and support me as well as be fun has been a privilege. The faculty is average and exceptional in their own way, given that every teacher comes with something unique to the class, whether knowledge, experience, or passion in teaching. But, one thing that they lack is teaching.

Aspirations and Future Goals

Though I stepped into this course with lack of interest, I am pretty clear about what I need to pursue by now. ECE is a wide field that provides diversity in various fields, I have realised during my course at Aliah University. Though computer science was my childhood dream, I have come to realise that ECE is fundamentally complementary to that. After all, my ultimate dream is to become a software engineer.

The next two years of college will solidify my coding skills, finish more projects, and be involved in internships to prepare myself. My journey isn't over yet, but I am determined to make every opportunity count.

About the author:

MdAfnan Naushad is an aspiring engineer pursuing his Electronics and Communication Engineering course at Aliah University.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha.