How I made my career: Ishansh Gupta

SRM Institute of Science & Technology

"What" and "if" are two simple non-threatening words but put them together side by side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life. These words always inspire me to take chances and act instead of overthinking and getting lost in a world full of endless possibilities, because I believe life is too short to be wondering "What if".

Coming from a family of doctors, I was destined to be one. This is where my unorthodox thinking and tremendous self-belief came in. I have always been an unconventional thinker and I have always backed my ideologies. Thanks to my parents who have always supported me in my every decision, I took Computer Science Engineering, proving that destiny is never a matter of chance but always a matter of choice.

How I cracked college admission

My story begun when I first applied at SRM Institute of Science and Technology. I had cracked the SRMJEEE entrance exam, thanks to the online education material provided by various sites which kept me well-informed about different types of questions. Before applying to SRM, I did a lot of online research to know everything about it and the reviews were really very helpful. All the research led me to make the decision to join SRM.

My college life

I have always been fascinated by technology since time immemorial. Therefore, I wasn't surprised with my early success in BTech. I published an Android application in Google Play Store for my college named "SRM Official GPA Calculator". The application was a massive hit among college students with more than 10000 downloads. Also, it is currently the most downloaded app ever in my college. When I first made the app, I was confident enough that these amazing results would be inevitable. The trick was to take action and not just wish.

Vision and action always go hand in hand and it's really something all Computer Science students should understand. Desire will never be enough for you; take action. Moreover, don't hesitate to try and develop, and never hesitate to try things alone. Many people underestimate their potential and always depend on others for help; always. My advice, don't be one of them. Be a visionary and make things happen. Don't wait for the help of others and if you don't have the skill yet and just the idea, still, it's better to first learn on your own and give it a shot. Often, it leads to glory.

In 2016, I got an opportunity to intern in Cairo, Egypt in the organisation EBWA and got awarded by Dr Amany Asfour – The President of EBWA for my contribution in the development of her website.

I also got an opportunity to intern in a startup named, Vivesano. I cleared its screening process without much difficulty. Apparently, it was due to my achievements and my confidence during the interview which got me the golden chance.

I had to start from the mid-February 2017. It was my first virtual internship i.e. work from home, therefore, I was all the more excited and utilised the initial few days to know the startup and how it operated. Within a few days, I had a meeting with Anuradha Subramanyam Ma’am who is the Managing Director & CEO of Vivesano via Skype. The first interaction with her was special. She told me about the working and history of Vivesano and beautifully summarized her goals and expectations. Her cordial nature made me relax and kept me motivated to deliver my best. There my job was to maintain, design their official website and give them advice on Information Technology.

Since I am a student, maintaining studies and work simultaneously can sometimes turn out to be a tough and tedious task. But then as they say, "When going gets tough; tough gets going". Also, it helps when you have an understanding boss. The internship gave me a great lesson about time management and how to maintain good professional relations. I can never thank Anuradha Subramanyam Ma’am enough for believing in me and helping me gain a wonderful learning experience. Also, I learned the art of being patient, polite and strong from this experience which will forever help me tackle different situations in my life.

Due to the support of my college and my internship experiences, I was selected in The Next Step Project in Kielce, Poland. The project aims to educate people on how to build a career plan through workshops. Through these workshops young people increase awareness of their skills. Also, they are encouraged to develop themselves, and contribute to the sustainable development goal of substantially reducing the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training by 2020. I also gave the Polish youth a valuable insight into Computer Science Engineering and promoted it as a serious career option.

In my third year, I felt really confident about myself and my skills, and as a result, I co-founded WEclub/SRMWE in my college. WEclub aims to encourage and develop entrepreneurship spirit, and guide the entrepreneurial mind that has begun its journey as an entrepreneur, the budding minds which seek knowledge, and the opportunistic brains which want to make the best out of the entrepreneurship chance in the future. To accomplish this goal, my team, full of different professionals, is building a platform which connects youth with experience and education with employability.

The greatest thing I learnt from my myriad of experiences so far is that the game of life is about dreaming and acting upon those dreams. Wanting, praying, hoping, and wishing for change isn't enough. Desire doesn't change lives; actions do.

I am so glad that I have lived beyond "What if" and found joy in "What is".  

About the Author:

Ishansh Gupta

I am Ishansh Gupta, a Data Science Enthusiast from SRM University doing BTech in CSE. It is not only my experience of making projects for startups across the globe or my people skills which have helped him maintain great relationships, but it is my passion for success and the goal-oriented demeanor that has always pushed me to accomplish my set task. I count data mining, data analysis and research among my myriad interests.