This is a submission for the WeCoded Challenge: Echoes of Experience
Hi! I'm Vignesh Naik, I am a Junior Year Computer Engineering Undergrad student here at Goa. This is by far my first post on the community, and I think this challenge as a coincidence gave the same topic I would love to talk about. I come from a region popularly regarded as the remote rural region of Goa, like if someone asks the talukas of Goa, mine would come last. I went to a school where there were hardly 20-25 students in my class, and almost all of them came from a family with no college graduates in generations, including me.
Needless to say, there were always lack of opprtunities with respect to education standards, technology, infrastructure but still I always believe it's on the individuals part, how he/she takes efforts and develops in personality. I was in 5th Grade when the first computer lab was started in the school and I would give credit of learning only the MS Word and MS Powerpoint from it cause most of the time it was locked and when opened inaccessible to 5th grade students. As time passed by, when I was in 7th grade my dad brought a new laptop for us, my parents didn't know to use laptop hence it was shared between my sister and me. My family owned a carpentry workshop, and we brought a Wood Carving machine (CNC) which eventually required me to learn a new software at a time I didn't know what software meant(and this was even after learning it in school).
This venture of learning a new software and seeing the designs I make crave in front of myself, would be a major contributor in me getting drawn to Technology. I have always been a quite fast learner, when it came to learning laptops abilities (well my sister is smarter in that sense).
After I passed my 10th grade, I chose Biology instead of CS, as I was still confused about computers (more decided that I won't take medical, because of my personal reasons), and even though I had a great streak in Biology, the final call after 12th was CS. Tech was calling me I would say, but it would sound cringe :) I joined B.SC Computer Science at a degree college, and fed up with the theoretical approach of the Science course I chose to go for engineering, and that's how I ended up taking Computer Engineering. Due to lack of focus early on I couldn't get into the prestigious institutes of engineering, I got in the nearest engineering college, and althought it is the fundamental characteristic of a student to talk bad about college, I would say, it helped me grow certain aspect of thinking that I wouldn't have discovered. It's not the greatest college but it definitely brought a first generation, rural, student closer to Technology.
As the years passed, I participated in many events, volunteered in many events, coordinated a full fledged event, made a huge network of seniors, juniors, and many other things. I have more that 2.5k connections on LinkedIn and I am ever more active on LinkedIn. All these people, tech and non tech backagrounds have shaped me through and through. And now as I near the end of engineering journey and taking a big , and I mean it Big jump into tech, I feel prepared with the decision where I want to be, that I am excited about creativity and innovation more and would move to technical product management. This was my journey into tech, I hope this acts as catalyst to all the first generation students wanting to grown in tech, may tech grow on you.
If you have any questions related to engineering journey, or any part of my story, or just want to be friend put down a comment or question! I would genuinely appreciate that.
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