Failing Forward: Reflections on my Tech Journey

Summary

Welcome to my blog, where I'll take you on a storytelling adventure through my journey of overcoming challenges and striving for success. Join me as I share the ups and downs I faced during GSOC, Outreachy, my experiences at Kubecon events, and the exciting world of job applications in the DevOps field. Let's dive in and discover the valuable lessons I've learned along the way.
Amazon, Google, Facebook, and other companies all have failure graveyards. However, they are renowned for the success they achieved in a specific area. Everyone has developed a unique skill over the course of their life. For me, it's technology. Additionally, this is how I'll achieve financial independence.
This blog will be about my failures. Although I am aware that success stories are popular, failures also teach you what you shouldn't do. and that greatly aids you in avoiding repeatedly falling into the same trap.

Dealing with issues and appreciation

People are like "You do everything right", "Tera to sab sahi hai yrr", "How do you know so many things at such an age?" "You are just a first-year student". "At your age, I would not be able to think of doing that." and a lot more. and I am grateful for all those comments that support me and encourage me.

It's not like I'm lucky or smarter than everyone else. I always feel the most foolish when I ask questions. Just recently, at the age of 18, did I begin to take things seriously. I was, however, serious even before that. But I wasn't a tech whiz—I was a bookworm. I had no idea that reality would be so different from fiction. I have to admit that "the world is cruel."

Failing journey started

I began my NEET preparations in the eleventh grade to become a doctor. I gave it my all and got good results four months later, I fully realized that I would never be allowed to leave the house to study for the MBBS, and the NEET requires intense concentration, which was not possible given the problems I was experiencing at the time. I, therefore, decided to leave that. Many things were messed up as a result of Corona, and I ultimately took my board exam at NIOS (the lowest board you have ever heard of). Then I started coding and getting into technology.

There are two types of learning: traditional learning and non-traditional learning.

In other words, traditional learning has a fixed syllabus, whereas nontraditional learning does not. There are countless opportunities for various things. Technology falls under non-traditional education. All you have to do is follow the flow, be inventive, and pick up new skills. Sometimes it feels so hard to find a way. You have to constantly upgrade yourself in order to survive. That's why very few people can take the path of non-traditional learning, but the results would be amazing, and I am sure about that. So in my non traditional learning I got to know about opportunities like MLH, Outreachy, GSOC etc.

MLH:

The Major League Hacking Internship Program offers hands-on experience and mentorship in the field of software engineering, DevOps an d SRE and a lot more. You need to submit the form in order to participate. when I first learned about MLH, it was the last date to submit the form. In form filling, there was one question regarding code that asked if you could add a code base and explain it. I made an effort. but was turned down. Next time when registration reopened I was on a pilgrimage.

GSOC:

Google Summer of Code (GSoC) is a global program that provides students the opportunity to work on open-source projects and gain valuable coding experience with the support of experienced mentors. I spent six months working on a project called kubebuilder. I continue to be a contributor to that repository even today. There was only one project. I applied after including the proposal. Since I was sure that I will get this project, I didn't waste time researching other repos. I applied for only one project. and...... BOOOOOMMM....

Another contributor was chosen at the time of the outcome. I was never aware of her contributions. She had a GSOC project in GitLab last year, I discovered. I raised my concern with members. They informed me that there were two projects and that the second project was turned in on March 17, right before I left for my pilgrimage. She was the only person to submit a proposal for the second project, which I was unaware of when it was chosen. Luck can occasionally be important. and it was the ideal illustration of that.

Outreachy:

Outreachy is an internship program that provides paid opportunities for individuals from underrepresented groups to work on open-source projects and gain valuable experience in the tech industry. There are two applications in Outreachy. First for general information, then for technical queries and input. Funny enough, my first application was turned down. It was due to their inquiry regarding my class schedule and upcoming exams. I didn't know how to fill that. I made a mistake there. I also ran out of time to visit the projects and make some contributions there because of my GSOC work.

Kubecon Events:

I've actively applied for travel funding and scholarships to attend various events organized by the Linux Foundation, such as Kubecon. While I faced multiple rejections for travel funding, I managed to obtain entry passes. But the travel expenses were high enough. So I left the though of attending the event.

Jobs search: The unending loop of rejections

I've applied for a number of DevOps roles on various job portals. I was turned down, and most of the time, companies never responded. I submitted applications to Upwork, Angel List, Google Jobs, Indeed, and others. I repeatedly sent cold emails to a LinkedIn recruiter. I have been on this curve for more than 1.5 years. Never made a single rupee, but I did learn a lot, and I'm sure that will help me greatly in the future.

I was contacted by a recruiter for DevOps, and he gave me two straightforward tasks to complete. I finished the first one, but in the second one, the code didn't work as it should, which I know is a common problem in the tech industry.

Conclusion

I have a graveyard of failures, just like Amazon. These are the ones I chose to make public. However, Amazon has that one crucial component, which I am still trying to locate.

My journey has been filled with challenges, setbacks, and valuable lessons. But through it all, I've remained determined to succeed. In this blog, I've shared my story in a simple and relatable manner, hoping to inspire beginner readers like yourself. Remember, it's not about the failures we encounter, but how we learn, grow, and persevere. So join me as we embark on this exciting journey together, embracing challenges and striving for success in the captivating world of DevOps.
That's the end of it. A huge Thanks if you have reached till here. You can follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn, where I post daily updates about what I'm learning.

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