My Journey to Google (Part I)
July 2022 — June 2024
Since my rejection from Microsoft on my PPO, I have always tried to make my way into a place I wanted to. Okay, I might be naive to run after some brand. I have had enough of that I should upskill myself and work in some startup, and I am at a good place; I should not worry, I would eventually get there and whatnot! Yes, they are all correct but I was also not wrong in yearning for something. Despite all the input from seniors and experienced individuals, I could not agree with them. And there are reasons for it.
All the reasons I would be stating here would have a counterargument, but here we go. Firstly, our society and the hype around some companies tagged as ‘brands’. I have always been the star kid who enjoys attention by being the ‘good girl’, the topper of the school, and struggling her way in college too to carve a place for herself. After I got placed and would tell people where I worked, no one would know about it as my previous firm was not well known by common people. People would invalidate my talent and struggles only to assume that might be easy. Of course, why I should care about what people thought of me but it did matter to me. I wanted my parents to feel proud of me, and even if they did, society did not let them feel it.
Secondly, my friends. We commenced our journey together, then how could there be a drastic difference in the results of the journey? Before you give a counterargument for this one, yes I know it is a professional career, and just a company would not matter in the long run. But, it affected me A LOT. I could not respect myself, always judging myself that I could not make it. All my friends went on to LIVE their life but I was stuck with the stigma. I would even get lectured on that I should not compare with others and focus on myself but it is easier said than done. Damn, I also pulled all-nighters, I also gave it my blood and sweat, then how could some unseen thing called luck unfavour me and favour others? Well, then another point is that I at least had a job and I am more privileged than a lot of individuals, etc. The debate would never end, it is anyway not a debate but a piece of my heart.
Lastly, I wanted to feel the sense of achievement, what we call ‘kick’ informally. I have always got my dopamine hits from achievements, achieving heights that not everybody can do, setting a benchmark, and becoming an idol for myself. Clearing the interview process of Google was one such height.
July 22 — December 22
I was so into Leetcode and System Design. After my placement on campus, I tried hard for that one off-campus offer. I would attend college classes, complete the assignments, meet the deadlines, code, and study. I was in grind mode. However, the recession had hit and companies had slipped into a hiring freeze mode. But there was hope. A Google recruiter had reached out to me for the Fresh Grad Software Engineer role. I was ecstatic and so determined to make it to it. I got my interviews scheduled and kept practicing day and night. There were three rounds. I believe I did well in two rounds but messed up one. And there it was in my inbox — the rejection email! I did not lose hope, I kept on trying and the only opportunities I could get at that time was DE Shaw and Atlassian. I took the DE Shaw test but could not clear it. I took the Atlassian test, cleared it, and got my interview scheduled for the twelfth of December. I was so into preparation that I did not pay attention to my college curriculum. I would miss classes and spend all my time in coding and studying system design.
8th December 2022
I got a call from the Atlassian recruiter that the interview scheduled stands canceled due to cost-cutting reasons and I had already sunken. I was empty now. I did not want to try anymore. I accepted my destiny and went on an amazing college trip with acquaintances and not my friends. This was once in a lifetime experience! I created so many memories which are still alive vividly and am so grateful for it.
January 23 — June 23
I was wild in my life. I have never been so ferocious but these five (Jan to May) months were super amazing. I was living my dream college life, one that you see in movies. One day I would be at home, and another I would be in my friend’s room in college. I would bunk classes, bond with my friends, stay up the whole night, watch that serene sunrise with the loved one, go to parties, attend fests, ride Yulu around the campus, break rules, go clubbing, go to exams without preparation, and sink my CGPA at last. I did ALL the little Kesar thought to be a sin, but I WAS PROUD OF MYSELF. Yes, I was proud even after being the most indisciplined person I have ever been in my entire life.
June 2023
Even though I enjoyed the last five months to the fullest, there was not a single day when I would not think about ‘THE PPO’. But I had no option other than to yes, enjoy my life, enjoy the last months at college. I was sometimes forcefully enjoying to not regret it later when I would realise that one rejection was not so big to cry over for months. I had to fight within myself because I was the disturbed and the counselor at the same time. However, June was not easy. I was anxiously waiting for the date of joining. This was the time when almost all of my friends had started their careers and I was at home doing NOTHING. I had lost all motivation to practise coding and think about a backup plan. All I would do was to binge-watch OTT and check my mail regularly for the joining date. I would call the HR of my company seeking some prompt feedback. Not until the last week of June did I get the joining date. However, when I got it I felt relieved and cheerful that I was finally going to BE A SOFTWARE ENGINEER.
July 23 — October 23
These were the months of me sinking into being a software engineer. This was the time when I was doing that 10 to 6 thing, living the life of a typical Indian corporate employee. My life revolved around learning things at work, enjoying weekends, complaining about my travelling problems to the office, talking to friends for hours, and trying to make a place there. Everything was so normal, something which did not satisfy me completely. I was not doing anything that made me proud other than my small and big achievements at work. The place where I worked is one of the best places to be. I was grateful to be there as I was honing the software engineer in me, but I could not find it cheerful.
Soon it was time for the much-awaited Convocation. I had dreamt of it since the day I stepped into college. Just on the day of the rehearsal of the convocation, we received an email from our Placement Committee about an opportunity. It was from Salesforce, they were looking to hire AMTS from the 2023 batch. I hit apply as soon as I got home and realised that I was completely out of practise. What was I going to do in the online assessment? And I understood that I have settled in a lot in my life, I could not do it, I had something to achieve. I kick-started my preparation without any further do. The test was scheduled for November.
My God! I know I talk a lot. All the stories above did not mention Google, so how come I landed at Google? I believe this blog has become way too lengthy and let’s keep the rest of the journey for the next one!
Stay tuned ;)
