Stories of humiliation and inspiration in the software industry

Finally, my Masters in Computer Science is over. My mother put a lot of pressure on my studies. Now the mother is gone, but her habit remains. As a result, I have retained the habit of continuous study. Today, 10 years ago, in a Medium blog post, a student of a national university asked, if one studies CSE from a national university, or, if one does not have a CSE certificate, one can make oneself competent in this industry. I faced another question, can an engineer attach the title engineer without an IEB certification or university accreditation?

With my own experience and confidence, I said, of course, it is possible. But that day I could not give sufficient evidence; I was just a 12th class student, practicing robotics. So, after 10 years, I share my experience — how to embrace adversity and turn it into success with confidence.

10 years ago, the software industry, was not as straightforward as today. Many insults and ego crushes, have to be overcome to be permanent here. I am sharing with you some of the insults and lessons learned from them -

Experience 1. Even after having a large list of personal projects, still I heard — “You passed 12th only, not yet in the second year of your university, we don’t have interns.” Then I started doing more and more projects. therefore,

Lesson 1 — “Make the portfolio heavier by doing more personal projects.”

Experience 2. I got a job though, as a business developer. Then, night and day later, I pleased the management with engagement. I continued to show data analysis skills. Then by request, I got a machine learning internship. I swallowed the entire syllabus of statistics and mathematics in 8 months. I started staying up late at night. After completing the internship, I entered as a software engineer. If you stick to your work, management will see your sincerity.

Lesson 2 — “Stick with your workplace with patience and don’t be ashamed to ask any favor from your employer.”

Experience 3. “You are a 12th-class graduate, we are giving you a higher salary as a student.” Then, quietly suffering, I quit my job and took a more challenging job.

Lesson 3 — “Who doesn’t understand the importance of your skills, do not decay your efforts on them by being humiliated. Use your skills under a good team leader.”

Experience 4. “You don’t have a CSE degree, don’t take classes, don’t understand algorithms. You will be a developer forever, not an engineer designing solutions.” Although, I started practicing problem-solving earlier. I started making more effort. And I had been mentoring CSE students on their thesis, building a good business. Now, I teach others various topics offline in coffee shops. And write blogs online about different concepts, and accept people’s comments to upgrade my knowledge.

Lesson 4 — “Find out your weaknesses, practice them at home, and help others.”

Experience 5. “You don’t have an IEB(Institutes of Engineers in Bangladesh) certification, you can’t put engineer before your name.” Then took a BCS(Bangladesh Computer Society) certification.

Lesson 5 — Society’s rules need to be broken sometimes. Or face more hurdles.

Experience 6. “We can not keep you in core research, you have no expertise in maths.” Then, while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in robotics, and a master’s degree in computer science, while writing papers, I focused on mathematics.

Lesson 6 — Practicing math is a lifetime investment to excel in any subject.

Experience 7. It was difficult to understand the corporate code of conduct, etiquette, and politics. Despite the constant recognition of human humiliation, colleagues’ verbal reassurances and family sacrifices kept the spirits up. So it is important to be patient.

Lesson 7 — We have to develop communication skills without hating politics, etiquette, negative people, etc. There is no greater power than patience, which endures to the end. With good communication skills, you can influence even negative people to create a positive culture. So communication skill is the most important leadership skill. Simply put, EQ needs to be developed.

Experience 8. Stay 100 hands away from loudmouthed, condescending, politicized, and nepotistic teams. I had seen companies sink which is more than my fingers in number.

Lesson 8 — That who will allow you to rise, and, whatever happens, will not pay you with anything less honorable or equal, you should work with them. A healthy team will want you to come forward and work on your own. The characteristic of a healthy team is that the more it grows, the more it leads, and the more it should be rewarded. Always have a sense of both teamwork and competition within your team.

Experience 9. Confidence and self-esteem are keys to survival in any industry. So without being humble and confident, effective leadership is impossible.

Lesson 9 — You have to identify, who is giving you constructive criticism, and who is trying to make you feel weak. Learn to recognize the subtle difference between advice and insults. Who is jealous of your advances, identify them first, and beware of them.

More roads to cross, and more experience to be gained. We, all of us, should try to pass on our experiences to the new generations.