The hustle is not a hassle when you are pursuing your dreams. To go the extra mile in your professional life you have to come out of your comfort zone. Having said that, we have yet another ninja alumnus who shared his beautiful journey with us. Let’s get to know him a little better.
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About Maanas Agarwal
Back in 2020, Maanas completed his graduation from the LNM Institute of Information Technology located in Jaipur. He is now associated with one of the top market players, The Expedia Group as a SDE-2.
Moreover, he started his professional career with the two rising startups which are OYO and Ola Cabs.
Journey With Coding Ninjas
Maanas started his journey with Coding Ninjas back in 2018 during his third year in college. He was introduced to the platform by his seniors and through social media. After this, he researched on his own and got enrolled in Data Structures and Algorithms program.
For him, it was a great learning experience for which he is really grateful, as during that time they were not much acquainted with the corporate world. So, this platform acted as a gate to move forward in his career. Yet again Maanas got himself enrolled in an Interview Preparation course during his placement season.
When asked about the faculties and Teaching Assistant’s support, he said “Definitely! The lectures by faculties like Ankush Singla and Manisha Khattar were immensely beneficial. Even the toughest problems were explained in layman’s terms. Apart from being the faculties, they are great mentors too. Talking about the TA support, they were available whenever required. Moreover, I would definitely recommend Coding Ninjas to someone who is preparing to seat for placements”.
Are the lessons learned at Coding Ninjas still helpful?
“Yes, definitely! Data Structures and Algorithm is one of the courses that you have to be prepared with at every stage of your life if you are into tech. Even after 10-12 years of experience when you sit for interviews for companies like Microsoft and Amazon, they will keep one or two rounds of DSA. Honestly, learning from Coding Ninjas and its materials still helps me. It is structured in such a way that it doesn’t take much time to revise and gives a brief summary of the concepts”.
What did you do differently to bag an offer from the Expedia Group?
“I would say to go beyond a certain point in your journey it’s always the hustle that helps to reach your desired goal. I feel my hard work and determination have helped me bag this opportunity”.
What does a typical day at Expedia looks like?
“A day at Expedia usually starts a bit early at 10 -10.30 AM. We have our daily stand-up meetings followed by a couple of other meetings. We code for the other half and chill with the teammates. Haha! The work environment at Expedia is easygoing compared to the other startups I have worked with. However, the learning curve is really amazing because of the tech stake and new technologies they use”.
How to grow in Expedia beyond SDE 2?
“To be very honest, I don’t think I will be the right one to answer this. However, as per my knowledge, beyond SDE 2 is SDE-3. Reaching that position requires you to have at least 7-8 years of experience. To add on, one must be pretty good at coding, team management, and leadership skills”.
What sets you apart from the crowd?
“I believe in consistency and hard work. I don’t like taking work lightly. I have seen people who do not take their job seriously. You know, it’s not always about the compensation but more about your learnings and your growth. You can’t get laid back once you reach a certain level. I feel the quench to learn should always be alive”.
What are your strategies to overcome professional challenges?
“It’s just a constant learning process that matters. One should be punctual and honest enough to complete the assigned tasks on time. Secondly, networking plays a crucial role in a professional’s journey. When you talk to people with much more work experience than you, you learn new things. And that’s when you grow”.
Career-building ideas for budding coders
“To the budding coders, I would advise them to never lose hope and be consistent. It’s very easy to say that Data Structures and Algorithms is simple but having been in the shoes of someone who has done that course, I know it’s not. It drains your brain out. One another thing that is very important is to learn the art of self-motivation. There will be times when you will get demoralized because things won’t go your way, remember to get your head high and work harder”.
School of thought that you follow
“If something doesn’t go well, do not stop. Keep hustling and the ball will be in your court one day. Always remember things do work out”.
Message for the Ninjas’ Family!
“Coding Ninjas has been a great platform for preparing for my placements. However, I feel expanding further there should be programs for someone who is in the industry for 5- 10 years. Otherwise, I would say it’s doing great with time and hope it will continue to do so”.
Summing It Up!
Hope you have enjoyed reading Maanas’s success story! If you wish to share your journey, then do write to us at alumni@wordpress-blog.centralindia.cloudapp.azure.com
