Career Introduction Workshop on internships & off-campus job opportunities
The department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Technology, PDM University recently hosted a highly informative and engaging event about how to crack top-level internships & off-campus job opportunities. The speaker for the event was Deepansh Singh, a 4th-year student of PDM University who is working as a flutter developer intern at a Bangalore-based start-up; & he is also part of a few Google Developer Groups teams across Delhi NCR.
The target audience for the event was 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-year students of the department, who were eager to learn about opportunities and ways to fast-track their careers in the field of computer science. Deepansh shared valuable insights and tips to help the students achieve their career goals.
He shared his insights and experiences as a student and a developer, encouraging the students to make the most of their college years by exploring various tech communities, learning new skills, and becoming leaders by sharing their knowledge with others.
Deepansh highlighted a vast array of career options available in the field of computer science, including but not limited to UX, Backend, Frontend, Blockchain development, DevOps, Cybersecurity, Mobile app development, Software development, Graphic design, Machine learning, Content writing, Marketing, Product Management, Teams management, DevRel, SEO, and full-stack web development.
He shared specific resources with them, such as recommended courses and websites, that students can use to achieve this.
He emphasized the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest technologies and advancements.
One of the key points that Deepansh emphasized was the importance of learning in public. By documenting every step of their study journey, including DSA learnings and Project updates on GitHub, and sharing them on social media platforms such as Twitter or LinkedIn, students can grow their network and increase their visibility to recruiters as well, since this counts as their proof of work.
He also emphasized the importance of studying “to learn” and “learn to teach”. Rather than studying just to pass the exams, he encouraged students to approach their studies as if they will be teaching the subjects to someone else, which will make the learning experience more meaningful and beneficial for their future careers.
Another important aspect that he touched upon was the value of joining tech communities outside of the university. He encouraged students to explore organizations like GDSC (Google Developer Student clubs), MLSA (Microsoft Learn Student ambassadors), GCE (GitHub Campus Experts), Postman Student Experts, GSOC(Google Summer of Code), GDG (Google Developer Groups), Reskill, Hack-Club, MLH (Major League hacking), and HTM (Hack the Mountains), Kaggle Days, NG-India, AWS User groups, etc.
Such groups provide the necessary environment that the students can use to meet skilled people in their field, and this may act as a catalyst in their education and career growth.
By taking the lead in teaching new technologies and skills, students can improve their own knowledge and social skills and become leaders in the field.
Deepansh also stressed the importance of taking ownership of one’s life, making well-thought decisions, and taking ownership of learning and developing skills by conducting workshops to share knowledge with others.
Additionally, Deepansh shared some life lessons, reminding students to respect everyone regardless of their social status, as you never know what someone may teach you, “Har insaan ki kadr karo, konn kab kya sikha jaaye you never know”.
He also shared a quote that reflects this philosophy: “If you only enjoy spending time with your friends as a priority, you’ll become like them, your growth will be stunted, and you’ll remain at the same point in life where you are, but if you stay sincere keeping your parents in mind, then you’ll be able to do good in life”, Doston ki sochega toh yahi reh jayega, maa-bap ki sochega toh kuch kar jayega” saying as he reflects upon the time when a local hostel guard told exactly this to him when he first joined the college.
He also encouraged students to make well-thought decisions and take full ownership of their actions and outcomes. “Take ownership of whatever you do” pointing out as we are responsible for what state we are in at present and what our future will be; it all depends on us and us only.”.
He asked students not to force themselves into things, even if it is studying. Take responsibility and say to yourself, “I don’t want to study right now, so I will not think of it at all at this moment”. But when you take time to decide and sit to study again, you should focus completely on the task at hand, and no extra thoughts should cross your mind. Food, Movies, Hunger, Relatives, Friends, Phone, DMs, none of it should matter when you work. Like they don’t even exist. There is a reason “extracurricular” activities are called “extra”, don’t mix them with “main” activities of your life, which are your goals. Devote time 100% to whatever you choose to do and do it fully. If you study, give your 100%; if you do extracurricular activities, give them 100%; if you waste time, give that 100%; if you rest, 100%. If you are not in the correct mental state, take a day off or more; it doesn’t matter, relax and reboot. Start fresh. A fresh mind will work 50x of your normal state. It’s never too late. Just don’t fool yourself. Be accountable for your decisions / choices / actions / feelings, anything.
In addition, he advised students to “choose their friends wisely”, reminding them that “It’s better to be alone than to be in the company of bad friends”.
The students found the event to be incredibly helpful, and they appreciated the opportunity to hear from a recent emerging peer in the field, making it relatable. They came away from the event with a better understanding of the different career paths available to them, as well as important life lessons and values that will serve them well in their careers and personal lives.
Special GitHub-branded swags were distributed among all the students at the event completion, which included several GitHub Stickers, GitHub cheat sheets, Markdown Booklet, GitHub Flow Booklet, and a GitHub Education magazine.
Some students who actively engaged and asked questions throughout the session were given special 30$ GitHub T-shirt Vouchers. They are Manish Singh, Chirag Vashisht, Siddharth Kumar, Shivam Pathak, Shivani, and Varun Kumar.
Overall, the event was a huge success, providing students with a wealth of knowledge, fun, valuable insights, and practical tips to help them streamline their careers in computer science.
At the end of the session, the Head of the department Dr. Jasvinder Kaur, and Ms. Diksha Chawla, Technical Coordinator, CSE, presented Deepansh Singh with a memento as a token of appreciation for his contribution for sharing his valuable insights with the students.
It was our Hon’ble Prof.(Dr.) Rampal Singh, Dean Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Jasvinder Kaur, Head of the CSE Department, and our teacher Co-ordinators Ms. Diksha Chawla and Ms. Vaishali Sharma, whose support this workshop was made possible. We also thank our event management team from 3rd-year B.Tech CSE students: Vasu Dev, Shivani, Alok Mishra, Varun, and Megha, for making this workshop successful.
The Faculty of Engineering and Technology department at PDM University is dedicated to supporting students in their education and professional development. Events like this are an important part of that effort.
