Nishitha was a young girl from a wholesome family of seven. She was the eldest child with two younger brothers and two younger sisters. College, home and studies, this was her little world. She didn’t have too many friends and was exceptionally close to her father, who was then a retired government employee. Her father was the sole earning member and took care of everyone’s minute needs in the family.
Nishitha was a student of Computer Science Engineering in a tier 3 college with interest in coding. She wasn’t exceptionally bright academically but had a keen interest to grow and learn, especially coding.
But life was good for her, she was happy!
She was in BTech final year and had her external viva that day. Right after she had finished her viva, she received a phone call from her relative. She broke down and fainted immediately after hearing the news that her relative had given her. Her father had met with a fatal accident, and they lost him after a month-long battle. Her world had come to a standstill.
“As it was an accident, my father’s belongings were not given to us for four days; the police kept them. I didn’t even know what to do; I didn’t have any money on my hands. All our money was in the bank, and I didn’t even know how to withdraw money from an ATM or bank account. I never did that in my life. My father used to take care of everything,” Nishitha recollected.
Her father’s demise meant she had to face the real world without his presence and the feeling of being protected. Her dad was also the only breadwinner for her family of seven, including her younger siblings. Their family used to survive on his pension. After the accident, they spent lakhs to save him. This further pushed them into a financial crisis, worsening the void he had left.
Nishitha understood the immediate need to take up a job to support her family financially. “I strongly realized that when responsibilities fall on you, they bring out your abilities“.
In December 2020, she realized she had to broaden her academic and skill set horizons to land up a good job. She wanted to learn to code but didn’t know-how. That is when she came across a platform called NxtWave. This company has been working to upskill youth in the right direction towards 4.0 Tech like AI/ML, Cybersecurity, IoT etc., and to help them get high-paid jobs by bridging the skill gap between the candidates and the company’s expectations.
With a noteworthy team of alumni of IITs, IIMs, and corporate alumni of major MNCs, they have uniquely crafted programs for various segments of youth, which would help them have the right careers and build the right mindset, handle ineptitude, etc. Through this, they create hope and confidence among the youth and bring real transformation in the learners, unlike anywhere else. In just ten months, CCBP Intensive learners have spent more than 125+ million minutes on learning and made 5.4 million+ code submissions. Just in 2 months, 300+ candidates have transformed & secured jobs in 75+ companies in various tech roles.
She got to know about CCBP, but she was not sure if she could make it. Moreover, Rs. 20,000 at that time was beyond her, but she wanted to leap thinking about the long-term profits. She did not have enough money, so she borrowed Rs. 20,000 and joined the program. Her uncle, who lived in the USA, supported her and bought a laptop for her to use.
Her father’s pension and insurance were the only sources of income left for them. Being the eldest child, she also had to visit Hospitals, Insurance firms, Government offices every day for four months. It was a very difficult situation for her, that too in the pandemic. But she needed to step in and support her family. This became her driving force to never stop learning. She would take lessons during evenings and nights. Those days, she utilized every minute to learn and upskill herself.
Nishitha commented about her mentor at NxtWave, “Rahul sir’s teaching, built confidence in me and made me feel like I can do this.”
Irrespective of the situation, she was consistent with her efforts and learning. She attended the placement drive, and it was the first-ever interview that she had faced. “With all the pressure, Girish sir and the Hiring team supported me a lot. I got a lot of confidence and appeared for the interview. I answered every question that was asked in the interview,” she adds while talking about her mentors at the firm.
Finally, she got selected as an Associate Software Engineer with a renowned company with all the hard work and her father’s love and blessings. She was elated and celebrated the news with her family. Her mother broke down in tears after hearing the marvellous news, and they only thought to themselves, her father would have been so proud! She was happy and proud that she could now take care of her family.
“My dream and responsibility are to take care of my family and my siblings. Now I have a very good opportunity to grow. I want to give my best and reach higher positions,” Nishitha says. She has a message for us to collectively reckon with, “Never lose hope and give up in life. No matter what the situation is, face it with courage, trust yourself, and you will be successful eventually.”
We could only be happy for her success and wish for many more like Nishitha to embrace education to do something for themselves and society!