Many people imagine a career as a straight ladder. Mine has been anything but. It has been a winding journey across diverse landscapes-government research labs, academic institutions, tech startups, enterprise software programs, and authorship. Growing up in a Tier-3 city like Ayodhya, with limited exposure and little formal guidance, I did not have a roadmap. What I did have was curiosity-and the willingness to pivot whenever a path stopped offering growth.

The Spark: From Biology to Bioinformatics

My journey began in a government school in Ayodhya, where I encountered a computer for the first time in Class 11. That moment sparked a fascination that quietly reshaped my future. While studying science at KNI Sultanpur, I realized that a conventional degree alone would not satisfy my growing interest in technology. To explore further, I enrolled in the CIC program at IGNOU and later completed a few computer-related certifications-simply to get closer to the machines that intrigued me.

This curiosity led me to a powerful intersection-where my background in biology met my interest in computing. The result was a PG Diploma in Bioinformatics , followed by an MCA , which gave me a strong interdisciplinary foundation.

The Evolution: Research Labs, Academia, and Scientific Discourse

My professional life has been a rare blend of experiences that shaped both my technical depth and professional maturity.

The Scientific Foundation

Interning at CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR) under Dr. Sir was a defining phase in my career. Observing how senior scientists approached complex research problems instilled in me a disciplined, analytical mindset that continues to influence how I think and work today. While I had hoped to continue working closely with him, circumstances did not allow it-but the learning from that phase has stayed with me ever since. Alok Dhawan

Academia and Peer Engagement

Later, as an IT faculty at National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology Lucknow , my role extended beyond classrooms. Alongside teaching BCA and A-Level students, I delivered technical lectures at seminars hosted by the Biotechnology Park of India , presenting ideas directly to scientists and researchers. Bridging IT concepts with biological research in front of the scientific community was a meaningful milestone in my early career. During this period, I also conducted IT training programs for organizations such as the Election Commission and ITIs . These engagements helped me refine my ability to communicate complex technical ideas to diverse and senior audiences.

The Entrepreneurial Chapter

Along the way, I co-founded a small startup with friends. While it was short-lived due to limited experience at the time, the journey offered practical lessons in decision-making, ownership, and resilience-lessons no textbook could have taught.

The Tech Deep Dive: From Isolation to Impact

My journey then moved fully into the software industry. I experienced both the intensity and isolation of early startup life, including a phase of working independently for a US-based social media platform-mostly from Lucknow and sometimes from my hometown in Ayodhya. Working in isolation with limited resources reinforced an important lesson early on: long-term professional growth depends as much on collaboration and community as it does on individual effort.

Seeking broader exposure and tougher challenges, I moved to Navi Mumbai . The early years there were demanding-adapting to a new city, higher expectations, and a fast-paced work environment was not easy. Working closely with my mentor during this phase pushed me beyond my comfort zone. Those years tested discipline, resilience, and consistency, but they also helped me develop a strong fighting spirit and professional maturity. I remain grateful for that phase and the guidance that shaped my approach to work. Kishan Parekh

This momentum later continued in Gurgaon , where I contributed to large-scale IoT projects for corporate and government clients.

Learning at Scale Through Government Systems

Working on government projects became an important phase in my professional growth, offering exposure to real-world scale, complexity, and responsibility-where systems were expected to work reliably under pressure.

One such experience was UPSDM (Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission) , a large-scale skill development initiative for the Government of Uttar Pradesh. At an early stage, the application faced significant challenges-performance bottlenecks, frequent crashes under load, duplicate data entries, and operational pressure from active users. Navigating these issues taught me how to stay calm under pressure, diagnose problems systematically, and stabilize systems while they were already in use.

Another defining project was with Konkan Railway , where I worked on developing an integrated intranet portal. Being the sole web developer on the project brought a unique level of responsibility-from requirement understanding to implementation and delivery. That experience strengthened my ownership mindset and sharpened my ability to design systems that were both practical and reliable.

The m-Sehat project offered a very different but equally valuable learning curve. It provided firsthand exposure to how ground-level health workers operate and the constraints they face. Designing a mobile application that could function effectively in low or no network conditions , especially in rural areas, challenged me to think beyond ideal environments and focus on resilience, usability, and continuity of service.

Together, these experiences reinforced a critical lesson: technology is only meaningful when it works in the real world, under real constraints, for real users.

Growth Through Teams and Collaboration

While mentors were vital in shaping my path, a significant part of my growth came from the people I worked alongside. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to interview, collaborate with, and learn from several talented engineers whose curiosity, discipline, and problem-solving skills consistently raised the bar.

In Navi Mumbai , and Aditya Achar joined my team as freshers and quickly demonstrated strong potential through their learning mindset, curiosity, and commitment to quality. Over time, they grew into reliable and capable programmers, taking ownership of complex tasks and delivering consistently. In Gurugram , working with Krunal Chahawala , , and further reinforced the value of discipline, consistency, and technical depth in execution. More recently, in Hyderabad, collaborating with Jitender Singh has been a powerful reminder of the fresh energy and perspective that strong young talent brings to a team. Each of them brought a strong problem-solving approach and a sense of ownership that positively influenced the team's overall quality and pace. Nitin Maurya Aakash Varshney Hruday Varma Dantuluri

Collaborating with such individuals across different phases of my career strengthened my belief that meaningful growth is rarely individual-it is shaped by people who challenge you and raise the bar around you. While it isn't possible to name everyone-and I sincerely apologize to those I haven't mentioned-these experiences have strengthened my belief that growth is rarely an individual pursuit. It is shaped by the people who challenge you, support you, and push you to think better every day.

Finding Purpose in Innovation and Leadership

Today, I am part of one of India's leading HVAC organizations, working at the intersection of IoT and Machine Learning . This phase of my career has been about broadening perspective while continuing to deepen technical expertise.

During this phase, working closely with Mane San helped me develop a clearer understanding of leadership, product ownership, and long-term thinking.

Looking back, the lab work, teaching, scientific seminars, startup efforts, and late nights spent writing were not detours-they were the building blocks that shaped the professional I am today.

A Message to the Next Generation

To students and early-career professionals, especially those starting in smaller cities:

• Your starting point is not your destination: A lack of initial exposure is a temporary hurdle, not a permanent ceiling.
• Dare to outgrow your role: If you stop learning, you stop growing. Have the courage to pivot when a role no longer challenges you.
• Master the "Intersection": Don't just be a specialist; look for where different fields meet. Unique opportunities are found at the intersection of diverse disciplines.
• Be a "Knowledge Sponge": Seek out experienced professionals wherever you go. Mentorship is the fastest way to bridge the gap between theory and high-level execution.
• Solve Problems, Not Titles: The world eventually stops looking at your degree and starts looking at the impact you create and the problems you solve.

The journey is long. Keep improving. Keep learning. And never stop moving forward.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.