Like millions of other high school graduates, I had a dream to pursue my undergraduate studies in Computer Science from a top university abroad. With a belief that only there would I able to learn well and accomplish my goals.
No. This isn’t about an acceptance from my dream university. It’s different. Though I’m still upset about not getting the opportunity to apply to even one, I’m blessed with among the most beautiful phrases in existence “Oh.. How lucky you are!”
Ending up studying my field of interest in a semi-known university where a must-have coding culture was absent, I hadn’t ever imagined in the wildest of my dreams that I would get to hear this uncountable times.
So, what led to all this?
On 16th September 2016, my university’s alumni hosted a workshop on Python programming language, Linux, and Kivy. It was about 2 months since I had joined as a freshman. It was their attempt to introduce their university’s current students with Open Source culture and revive their tech club, ALiAS, which is the reason for their success in their field of interest. This is where I started learning the art of ‘giving back’ and how it is a ladder to success.
Initially, there was an interactive hands-on session on Linux, introduction to Python, followed by a workshop in Kivy, a cross-platform Python framework on NUI development. This is when I started to realize that I really do love computers and technology and received an answer to the question I would ask myself in every Computer Science class in high school while writing some mundane, repetitive code which is, “Is this all that I’ll do in Computer Science?”
Later, all of us encircled the alumni to hear their stories on how the club started and their memories associated with it.
They were funny, inspiring and answered my question.
I knew that my love was proved true for hacking, that is, to tinker a technology or programmable systems to explore it in-depth and hence modify it for enjoyment and enhance its current capabilities (not cracking).
Now, I had an urge to learn more. To learn everything that I could. I didn’t want any question or circumstance to stop my journey before starting.
Meetups and the revival of ASET ALiAS.
I found a way through the tunnel and attended the first meetup (since revival) of ILUG-Delhi (India Linux user group). Then, soon started attending PyDelhi and LinuxChix India (upon revival) meetups. These two user groups acquainted me with many helpful and friendly geeks experienced in the Tech industry. They have and still guide me all way long and help me solve problems whenever stuck. Tech talks are the core of these meetups. They can be on anything, software applications, OS, hardware or a particular domain. The talks and the people let you know the tech industry more intimately. These communities encourage the growth and development of one and all!
How lucky I am!?
People congratulate me for getting to know about these user groups this early every time I attend a meetup, which they wish they had. This has blessed my ears with the phrase “Oh..How lucky you are!” and its loveliness increases every single time!
Yes, I am lucky. Yet I believe, this 'luck' isn't because of my one or many coincidental presence to be at the right place on the right time. I believe it's a process of the hard work that I have entailed over the years of my learning that aid me in making righteous choices that lead to experiences like this.
Disclaimer: This post is a sneak peak into how I started understanding what luck means to the society I live in as well as the interpretation of the subject. This sense of luck is not at all universal. By this statement, I imply that you, my fellow reader, can experience a totally different situation and still feel as lucky or probably more! It all shall come down to doing your thing, your way and enjoying it to the fullest. Above everything for me, the process of hard work that leads one to do what they love is when they really get lucky.
Hail, ASET ALiAS
PS: These meetups inspired me to help in reviving ALiAS. I met my teammate-cum-buddies here with whom I work on tech projects and practice the joy of giving!
