Tanay Pratap

Are you tired of trying & failing to secure a government job? 

You're not alone. With only a 3% success rate, the odds are stacked against you.

2.5 crore students appear for government exams every year but only 7.5 Lakh qualify.

Why do you feel people go for government exams?

I have my own hypothesis but I would like to know yours too.

Founder @invactHQ | x @Microsoft | Fixing education | Tweets: Tech, Education, Career, and Startups.

Attention software engineers!

Want to increase your chances of landing your dream job?

According to a survey conducted by Indeed, 61% of hiring managers consider a candidate's portfolio and projects as the most important factor in the hiring decision.

This means that having strong projects can make all the difference in getting noticed and ultimately getting hired.

But what makes a good project?

Join the Twitter Space discussion tomorrow to know more about how a good project can help you to crack a software engineering job.

The don'ts of college life: How to make the most of your college experience?

Avoiding typical blunders can help you optimize your college experience and put yourself up for success.

Knowing the don'ts of college life is as important as knowing the dos.

A thread 🧵

1/ Don't ignore your academics.

CGPA is not the only deciding factor, but it can be a game-changer for your dream job.

Don't limit your options unless you're already killing it w/ a successful startup or coding like a pro.

Don't let low grades close doors to your ideal career.

2/ Don't ignore your fitness.

College is the perfect time to cultivate a healthy lifestyle, and sports are the perfect way to stay active while building new skills.

Growing intellectually and personally should be the main focus in college.

This habit of fitness not only benefits your health but also creates valuable networking opportunities for life after college.

Don't make the mistake of neglecting your health in college.

3/ Don't be friends with the wrong people.

Avoid groups that only party or indulge in endless entertainment. Instead, seek out groups focused on creativity, and are self-motivated.

Your college friends can make or break your future.

Join those who share an interest in activities like robotics, programming, or entrepreneurship.

As the saying goes, 'Sangat Se Gun Aat Hai, Sangat Se Gun Jaat' (You become like the company you keep).

Choose Your Friends Wisely.

4/ Don't waste your time.

College is a time to spread your wings and embrace newfound freedom, but don't let it turn into a waste of time. 

Enjoy parties, movies, and series, but be mindful of your priorities. 

Strike a balance between fun and productivity.

5/ Don't ignore your finances

It's easy to get caught up in the latest trends & waste on unnecessary gadgets.

When you start earning, you'll be able to reward yourself with all the things you've been eyeing.

Until then, be mindful of your spending & avoid unnecessary expenses.

Remember, the money you have is limited, so be mindful of your expenses and avoid unnecessary impulsive purchases.

Don't let your college life become a financial burden on your family.

Instead, use it as an opportunity to develop a financial discipline.

Tl;dr 

- Don't ignore your academics.
- Don't ignore your fitness.
- Don't be friends with the wrong people. 
- Don't waste your time.
- Don't ignore your finances.

That’s a wrap. If you like the thread: 

- RT the first tweet and share it with your network. 
- Follow @tanaypratap for more insightful threads. 

Thanks for reading.

Where do I find a person who loves to do research and go deep into a topic? 

Need one. Paid gig. DM me with your previously published deep research work.

Topics I have in mind: Education, Ed Tech, Government exams, etc.

Did it hurt? When someone experienced in the Network Security domain called you out as a script kiddie?

Many 18YOs today find it cool to call themselves "ethical hackers". 

Ask them when was the last time anyone paid them to do any sort of "ethical hacking"? https://t.co/guZ8022MKV

Not many people know this about me, but for the first 3 years of my career, I have handled the network and security for Cypress APAC region. 

I was part of a special three-people team across the globe to manage Cypress's (a billion-dollar public company's) network security.

2/

At 22, I wrote a SPEC on WiFi and WiFi Security that was the first for WiFi in the company's history. They had a unique document management system, and internally that doc must still be there.

From evaluating vendors, to configuring firewalls, to managing NOC team, 

3/ https://t.co/6U7fkDGCkM

I have done it all. I have lived that life. And I know that I was lucky to get there. 

To be part of a 3 people team globally. To get that interview, I had to sacrifice so many jobs in college. 

I didn't sit for Microsoft then, even though I was good at programing.

4/

I have been a programmer since 15YO. I knew I would crack a software engineering job if I sat for it. 

But the problem was college rules: you get one job, and you can't sit for placements anymore.

So, I skipped. My friends kept getting jobs, and I sat aside waiting for 

5/

...someone to come and hire me for the Network Security job, the ethical hacking job I was waiting for.

Companies came, and I asked every HR/Recruiter, do you hire for my dream job? The answer was NO.

Then Cypress came, and I got one chance, and I got in

6/

They weren't prepared to hire me for my dream role. They said, "If you're really good, clear our software rounds first, and then we'll interview you for the InfoSec role." So, I did. Cleared SE rounds.

They had to call their team online from the US to interview me further.

7/

Why am I sharing this?

Because the dream of an "ethical hacker" is alluring. I bought into that dream and bet my career on it. I was super good at engineering and exceptional at understanding networks.

Still, it was a matter of luck to get that job.

8/

Don't fall for the ethical hacking BS.

There aren't good jobs. Most of the jobs are NOC team jobs, basically configuring routers and maintaining the network.

And trust me, that "ethical hacking" workshop/bootcamp that you just did, it's not gonna get you a job.

9/

This guy was all the rage when we were in college. He was selling the "ethical hacking" dream to the masses. Charging 1000-5000rs for his workshop. 

Thankfully, he got exposed later.

But you can find someone like him. A new avatar. Selling the same old dream.

10/ https://t.co/SQhg3XgIve

And listen, read about law of averages. If enough people want to make a career in a domain, some (despite their backgrounds) will make it. 

You will find that one person. Aspirational being. In the case of making a career in Cyber Security field, I am that person, but

11/

there are no repeatable process

And this is why I am vocal against these things. With my range and following, I need to talk about processes that will work for 99% of programming aspirants.

I need to be empathetic to the needs of many.

12/

If I talk about what has worked just for the 1% -- the AI, the web3, the ethical hacking, etc. then people will fail at scale. 

And I can't have that on my soul. So, throw stones at me all you want, but I will always talk about what works at scale.

13/

And that is programming...

Do web dev, do android, do iOS, do flutter, do Python, do RN. If you really want it, then do DSA or even the backend. Do things that scale your career.

And stay away from these marketing gimmicks. 

End.

Want to write code like a top-level engineer? Here's how. 

A thread 🧵

1/ Gain insight from master's craft by reviewing their code on open-source repos.

There's nothing inherently special about the code written by top-level engineers at companies like Microsoft and Meta.

You can easily access their code through repositories like VSCode and React.

2/ Code quality cannot be achieved overnight.

You must put in persistent effort to write better code.

Effortless code? No such thing. Quality takes time. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

3/ Constantly challenge yourself.

Whenever you come across a problem, code it and then ask yourself if there's a better way to solve it.

Keep optimizing and improving your skills, and you'll see results over time.

4/ Don't be afraid to ask for help or feedback.

No one knows everything, so seek guidance from your seniors when needed.

It's a natural part of learning. Just be sure to learn from them and move forward.

Embrace feedback and mistakes as opportunities to improve.

5/ Lastly, continuously strive for improvement.

Never stop learning and improving. There's always something new to learn in the field of software engineering.

Master the art of software engineering through a never-ending pursuit of learning and growth.

Tl;dr

- Review open-source repositories.
- Code quality cannot be achieved overnight. 
- Constantly challenge yourself. 
- Don't be afraid to ask for help or feedback. 
- Continuously strive for improvement.

That’s a wrap. 

If you like the thread: 

- RT the first tweet and share it with your network. 
- Follow @tanaypratap for more insightful threads. 

Thanks for reading

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