A fourth-year Computer Science Engineering (CSE) GITAM student in Vizag, Priyanka Nair, has landed her dream job of working with the Adobe Technical Team as their Software Development Engineer. She joined Adobe in May 2021, for a 10-week internship opportunity and converted it into a Pre-Placement Offer (PPO).
Priyanka has been an achiever student at GITAM, getting above 9 points CGPAs every semester. She has received the highest Cost To Company (CTC) package of Rs. 52. 92 lakh per annum (40.92 LPA + 12 lakh worth of benefits) from Adobe. Yo! Vizag got in touch with her and asked about her emotions at receiving such a whopping package. “I have not been a topper all my life. I scored 78 percent in my higher secondary school exams. It was only in my under graduation that I wanted to prove my steel and began to study sincerely,” says Priyanka.
While everyone thinks getting a good CGPA is a doorway to getting placed and receiving high packages, Priyanka unmasks the myth. “CGPA or marks support your candidature but need not always be the reason for landing desired job roles. CGPA gives a student the minimum eligibility and once qualified, it’s the technical know-how and communication skills of the student that eventually pave the way.”
She further elucidates by saying, “To be very frank, I was not very well-versed with coding until my second year of college. It was the extra and co-curricular activities at GITAM, like the GITAM Game Developing Workshop and Virtual Reality elective, that ignited the desire in me to focus on acquiring practical knowledge instead of only bookish knowledge. In fact, it was these workshops and gaming projects I mentioned in my CV that directed my entire one-hour interview.”
Priyanka realised the need for her to have practical knowledge at GITAM as a student and knew that she had to get back to the basics to crack any interview. “My interview preparation was a process I wasn’t aware of. From the English classes of Ravi Kumar Sir, his Just A Minute (JAM) and group discussions in class to the mock interviews conducted by GITAM Career Guidance Centre before every placement session, all compounded and contributed to my preparations. They largely improved my communication skills. On the technical know-how front, I referred to various websites like LeatCode, HackerRank, and PrepBytes. These platforms were very useful as they have a lot of solving material and multiple-choice questions (MCQs) that aid practical absorption of the subject.”
GITAM Placement Drive
According to Priyanka, the placement drive at GITAM Vizag has been rewarding for several years now. A lot of mock interviews and group discussions are performed on the campus to recreate the interview environment. Companies from all over the world come to pick talent from GITAM every year. “Before joining GITAM for my under graduation, I knew a senior student from GITAM who got into Microsoft. My parents wanted me to follow that senior’s footsteps and hence enrolled me in GITAM too,” she added.
Finally, with everything through and one more year left at college, Priyanka Nair is thankful to the faculty, and management at GITAM, as well as the mentors, and managers at Adobe, for their ever helping contributions in her journey.
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