Can only IITians dream to get into companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft?

Less than 5% of the million engineers graduating each year come from IITs. Does this imply that the remaining 95% of people do not attain their ideal jobs? Does it mean that only students from IITs get into companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft?

A 21-year-old non-IITian from Mumbai received a stunning 1.2 crore job offer from Google. Abdullah Khan, a student at Shree LR Tiwari Engineering College in Mumbai, was invited for an interview by Google based on a profile on a website that hosts competitive programming challenges. What distinguished him from the IITians? His PROFILE! He was a computer enthusiast who competed in over 150 coding competitions. Google discovered his profile on one of these coding platforms.

The era of Programmers Market!

The story of Abdullah Khan may inspire many Non-IITians who aspire to get into tech giants. Many like Khan have proved the notion that you need not have a degree from IITs to get into these companies.

Get a Job in Google, Apple And Meta With These Programming Languages

The job market has changed significantly in the past decade. The number of job prospects significantly outnumbered the number of persons pumped out of these premier universities. Organisations began seeking for the next generation of talent from other institutions, with the intention of recruiting and training. Such alumni took advantage of it to the utmost, which eventually elevated the prestige of such schools, propelling them to become great universities in their own right. In short, IITs are not producing enough computer science graduates. There are several opportunities, and there is a high demand for programmers.

Big firms are seeking diversity in their workforce

The importance of diversity cannot be overstated. Almost all organisations would prefer to recruit 20-40 engineers from 20 different institutions rather than 30 from the same campus, even if the students are of the same quality.

When you go shopping, you don't purchase ten of the same brand of clothing. Hiring from several schools broadens the company's talent pool. It also allows businesses to connect with a wider student population. The idea of "best engineer" is no longer relevant. "Right engineer" is a new notion.

A more efficient approach is now being tried by businesses! Most notable are hiring challenges, which allow applicants to compete while being evaluated in some of the most significant job skills, thereby helping to democratise the hiring process. Naming a few, Walmart recently hired 100+ female coders from 51,053 registrations via CodeHers, Uber followed the process by recruiting engineering students and working professionals from all corners of the country through Uber HackTag, Flipkart maintains its legacy by organizing Flipkart GRiD and Girls-Wanna-Code, and many more.

Non-IITians who made it to Google, Microsoft and other Tech Giants

1. Nadella’s legacy nurtured at a Non-IIT

Satya Nadella's example demonstrates that you don't have to be an IITian to make a difference in the world. The man in charge of Microsoft, a multibillion-dollar corporation, earned his B.Tech from a relatively humble Manipal Institute of Technology. He was in charge of the company's computing platforms, developer tools, and cloud computing services before becoming CEO. He began his career at Sun Microsystems before moving on to Microsoft as a Program Manager while pursuing an MBA. He worked in many divisions ranging from Xbox to Bing to cloud and services (one of the most profitable divisions of the company).

2. Durgesh Kaushik: The man who led Facebook and Snapchat Marketing

Durgesh Kaushik is Wishfie's co-founder and CEO, who has done his B.Tech from the National Institute of Technology, Delhi. Durgesh has served as the head for Facebook's online marketing throughout Europe and the Asia Pacific and is now a well-known digital marketing guru. He was previously the CMO of BHIVE Workspace, the Marketing Head of Silicon Valley-based InfoStretch, and the DGM of Reliance Jio as part of the Jio Young Leadership programme. 

3. Anudeep Nekkanti, the Global finalist at International Collegiate Programming Contest

Anudeep Nekkanti completed his BTech from a private institute in Vizag and has become an inspiration for many young people who were unable to gain admission to the top-tier IITs. He is now employed at Google in Mountain View, California. In addition, he was a global finalist in the International Collegiate Programming Contest, which is an algorithmic programming competition for college students. Despite the fact that his degree from a private college made the way harder, Anudeep's abilities, hard effort, and never-say-die attitude led him to his desired goal. 

4. Khan Abdullah, The Non-IITians who got a direct interview from Google

Khan Abdullah Mohammed Aslam, an engineering student from Mumbai's Shree LR Tiwari College of Engineering, earned his dream job at Google. He has been employed with a salary of Rs 1.2 crore per year and posed at Google's London headquarters. Khan had engaged in some online programming contests on a website, and Google discovered him there, and he earned the significant stake. After a couple of rounds of online interviews, he was invited to a final screening at Google's London branch.

5. Pranav Mistry, The guy behind SAMSUNG GALAXY GEARS

Pranav Mistry, a SAMSUNG employee. He is Samsung's Global Senior Vice President of Research and the leader of Think Tank. The guy behind SAMSUNG GALAXY GEARS and many more Samsung ventures. He is not a graduate of any IIT or NIT. He graduated from a two-tier institution in India. Nonetheless, he made it to one of the top firms. He received his master's degree from IIT and his PhD from MIT.

This shows how dream firms seek out enthusiastic individuals. One must put in the necessary effort and rigour in the appropriate direction. A candidate will also need to upskill to match the job description. How do we proceed? We've got you covered there. Having said that, IIT / NIT / BITS still have a high concentration of talent, and this is unlikely to alter in the foreseeable future. The sheer density of these institutions makes visiting and recruiting from them economically practical. At the end of the day, businesses want their work done. They don't give a hoot whether the individual executing the work is the most qualified.

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