From University to Razorpay
The year 2021 was a whirlwind for everyone; we were no longer fresh into the pandemic, neither were we quite out of it. It was a year modeled after the changes that the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus had introduced. The pandemic uprooted almost everyone from their normal lives and sent them from the normal world, a world of face-to-face and offline interactions, to masks and having to continue the work that you normally did through a computer screen.
Quarantine was a sudden new way of life, and though it was full of its own hardships, for a University student like myself, it had its upsides when I realized I was able to do all my assignments and project work from the comfort of my own home, in my own bed. Besides, I had bigger problems other than not being able to enjoy the great outdoors — I was in the final year of my engineering degree. I would much rather worry about project reviews and exams that could make or break my final grade, or better yet, getting placed at a good company, if at all! Going through four grueling years of classes, projects, assignments, and exams, not to mention the money my parents had invested in me, needed to be justified with good placement.
Placements were a confusing, rushed vortex of trying to study all of what was covered in the four years of engineering, and for a non-Computer Science graduate like me, the added obligatory computer science subjects that weren’t a part of our syllabus only added to the insurmountable list of things that I needed to know. It was during this time that I realized there was so much about the professional life that lay ahead of me that was out of my control — there weren’t many jobs for the core Electronics and Communication domain, the majority of the job profiles were either for software development or testing, which I wasn’t very sure about, and the rest were completely non-technical roles which did not align with what I wanted to do.
This meant, if I went with the flow of my placements department, I would either end up in an entirely software-based role or a non-technical role that would render all my knowledge from engineering useless. And as the months passed, what I had once feared came into being; although I had landed an internship in a well-established company, and although my parents were extremely proud of me, I was left feeling uneasy with the software development role that I had been assigned to.
I couldn’t see myself in a job role solely restricted to coding, but I was a fresher with very few options, which all seemed bleak at best. I had no experience to back me up and a placements department that saw me as placed and hence, not applicable to sit for more companies. I was on my own to figure this out, on my own to carve out the rest of my life, the life that for the first time, stepped away from being a student, which was all I had ever known.
And that’s when it hit me — that’s right, I was on my own! Which meant it didn’t have to matter what people around me thought I should do, and it didn’t matter if everyone else thought the safe and so better thing would be to continue with the internship that I had. This was a decision that was going to impact my life, my future, and my profession. So it was going to be up to me to figure out what I was going to do about it and what steps I’d have to take to change this.
So I decided to go on the hunt for a job that better suited what I wanted to do. I applied for off-campus drives on my own, did my own research, studied the different job profiles to make sure the roles I was applying to were ones where I would not only get to use my technical knowledge but also be given the opportunity to develop other skills and interests. A role that I would enjoy and help me shape the kind of future I wanted for myself.
Enter — Razorpay. I noticed an opening for the role of Solutions Engineer, a role that was a bridge between the products of Razorpay, technical engineering, and merchants. It was a role diverse enough to incorporate different areas of a job — it wasn’t one where I was limited to a single technical or non-technical responsibility.
It was a role that gave me access to understanding the entire product suite of the payment gateway that Razorpay provided. I would be learning the ins and the outs of it all — from the inner workings of the codes and APIs to business problem statements and solutions.
I would get to understand the use-cases of each of the products and attain the technical knowledge to know how to implement them for my merchants. Every project would give me the opportunity to experience the technical, business, product, and sales aspects of an engagement. In short, it sounded like the perfect role for me.
And now, one month later, I can attest to it is not just something I’m able to do simply because I’ve got to, or have to do simply because I’ve ought to, but it’s something I enjoy doing because I want to.
My role as a Solutions Engineer isn’t rigid or stagnant, it’s adaptable and diverse — one that allows me to explore different aspects of engineering whether it’s coding, troubleshooting, debugging, or analyzing. It’s a position that allows me to wear different hats and explore on my own which path is the best one. I’ve already got to learn far more about APIs, SDKs, front-end development, and the real-time implementation of codes than I ever did in the entirety of my engineering. I have deep insight into how various types of businesses work with Razorpay; how each of their unique use-cases maps to different products that Razorpay has to offer, and how to suggest the perfect solution to our client that best suits their needs.
Due credit must be given to my colleagues for the great experience I’ve had with Razorpay. The environment created by the Razorpay team has been extremely supportive and welcoming. Interactions among teams are always vibrant and insightful. At Razorpay, out-of-the-box ideas and innovation are always encouraged and celebrated. Not to mention, being part of such a young and energetic crowd at my workplace has made sure that I don’t ever feel out of place.
With only one month in and the only way forward, I know what lays ahead is just the beginning of things that I’ll learn and accomplish in a position I’m proud of, a team that I can rely on, and a company that will continue to grow while I too strive to constantly better myself and challenge the status quo.
