September 12, 14:00Aaj Tak

B.Tech Student Secures Internship Worth 4.5 Lakhs After Unusual Request

A technical education student who completed an internship as an iOS developer at Revolut's office in Dubai shared on a podcast how he achieved this goal. Previously, he had gained the opportunity to study at the Apple Developer Academy in Bali and interned at Dubai Islamic Bank.

During a trip to the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh for Diwali celebrations, he met a girl named Ishka at a hostel in Bir Billing. This girl was also vacationing there and worked at Revolut. Since Irfan was already looking for remote work opportunities abroad, he asked Ishka for a recommendation without hesitation.

In the podcast, which he discussed with Vaibhav Kanda in May 2026, Irfan recounted joking by asking Ishka if he could get a recommendation. A twist then occurred: Ishka resigned from Revolut immediately after the trip ended, but she asked her friend at the company to recommend Irfan, which opened the door for him to get the job. Thanks to this recommendation, he was included in the hiring process.

However, getting the job was not an easy path. Irfan emphasized that a recommendation is not a shortcut. The recommendation helped him pass the initial resume screening and receive a link to an online assessment, but all subsequent selection stages had to be completed independently.

The first serious challenge was the HackerRank test. Irfan noted that he did not engage in deep preparation for DSA (Data Structures and Algorithms) like many engineers do. Instead, he focused on SwiftUI, developing and running iOS applications. He managed to solve data structure questions in SQL and Python thanks to his prior programming knowledge.

Next, he had to conduct live coding, demonstrating his skills in Xcode, as his AI-based coding tools were disabled. Revolut in Spain assessed not only his ability to solve coding problems but also how he functioned as a senior iOS developer. He quickly realized that Revolut was evaluating his understanding of Swift and SwiftUI.

The interview was not simple. Irfan admitted that he did not know the answers to all the questions asked. Nevertheless, between the screening and the technical interview, he spent about three days intensively studying a book on Swift, which helped him successfully pass the technical round and move on to the HR round.

Preparing for the HR interview also required effort. Even after successfully passing the technical interview, Irfan did not consider the job guaranteed. He researched the experiences of previous candidates, spoke with former interns, and prepared answers to behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

He practiced answering questions related to dispute resolution, problem-solving, and his previous internship experience. Subsequently, as he reported on the podcast, the long-awaited offer letter arrived. According to him, the compensation discussed during the interview was around 4.2 lakhs per month.

Irfan believes that his technical abilities were only part of the success. He has created numerous iOS applications, worked with clients, interned at Dubai Islamic Bank, and strengthened his skills in SwiftUI. Furthermore, he holds a degree from NIT Jalandhar, has public speaking experience, and received the Princess Diana Award. However, he constantly emphasizes another crucial skill—communication. He added in the conversation that a person might be the smartest, but if they cannot articulate their thoughts clearly and politely, people may not grasp their true capabilities.

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www.aajtak.inSeptember 12, 15:27

After setbacks in JEE and rejection from IIT, Arjun Jain became a professor after 14 years

In 2001, Arjun Jain arrived at the JEE exam in his classmate's father's car, accompanied by a security guard. However, he realized that the exam results could not be changed by special privileges, and he noted his experience in a LinkedIn post.

He shared that he was only able to answer a few questions in the examination hall, which immediately showed him a very low level of preparation. For two years, Jain focused all his efforts on preparing for the JEE, giving up hockey, quizzes, and debates. When his JEE performance was unsatisfactory, he planned to continue his preparation in Kota, but his family's financial situation did not allow it. Therefore, he enrolled in computer science studies at RV College of Engineering in Bangalore, and this decision became a turning point in his life.

At RV College, Jain did not limit himself to studying computer science only within his group; he actively sought knowledge outside of the curriculum. He took research papers from IEEE journals and began studying this field independently. After a year, he decided to retake the JEE directly from his hostel room. This time, he achieved a rank of 3363 and secured a spot in IIT. However, a snag arose: he was offered a position in petrochemical engineering at IIT-BHU, which he declined.

The reason for the refusal was that he had already completed a one-year course in computer science and did not want to start over in a field that did not interest him. He decided to finish his degree at RV College. For him, starting over would mean additional time and money spent on studies that would not excite him. Ultimately, this decision moved him away from the IIT he once dreamed of attending.

Jain's journey did not stop there. He obtained a PhD in Computer Science from Saarland University. Following this, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Courant Institute at New York University (NYU). At NYU, he worked on research related to deep learning and human pose recognition. He collaborated with researchers such as Yann LeCun and Chris Bregler. His work was presented at major conferences, including ICLR, NeurIPS, and CVPR.

The results of his research found application in industry, leading to the creation of the company Perceptive Code. Later, Mercedes acquired the intellectual property of this company. After this, Jain's career continued at Apple, where in 2015 he worked as a senior researcher in the Project Titan team, focusing on computer vision and sensor systems for vehicles, including driver and passenger monitoring technologies.

However, an event occurred in 2016 that may have touched him deeply. Approximately 14 years after his first JEE attempt, Jain began working at IIT Bombay as an assistant professor. He felt the irony of fate: he was called by IIT Bombay not for an appointment to any position, but for teaching. Now he was teaching students computer vision, taking an exam in which he himself had failed to succeed.

For many years, Jain taught at IIT Bombay and mentored two postgraduate students. One of these students, Rishab Dabral, later became a professor and group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, where Jain was interning. In his post, Jain noted how striking this similarity was: his student teaches where he studied, and he taught where he could not study. Today, Jain is the founder and chief scientist of Fast Code AI, working in both academia and AI research.

iol.co.zaSeptember 12, 14:00

South Durban Youth to Participate in Career Day for Educational and Employment Opportunities

The Career Day event aims to open doors for young people from South Durban to opportunities in education, training, entrepreneurship, and employment, helping them see a future beyond the challenges faced by their communities.

The initiative is organized by the Brighton Beach SAPS CPF Community Youth Forum in collaboration with the Spiritual Crime Prevention Forum. It will take place on September 24th from 9:00 AM to noon at the Wentworth Youth Development Centre in Jacobs.

It is expected that between 300 and 500 young people will attend, including students from areas such as Bluff, Merebank, and Wentworth. Confirmed schools include Durban Academy, Grosvenor Boys, Grosvenor Girls, Bluff Christian Academy, and Kenmont School, though the list may be supplemented.

Youth Leadership

The idea for the event arose during conversations with youth while recruiting for the Youth Forum, noted Senior Pastor and Spiritual Crime Chairman Malcolm Nair. He pointed out that many young people are uncertain about choosing courses for the next year or their desired career path.

During the event, students will be able to interact directly with higher education institutions, businesses, training organizations, NGOs, and other stakeholders. Presentations and information booths will provide guidance on course selection, qualifications, career paths, and post-school opportunities.

However, for Nair, this initiative goes beyond simple career counseling. He emphasized that the Youth and Spiritual Forums are preventive in nature. The main goal is to actively counter social problems such as crime and gangsterism, which are unfortunately prevalent in some areas of South Durban.

Organizers plan to provide practical assistance, as poverty and financial pressure can make further education inaccessible for many families. Specifically, a workshop on applying through the Central Admissions Office (CAO) will be held. The local NGO Community Fathers will also participate, running a project that allows sponsors to cover CAO application fees for needy young people.

Scholarships, funding, internship programs, and entrepreneurial opportunities will also be presented, offering youth various paths depending on their circumstances and aspirations. Nair hopes that the event will change the youth's perception of their own capabilities, considering it successful if a young person leaves with the conviction that they have options, and their circumstances should not dictate their future.

Career Day is planned to become an annual initiative. Nair cited the example of a young person who lost both parents but maintained focus through mentorship and community support. A local businessman eventually sponsored his education, which helped him start his own business. In Nair's view, the essence of Career Day is creating opportunities, changing mindsets, and giving youth hope that their future can be different.

Malcolm Nair

Malcolm Nair, Senior Pastor of Family Trinity Church and Spiritual Crime Chairman, is actively involved in promoting the initiative aimed at expanding access for South Durban youth to career opportunities, education, and practical support. Nair asserts that the ultimate goal of Career Day is to 'create opportunities, change mindsets, and give youth hope that their future can be different.'