For many students, balancing college studies with preparing for job searches and securing employment at a good company is a challenging task that requires significant effort. Typically, students rely on campus programs or apply through job search portals. However, one engineer chose a different path.
Instead of applying for vacancies, he and his friend developed an artificial intelligence-powered video editing tool. This project attracted about 13 thousand users, which caught the attention of a startup founder. Furthermore, a targeted email campaign within a single round helped him secure a second job offer within a week.
Sharing his experience on the Reddit platform, the student revealed that he received his first two major job offers while still in his third year of college. It all started about two years ago when he began working on creating an AI video editor with his friend. Although the product was not fully ready and contained several flaws, both friends eventually stopped working on it because they could not scale the business. Nevertheless, their tool managed to attract around 13 thousand users.
According to the student, shortly after launching the product, the startup founder noticed their work on X. This founder himself was involved in developing similar products. He liked the student's experience, which proved useful for his company's work, and offered him a remote position. The annual salary for this offer was approximately 50 lakh rupees. The student noted that he did not even have a finished resume at that time; the opportunity was obtained based on his own product and acquired experience, meaning he did not go through the traditional hiring process or apply through portals.
The student received another job offer, but it required office attendance, which did not align with his desire to balance work and study. Therefore, he decided to look for opportunities elsewhere. Instead of sending out standard applications to hundreds of companies, he focused on finding startups whose activities and interests matched his own. He compiled a list of about 30 such startups and contacted their founders directly via email, detailing his project and experience. The student reported that 13 out of 30 companies responded, and within a week, he received another offer. This offer was from a startup associated with Y Combinator, and the annual package was also estimated at around 50 lakh rupees.
Based on his experience, the student advised other engineers not to limit themselves only to applying through portals. He suggests choosing one area of interest and creating a project that can be demonstrated to a potential company. He also emphasized that instead of mass-mailing generic emails, one should identify about 30 companies whose work aligns with their skills and approach the founders or relevant personnel in each company individually.
The student explained that candidates should better prepare their skills for a few selected companies rather than trying to be somewhat suitable for many. He illustrated this with an example comparing '95 percent match versus 60 percent match.'
The student also mentioned that he is working on a project called Backdoor. This is an AI agent designed to help people create and send personalized emails for startups. His story demonstrates that even a project created during college can open up new career horizons. Although his video editor did not become a successful business, the experience of creating and promoting it among 13 thousand users proved useful in his job search.
Although this is the student's personal experience, it cannot be claimed that every student will receive a 50 lakh offer in the same way. However, it clearly shows that demonstrating one's skills through a project and presenting one's work to the right companies can be beneficial in a job search.
This student's experience occurred during a time when the tech industry is reassessing the necessary skills for engineering graduates. Artificial intelligence is accelerating many coding and software development tasks, while companies are looking for people who can create and provide products using these tools. However, the growing use of AI is also creating uncertainty regarding traditional tech jobs.
