My Journey
From a Small Village to a Big Dream: My Journey
Hi, I’m Imtiyaz,
I was born into a humble middle-class family in a small village. There was no high school in my village, so I walked 6 kilometers daily—back and forth—to a nearby village just to attend school. After completing my high school, I moved to a small town for senior secondary education, and later to a nearby city for graduation.
For a middle-class boy like me, even going to a city felt like a big dream. And that dream came true when I enrolled in a BCA program. My elder brother had hoped I’d become a doctor, but due to financial constraints, we had to settle for a path we barely understood at the time. In fact, we were so unsure about BCA that I also pursued a BA in parallel—just to be safe.
But when I completed my BCA, I was lost. I had no plan. No direction.
Yet, I believe that when you truly want something from the heart, the universe begins to guide you. I wanted to pursue MCA, but again, money became a barrier. So, with the help of a friend, I moved to Delhi—another dream for me. There, we decided to enroll in an M.Sc. (CS) correspondence course and took up part-time jobs to survive.
Believe it or not, I completed my BCA without ever owning a computer. Even during my dot net course in Delhi, I couldn’t practice due to the lack of a machine. Eventually, after some part-time work, we saved enough to buy our first computer. My friend was learning PHP and MySQL, and I joined him. That decision changed everything.
I dove deep into PHP and MySQL, learning day and night. Within 3 months, I mastered CRUD operations and fell in love with programming. My passion was born.
Then came my first interview—with 197 Communications, now known as Paytm. I solved 7 out of 10 questions but couldn’t complete the 3 programming ones. I still remember the HR’s words:
“You did well, Imtiyaz, but I can’t offer you the job because you didn’t attempt any of the programming questions.”
I wasn’t disappointed—I was hopeful. I was just one step away. That moment gave me the belief that my journey was about to begin.
My struggles didn’t end there. I didn’t speak fluent English. I used to call for job opportunities from STD booths using numbers from newspaper ads. I traveled in overcrowded Blue Line buses, often pushed around by rude conductors. Many times, I got lost searching for interview addresses.
Still, the dream of becoming a tech leader burned in me. After endless interviews, I finally landed my first job—for ₹2,500 per month. Yes, just ₹2.5k! That job came after facing countless rejections—but every rejection built my strength and resilience.
With my first salary, I bought a Motorola phone—an unforgettable moment of joy. That feeling, when you earn and buy something for yourself, is indescribable.
As I grew in my career, reporting to TLs (Team Leads), I dreamt of becoming one myself—then a Manager, Director, even VP. And I kept going. Yes, I made mistakes—starting with a low salary, sticking too long with one technology, staying in the same company for years, lacking guidance. I fell often, faced corporate politics, and struggled—but I always stood up with confidence and courage.
And guess what?
I turned all those dreams into reality.
I served as a Senior Technology Leader and became a published author of Startup Journey: How to Build, Grow, and Scale a Product?
From a village boy walking miles to school to becoming a senor tech leader and author—the journey was never easy. But I made it, because I dared to dream and worked relentlessly to make it real.
Most people start their careers without a dream, without goals—and that’s why they end up with random outcomes.
If you want meaningful results, start with a dream.
This is just a glimpse of my journey.
If you feel inspired, want to chat more, or wish to learn from my experiences, I’d love to connect.
Just say hi on social media—I’m just one message away.