My Journey
Today I want to share my journey, how I am holding a Degree in Medical science and a Degree in Information Technology, where I wasn’t even got the chance to be a science student at first in my school life.
To make it easy to understand the context, I have to mention some details. In Bangladesh, S.S.C. (Secondary School Certificate), H.S.C. (Higher Secondary Certificate) is the public examination taken by the students of school level and intermediate level. The marking method for these exams is the Grading system(GPA). The significance of the GPA points is, the total GPA of S.S.C. and H.S.C. adds to every Bachelor level admission test score. So the student who gets a GPA of 5 in both S.S.C. and H.S.C. has a better chance to get admitted to a gov. funded Medical college or Engineering college or any other university for doing Bachelor's degree. It explains why the GPA score is so important.
Back in 2003, my S.S.C time frame
In our school system when a class of students moves to grade 9, the school authority selects students depending on their final exam score of grade 8. Students cannot choose if they want to study science or arts or commerse. If the student has a good score on most of all the subjects (especially science and math) they get selected for science. And only the science faculty students have the options to choose if they want to stay in science class or want to move to anything else. The Arts and Commerce students do not have the freedom to choose science faculty. So it is very stressful for average level students and they need to work really hard to get selected for the science faculty.
I was in class 9 and didn’t get selected to attend the science section because of my poor mark on few subjects including social science, religion, literature, and grammar. I was sent to commerce class, it felt like a nightmare. I felt like I could die if I can't get to study science. Luckily that year my school held a special exam for us to join the science faculty. We got a chance to attend the science class with others just so we can prepare for that exam. It felt strange to join the class. The uncertainty of whether I will pass or not was crushing me inside every day. I remember, I borrowed the science books from a senior of my school so I can prepare for that exam. I studied hard like getting a chance in science was the last thing I want in my life. I passed that exam. The next day I went to my science class with the confidence that I earned my position in the science faculty after failing to get selected by the random exams.
My H.S.C time frame
H.S.C time frame: I got a GPA of 4.88 on my S.S.C. exam out of a GPA of 5. I wanted to die that day after the devastating result. I know it doesn’t look like that by the GPA score. 4.88 is not that bad. But the problem was, the GPA was being counted strictly to get admission to few remarkable elite colleges. I stayed in the college of my old school cause I wasn’t approved by any of those elite colleges because of my GPA of 4.88. And my parents were devasted for that. I want to mention here, most of the parents in our country feel so proud in the society if their kids get the chance to study in the greatest institutions of the country. I stopped unnecessary talking to everyone. Getting a GPA of 5 on H.S.C. was my do or die target. School to home to private tutors home that was my life. Detached from the world for two years. I got a GPA of 5. Everybody was happy. I remember my Zoology teacher said one day to me that I can do anything I want. I can be anything I want. I just need the right person to guide me. I felt so good that day. With proper appreciation from the right person, people can make anything possible.
2007, M.B.B.S time frame
I got admitted to one of the gov. funded medical colleges in Bangladesh. My family cried in the joy that day I remember. I was like “ Yeah, I have done everything..everyone is happy. Now I will just chill man.” But my private tutor came and gave me my general math and higher math book, told me to prepare for the engineering admission test. I remember he told me “You will regret one day if you don't take the engineering admission now. Listen to me, take the exam.” I didn't want to believe him. I thought I will be a doctor anyway. why will I regret that? So what if I like math, physics, and biology equally! I didn’t take that exam. I started my medical life journey far away from my family for the first time. It was a lot to take in a single shot. Surprisingly I started to feel different in my medical solo life. I started to fail constantly on my professional exams. I passed my first professional exam on the third attempt. I passed my second professional exam on the fourth attempt. I passed my final professional exam on 3rd attempt. I saw all my batchmates pass and start their life as a professional. I got enough time to think about life, relations, realities. It came to my realization that only those who suffer the pain understands it. I had no other options in my hand but to study hard and get out of the medical campus.
I passed and headed for the new chapter of my life.
My new Life: 2015, Time frame of Diploma of I.T.
I left the life of Bangladesh behind, started my new life in Australia in 2015 with my new family.
Having a decent maternal time with the kid, not starting professional life, is not good for a medical person in our perspective. Lots of pressure from the family I left behind. I gained 30kgs of extra weight. I faced body-shaming from people. No people started to take me for granted. I could feel the ignorance of people very strongly. I was in a serious depression for long 3 years. Then I decided, I need to stop waiting for people to grant me. I need to stop trying to please others. That vase approval has a hole in it, will never be filled by anything no matter how hard I try. I can't make others happy. I have to make myself happy. I cannot live for others. I have to live for myself. I decided to change my old life. All of it.
In 2017, I started to crochet to control my concentration level. I started gardening to regain my confidence. Started to draw Human portrait to learn to dive deep inside myself.
In 2018, I started to learn to make animated videos with Udemy to bring myself back to something serious.
In 2019, I started to learn HTML, CSS following a book. Also, I started to learn Ruby following Udemy.
I joined Codewars. Playing around with the katas, solving problems, thinkings about finding the logic all took me back to my old life when I enjoyed mathematics. All those feelings of the past that I lost over the time I spend in medical started to come back. My kid started to go to the childcare so I started to spend my whole day solving kata( kata are real code challenges. These are focused on improving skill and technique by training with programming fundamentals, complex problem solving) with Ruby(programing language). I got upgraded from 8 kyu(kyu is the number of degrees away from master level) to 4kyu on Codewars. I saw myself go up on the leaderboard. Gathering all the courage, I started to prepare myself for changing my carrier pathway officially. I started to follow peoples in Tech, Founders, CEOs, on Linkedin, Twitter. I started to read more.
In 2020, I started my Bootcamp at Coder Academy. Today in 2021, I have finished my Diploma of I.T. and I have got a great opportunity with a great company to do my internship as a Software Engineer.
Every situation I have faced, every people I have met to come to at this point in my life has taught me something important. I have the whole control of my life to choose who I want to be and I have no regrets. I believe anyone can fulfill their dream if they have their heart and soul in the right place. That’s the core inspiration to guide us every time we get frustrated by the speed we are moving forward or sometimes, not moving at all. We are free to dream big.
Being a Software engineer from a Medical practitioner is not an easy job and I knew that. A person needs to be the persistent one to make anything happen. And It's ok to feel vulnerable. As long as I have my perseverance, I can reach the right place where I want to be because time doesn’t matter if the path is right.
