It's All About Interest

They say potential is a baseline, but for me, it was always a moving target. Growing up in a middle-class family in Kochi - the “Queen of the Arabian Sea” - my teachers often told me I had potential. Looking back, I realize that potential was always tied to one thing: my interest. If I wasn’t interested, I didn’t perform.

I’m a quick learner, but I’ll be honest - I didn’t do well in my studies. I regret that now. I ended up with a Bachelor’s in Computer Applications (BSc Computer Applications) and a background in Higher Secondary that I still can’t quite justify. My parents were incredibly supportive, never forcing a specific path on me and giving me the freedom to study what I wanted. I just don’t think I utilized that freedom well at the time.

I’ve always loved “tech,” but back then, I didn’t love Computer Science. Programming felt like a wall I couldn’t climb. By the time graduation rolled around, I was convinced a career in IT wasn’t for me.

The Creative Detour

Lost and looking for excitement, I found video editing. I dreamt of becoming a film editor. I poured myself into it, working with ad agencies and eventually landing a role in the promotions for a Malayalam movie. It was a dream come true until reality hit: the industry was financially unstable and the work was inconsistent. Given my family situation, I couldn’t afford to wait for the next big break.

A year after graduation, I was back at square one.

The Turning Point

This time, something changed. I stopped watching editing tutorials and started watching the basics of programming. But I didn’t just watch; I put in the effort to actually understand the concepts. I realized then that it wasn’t as impossible as I’d once thought.

Web development was the spark. To get serious, I stepped out of my comfort zone and enrolled in a 6-month MERN stack course at Luminar Technolab. That experience pushed me to seek higher education abroad. Since I had a three-year degree and modest grades, a Master’s wasn’t an option, but I found my place at SAIT in Calgary, pursuing a diploma in Software Development.

The AI Era

Then, the game changed again. AI arrived.

I don’t believe AI will replace software developers, but it will certainly thin the herd. The market was already competitive; now, it’s a battlefield. It’s enough to make anyone anxious. However, tools like Cursor and VS Code have shown me that while AI agents are brilliant at writing code, they still need a human to guide the “why” and the “how.”

This shift is pushing me to look beyond just syntax. I’m focusing more on system design and the logic of problem-solving. AI will help us build, but humans will still be the ones defining the solution.

My journey has been a series of pivots, but they’ve all led me here. I’m curious to see what will catch my interest next.

N.B: I’m not a good writer, so I’ve used AI to enhance the fluency and clarity of my original thoughts.