I went up to ladder from being an average student to NIT Alumnus.

I always used to be a backbencher, a below-average student who scored below 65% in every possible exam or test. My teachers used to ignore and abuse me for my performance. I realized that people would respect only those who study well. After the 9th standard, I decided to be dedicated to my studies to achieve good marks and respect. I put in all my efforts and emerged topper of my school in 10th Boards.

The journey from an average Student to Awarded NIT Alumnus

I dreamt of pursuing BBA after my 12th class. But then, a few of my relatives and close family friends mocked me in front of my father, saying the only reason I was not pursuing engineering is that I’m afraid of mathematics. Again, I decided to prove those people wrong. I worked hard for 4.5 months and cracked JEE Mains, and got into NIT Nagaland.

While preparing to get into NIT/IIT, I almost studied for around 8 to 10 hours, thinking that I can become CEO of a company and earn millions one day. So with this enthusiasm, I had only one common goal that is IIT JEE. So after clearing JEE mains(Bit happy), I started preparing for Advance- failed miserably(bit disappointed). My Friends with good marks got into top NIT’s. I ended up in the northeast NIT.

Shiva Mittapalli – with his parents

Though I did not get into a dream college, I never gave up on my goals. I got bored of programming during the initial stage of my Engineering, started exploring other options, failed miserably in a few subjects. Still, no backlog though, I slowly improved my communication skills and my confidence and aptitude skills. 

With this, I had an opportunity to represent my NIT in inter NIT Conclave (A debate competition throughout all the NIT’s) at NIT Rourkela in 2016 and NIT Silchar 2017. All my batch mates were busy applying for training programs during their summer holidays soon after the second year of Engineering. I thought of getting some practical work experience, so I started applying for different paid internships. But I was only greeted with these statements; ‘not selected for Oyo Rooms,’ ‘not selected for Drone, ’ & so on. Every rejection from another Company made me stronger.

After a series of rejections from almost 400 companies, I finally got an internship that paid around 20,000 per month. With this internship experience, I had an opportunity to get into a few more promising companies.

Later in the third year of Engineering, my friends got Internships at IIT, and a few of them went to France, the US, on student exchange programs. I was looked down upon by them for not getting into top universities for internships. But I had other plans in my mind. I wanted to do something massive this time, something of my own. I improved my Digital marketing knowledge, and then I started my own business in the same segment. During this time, I started exploring Quora and answering questions which made me popular with almost 5 Million views and 4,000 followers.

While my business was going well, I got an opportunity to participate in Startup India Nagaland Yatra, a platform that encourages innovative business ideas. So I designed my business idea in just three months and got awarded as best business idea award from the government of Nagaland. I had a few investors who wanted to invest in my idea on the spot but were rejected because I wanted to do it independently and patent it. It was the first time my photo was in the newspaper.

At the moment, I was admitted to one of the best universities globally, the University of Parma, Italy, for a Master’s degree in Communication Engineering. Still, due to the present COVID -19 pandemic, I am carefully weighing my options.

In this journey, I have become confident, intelligent, fit, and my smile more vibrant. I learned how to tackle my problems effectively.

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