I'm Ahrarul Haque, an SDE at Amazon, and this is my Scaler Academy review!

I don’t come from a very well-off family. I hail from a small village on the outskirts of Bihar, and my father is a farmer. Being the eldest of five children, there was always that added responsibility of working hard enough to ensure a brighter future for the entire family. Considering the obvious lack of opportunities, it was decided very early that I’d live and study in Delhi with my uncle’s family.

During my third year, a senior who had been placed at Microsoft already, guided me and one of the resources he told me about was InterviewBit. In fact, I had a 200-day streak on the platform and still go back sometimes to practice! So, when Scaler Academy (then InterviewBit Academy) came along, I was one of the first few to enroll for the program.

Abhimanyu sir personally called me to inform me about my selection. I was delighted to get the opportunity to learn from industry professionals directly. What really stood out to me was that while I was solving problems even before that, the thinking process and approach was what changed. It literally changed the way I go about these things.

Sometimes, you know how to operate a sword but don’t know how to be a warrior. That’s what Scaler Academy did for me. I won’t say I am a warrior now, but I have the confidence and courage to tread along that journey. I was told that even if I’m unable to solve something, keep at it. The never-give-up attitude came from there.

From Vivekanand sir’s classes to my mentor Shivendra Pratap Singh, a lot of people guided us at Scaler. As a mentor, Shivendra sir was fantastic. From understanding my skill sets, what I was lacking to helping me get better in those areas to reach my full potential, every single session was fulfilling.

Today, I am at a good place and as someone who belongs to the kind of background I do, it is a very proud feeling for everyone in the family. And Scaler has had a big role to play in that.