This is the next segment of our blog series highlighting Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors who achieved the Gold milestone and have recently graduated from university. Each blog in the series features a different student and highlights their accomplishments, their experience with the Student Ambassadors community, and what they’re up to now.
Today we meet Aditya Oberai who is from India and recently graduated from Amity University, Noida with a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering.
Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
When you joined the Student Ambassador community in September 2019, did you have specific goals you wanted to reach, such as a particular skill or quality?
Honestly, I just entered the program because it sounded really cool to be a part of a Microsoft initiative. I had no idea what it meant to be a part of a community at this point. The program however, was so much more giving than I could have expected. It allowed me to grow personally and professionally by providing me with access to technical knowledge, insightful mentors, and some wonderful peers. Whether I talk about my technical expertise or community experiences, it all started with the program.
What were the accomplishments that you’re the proudest of and why?
In 2020, I started collaborating with two fellow Ambassadors on a project called CodeCapture that aimed to enable access to programming learning in places where computers were not easily accessible by bridging the gap between pen-and-paper coding and mobile phones. We successfully built this out to the point where we were selected as the National Winner in the Education category at Imagine Cup 2021.
However, my biggest win was that CodeCapture was accepted by Code.org to be featured in the Hour of Code 2020, one of the world's largest computer science education movements with activity in over 180 countries. The Hour of Code gave me my start in the world of computer science and programming during its first edition back in 2013 as that was my first exposure to computer science. Through CodeCapture and Hour of Code, my teammates and I were able to directly work with 250+ school and college students in India and impact many more indirectly. To be able to come full circle in such a manner and give back to people through the initiative that gave me my start in the tech world will always be something I’ll remain grateful for.
What are you doing now that you’ve graduated?
I have formally started my career in Developer Relations as a Developer Advocate at Appwrite, an open-source Backend-as-a-Service platform. I joined Appwrite part-time in September 2021 and went full-time in February 2022. I do plan to continue my career in Developer Relations for the foreseeable future, and in the meantime, I’m thoroughly enjoying supporting communities, building initiatives, and working in open source.
If you could redo your time with the Student Ambassadors’ community, is there anything you would have done differently?
If I’m honest, I would not do anything differently. Everything I did in the program, every achievement I earned, every opportunity I lost, and every friend I made got me to where I am today. And I am very happy with where I am today. If doing something differently would mean a different outcome for me today, no matter whether it could be better, I really don’t want that. It isn’t to say that I did not have my ups and downs in the program due to hurdles in my journey that I had to cross, but I don’t have any regrets.
If you were to describe the community to a student who is interested in joining, what would you say about it to convince him or her to join?
The Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors community is one of the few student-focused initiatives that aims to enable the growth of participating individuals and actually succeeds in doing so. It allows access to upskilling on various fronts (technical and beyond) and places you in a global community of like-minded individuals who are accessible with just a single message. It’s definitely an opportunity worth aspiring for, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Student Ambassadors with Global Program Director Pablo Veramendi
What advice would you give to new Student Ambassadors?
Entering the Student Ambassador program is the beginning of a (potentially) very beautiful journey. Please don’t let this be the ceiling of your aims in this community. Participate as much as you can, learn as much as you can, and give back as much as you can.
And while credentials of this sort will always remain with you, please know that there is a difference between earning respect and earning an audience. The former must be driven by depth of knowledge and quality of work, but the latter may not be. Please let your following be a consequence of your work, not vice versa. Prioritizing your work input for your own perceived growth path rather than the world’s expectations will give you a better growth trajectory and a more content life.
Do you have a motto in life, a guiding principle that drives you?
I strongly believe that you control your effort and work, but the world controls your reputation. So, focus on the former, and the latter will handle itself.
What is one random fact few people know about you?
In high school, I led two 5-day trekking expeditions to Dodital and Kedarnath in the Himalayas with 6 and 5-member trekking parties. Definitely two of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had!
We wish you the best of luck, Aditya!
Readers, you can find Aditya on Twitter, LinkedIn, his newsletter, and his personal website