-Sarfaraz Iraqui
After a lot of ups and downs I finally got admission in K J Somaiya College of Engineering (Autonomous) in First Year of the four year B.Tech Program. On the first day at college, I realised the gigantic campus is not just huge in the area but also huge in resources. Seniors are helpful and motivating. Most of my seniors were involved in extra activities along with studies. My seniors have established campus companies, few are hosting technical workshops, many volunteer for events while some are busy with internship. Here is a small glimpse of my start of a Startup as a campus company in Software Engineering.

My Biggest Opportunity in Software Engineering

Somaiya is indeed a land of opportunities. One of these opportunities came disguised as MakerMela – a nationwide event hosted by SomaiyaVidyavihar. Most of my classmates volunteered for publicising MakerMela event. MakerMela is a platform for people who have the Do-it-yourself or Do-it-with-others attitude.  Anyone can participate in MakerMela as a ‘maker’, who can make something innovative or teach what they know. Everything needed for exhibitions and workshops was provided by MakerMela. I, being a tech geek, decided to conduct a workshop named ‘Android Keeda’. The name clearly depicts my craze for android operating system. Playing with firmwares is my hobby. I have repaired many ‘bricked’ phones. Rooting, installing custom ROMs, modifying phone firmwares, are my daily appetite.  Most android users are completely unaware of these terms. All these are basically a way to increase the functionality of android device.

‘Android Keeda’ workshop was my attempt to educate android fans about these skills. I conducted two 3-hour workshops on 10th and 11th October. I was provided with a computer lab by MakerMela for conducting the workshop. MakerMela helped me in doing all the registrations for the workshop. I faced many challenges, being an FE was the biggest downside as participants think an FE cannot conduct such a workshop – but I was confident of my skills. The other challenge was doing it alone. All my friends were busy publicising MakerMela.  So there was no one to assist me at the workshop. Unexpectedly,  my workshop received highest registrations than any other workshop at MakerMela. Students from RAIT, Sakec, Don Bosco, SwamiVivekanand and of course from my own college participated in my workshop.

Overall Experience

Day 1 of the workshop wasn’t very satisfying for my attendees. I was dissatisfied with my work too. I soon realised my mistakes and prepared myself better for the second day of the workshop. Day 2 of Android Keeda was a great success! Attendees learnt all the ‘flashing’ skills I wanted to teach them. It was an unforgettable experience for me. I have plans to convert Android Keeda into a campus company in Software Engineering. I want to build my own Operating System,  AndroidKeeda is probably the first step towards it.