Recap - 2024

Rewind 2024

2024 was a year full of firsts, trials, and setbacks. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was a year of learning, of real growth—both painful and rewarding. I almost didn’t write this post. After all, nothing about this year was impeccable. But out of respect for the tradition I’ve created, here we are.

January began with a personal motto: skip my G1 slot and head to IIT BHU for a hackathon. Ironically, I ended up not having the G1 class at all, and I got to skip F1’s Computer Architecture CAT. It turned out to be the perfect way to understand the depth of the subject and its true value. A strange but happy accident.

That same month, however, I faced disappointment when my scholarship application for the HPAIR Harvard Conference was rejected. It stung, especially since getting into such a prestigious conference felt like a milestone. Yet, the connection I made with fellow delegates became my first real taste of international collaboration, and for that, I’ll always be grateful.

February brought a surprising twist. I was at Varanasi on the same day I thought I'd be at Harvard, had I got the scholarship. The selection, planning and the decision to bunk all happened at once, and somehow I was out of the city like I had planned. Just not the way I imagined it to be. Despite my initial disappointment, Varanasi ended up being the highlight of my year. There’s something magical about the city, about being present without any haunting thoughts of the past or the future. It's a unique experience to share with friends, blending joy, solitude, spirituality, and camaraderie into one unforgettable trip.

May marked an academic achievement I hadn’t anticipated: my friend and I published a paper on computer architecture at the AIIOT Conference at VIT Vellore. Our preparation was different from anything we’d done before, but working under the guidance of my professor was both humbling and rewarding. I also had the honour of representing our ACMW chapter at the ACMW International Summit.

Then came the summer, which didn’t go as planned. For the first time in years, I just existed—didn’t push myself or work relentlessly. I turned 20 and realized I was on the verge of a new phase in life, one that wasn’t defined by definitive goals that I’d been so accustomed to.

The internship season hit harder than expected. Microsoft was the first company to shortlist me, but I faltered under pressure. I didn’t perform well. Then came a significant opportunity: Amazon’s SDE 1 6-month internship assessment. I cleared the early rounds, but the final interview clashed with my CAT exams. That balance was impossible, and once the interview ended, I knew I hadn’t made it. The rejection came a week later, and it knocked me harder than I expected. It set off a chain of self-doubt. After a similar experience with LinkedIn off-campus rounds, I couldn’t find the energy to push myself further. For two months, I did nothing. I gave up. It’s not something I’m proud of, but I needed to hit rock bottom before I could climb back up.

Soon after, an unexpected opportunity with Samsung Prism reignited my spark. I got back into a rhythm, gradually rebuilding my consistency. I also got into the Udacity and AWS AI & ML Scholarship program and began picking up where I’d left off in my studies. My mentor’s support during this time has been invaluable in helping me find my consistency again.

November saw another hackathon—Amazon’s Smbhav. I teamed up with some friends, and while we didn’t make it to the finals, advancing to the prototyping phase was enough to break the rut I had fallen into. That excitement of collaboration and creation was exactly what I needed to remind myself that failure isn’t the end. It’s just a step. I also had the amazing opportunity to attend Business Today's 50th anniversary International conference online. 

In December, I took a brief trip out of the city, a much-needed break from everything that had been going on in the background. During those months of interviews and rejections, I had been a different person—more withdrawn, and more frustrated. But being away for a while helped me reconnect with myself.

Looking back, rejection was my biggest challenge this year. I’ve failed before—on stage, at quizzes—but this was different. When your future feels like it hinges on a single opportunity, failure can feel personal, even crushing. Motivational speeches and podcasts don’t help in the moment; they only make you feel worse. The only way out is through. And once you’ve gone through it, it doesn’t hurt as much the next time.

If there’s one thing I’m incredibly grateful for, it’s the support I’ve received from my parents and close friends. I wasn’t easy to be around during my low points, but they stuck with me, showing me that even in the face of failure, I wasn’t alone.

Final Thoughts

2024 wasn’t flawless, but it was full of lessons. I’ve learned to be kinder to myself, to keep going even when things get tough and—most importantly—not to be a cat on the wall. Stay grounded. Keep moving forward. The rest will follow.