Reality Check - The Unexpected Jolt

14th April, 2025

1. The Interview Blow

Yesterday, I faced one of the most embarrassing moments in a tech interview. The interviewer opened my GitHub and gave me a blunt observation:

🗣 "Lagta hai tum kam code karte ho"

I looked at my profile later — only 55 contributions this year 😭. It hit me hard. It didn’t matter how many hours I spent learning, building privately, or experimenting. What mattered was what was visible.

2. Freezing on the Spot

After the GitHub moment, he asked a basic question — to name some LLM models. I’ve studied this stuff. Worked on it. Yet in that very moment, I froze.

🗣 "I'm not able to recall" 😭

I knew the answers — GPT, BERT, LLaMA, Mistral — but my mind was blank. Anxiety took over, and the silence in the room felt louder than anything.

3. The Downward Spiral

As soon as the interview ended, I started spiraling. I kept thinking about everything I did wrong. My aura was turning completely negative 🫠. I felt like saying:

"Khatam, tata, bye bye."

It felt like I wasn't cut out for this — that maybe I'm not good enough despite the efforts.

4. What the Graph Doesn’t Show

The GitHub graph doesn’t show the nights I stayed awake debugging models, the private repositories I’ve built, or the Udemy courses I’ve completed. It doesn’t reflect growth — it reflects visibility.

That’s when I realized I need to show up more — not just learn in the shadows.

5. Lessons Learned

This experience was tough, but it was a needed wake-up call. Here’s what I’m doing next:

  • Push even small code updates to GitHub consistently
  • Keep my learning public through projects and blogs
  • Be prepared for fundamental questions
  • Keep my mental calm even during tough interviews

I know now that perception matters. What people can see often weighs more than what they can't.

6. The Mindset Shift

I may have fumbled in that interview, but I won’t let that define my journey. Every rejection, every awkward moment, every forgotten answer — it all adds up to a comeback story.

I'm still learning, still growing, and still here — more committed than ever.

The grind continues.
The spark isn't gone — it's just being re-lit 🔥.