From studying under lanterns in a remote village to working at Microsoft, Santosh Mishra has come a long way – and he’s raring to do more. Mishra, a software development engineer at Microsoft, opened up about his journey in an interview with Humans of Bombay.
He revealed that growing up, he was called “murkh” (fool) because no matter how hard he tried, he ended up failing in school. “The words and numbers looked like gibberish to me. Everyone would say, ‘Isse kuch nahi hoga’ (he can’t be helped),” Mishra told Humans of Bombay.
Perhaps convinced that his son would not fare well in school, Mishra’s father told him to start learning how to farm when he was in Class 9. The teenager would help out in the family farm during the day and study at night.
“Our village was in a remote area, we hardly had electricity. I’d study under a lantern. I hated it,” he confessed. But Mishra did not give up studying – a decision that changed the route his life took.
When he was 14, a teacher noticed Mishra’s issues and took extra time to help him. “It was because of him & my hard work that I passed 10th,” he said.
Once he completed 10th grade, everyone around him assumed he would take up farming, but Mishra wanted to study further. He convinced his family to send him to Patna, but the transition from a remote village to a bustling city brought challenges greater than what Mishra had expected.
“In the city, all my dreams came crashing down; city life was difficult. Somehow, I cleared my 12th. After failing my exam, I moved back home & worked in the khet (farm) again,” said Mishra.
Despite working as a farmer, Mishra continued his education on the side through a distance learning course. He then got admission into NIT for a Master’s degree and moved to Tiruchirappalli, where again he had to contend with the challenges that come with living in a city – foremost among them being his inability to converse fluently in English.
“People bullied me for my weak English. But I focused on myself–I read books, watched movies & taught myself English. Life got easier after that, because now, I had the confidence to sit for the interviews,” Mishra revealed.
During campus placements, he was hired but received the lowest package in his batch. Demoralised but undeterred, he continued to work hard until, a year and a half later, he got another job with a massive hike.
Mishra’s success story did not end there, although to him it was a dream come true. Last year, he got a job offer from Microsoft, again with an impressive hike in salary.
“Life got better–I renovated my family home, invested in real estate, and even got 2 of my younger sisters married,” he said.
Mishra ended the interview with some inspiring words. “Aage bahut kuch karunga, kyunki woh kehte hai na, koshish karne walo ki haar nahi hoti (I plan to do a lot more with my life, because those who try never fail),” he said.
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