If you had told me a few years ago that I’d leave behind architecture to write code and build software, I wouldn’t have believed you. But here I am—an architect turned developer, and I’ve never felt more aligned with my purpose.

The reason I got into software engineering was largely influenced by the seniors and societies in my college. Initially, I worked as a graphic designer in one of the societies, where I met many B.Tech seniors who were into freelancing and startups. My curiosity and interest in building digital products started from there. Like many architects, I was drawn to the field because I loved designing, problem-solving, and creating spaces that people could interact with. I soon realized that there were more things I could do beyond just following my academics.

With guidance from my seniors, I started learning UI/UX design and created a few case studies. My first internship was at one of my senior’s freelance agencies, where I learned a lot about design, digital products, and how to collaborate with developers. After that, I began freelancing on my own and successfully delivered a few projects. At that point, I got a contract to work with a freelance developer. While working together, we faced several issues related to design, layout, and animations. He advised me to learn the basics of programming so that our collaboration—and the quality of the designs—could improve. During that project, I began learning JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. That experience opened up a whole new world for me. For the first time, I had the power to convert my Figma designs into actual, working products. That curiosity led me deeper into the world of building digital products.

To build my own product, I started learning technologies like React and Node.js for the backend through YouTube. But at that point, I started to feel the lack of structured learning and mentorship. That’s when I joined a course led by Harkirat Singh and became part of his web development cohort. Most of my learning happened there. I built projects involving real-time communication using WebSockets, met many developers and senior engineers, and even got my first internship opportunity as a front-end developer through that community.

In that community, I met some senior developers who were working on a startup called InsightPing, focused on building an internal Slack productivity tool for companies. At the time, they were looking for a front-end developer who could handle both design and development. That opportunity led me to where I am now—currently one of the founding engineers at InsightPing, where I primarily take care of the frontend, handling both design and development of the user interface.

Leaving architecture wasn’t a conscious decision made overnight. It was a gradual shift, shaped by the extracurricular activities I took part in during college—like working as a UI/UX designer in a student agency and taking up freelance projects. Personally, I believe college is the best place to experiment and take risks that can lead to unexpected, unfair advantages. I never strongly associated myself with architecture; I simply followed my curiosity—and that curiosity kept evolving.