Priya Sharma

Contributor

priya@demo.com

CS student who failed her first coding interview and turned it into her biggest growth moment.

Stories

Stories by Priya Sharma

The Group Project That Taught Me Leadership

In my final semester, we had a capstone project worth 40% of our grade. Our team of five couldn't agree on anything — two people wanted to build an app, one wanted a research paper, and the last guy just didn't show up to meetings. I was frustrated but decided someone had to step up. I called a meeting, laid out everyone's strengths, and proposed we combine ideas into a research-backed prototype. It meant more work for everyone, but each person got to contribute their best skill. The guy who never showed up? Turns out he was dealing with family issues and felt too ashamed to explain. When I reached out privately, he opened up and became our most committed member for the final stretch. We ended up getting the highest grade in the class. But the real win wasn't the grade — it was learning that leadership isn't about being the loudest voice. It's about listening, adapting, and creating space for people to do their best work. Sometimes the person holding the team back just needs someone to ask: 'Hey, are you okay?'

by Priya Sharma

Failure

I Failed My First Coding Interview — And It Changed Everything

I spent two months preparing for my first tech interview at a well-known company. I practiced hundreds of LeetCode problems, watched YouTube tutorials, and felt ready. Then the interview happened. The interviewer asked me a graph traversal problem, and my mind went completely blank. I stumbled through a brute-force approach that didn't even compile. I got rejected the same evening. For weeks, I felt like I wasn't cut out for CS. I stopped coding entirely. Then one day, my roommate showed me her rejection emails — she had 14 of them before landing her first internship. That moment shifted something in me. I realized failure wasn't a verdict, it was data. I went back to the basics, focused on understanding concepts instead of memorizing solutions, and started doing mock interviews with friends. Three months later, I cleared interviews at two companies. The rejection taught me more than any acceptance ever could: preparation without understanding is just performance, and real growth starts where comfort ends.

by Priya Sharma