Every year, over 15 lakh engineering students graduate but only a small percentage possess the desired skills to be employable. Students are often constrained to take up jobs that are below their technical qualifications or are unrelated to their education or degree. The mismatch between the curriculum at universities and the industry requirements is a primary factor for this circumstance. However, in today’s changing times, employers are laying greater emphasis on skills versus educational backgrounds. The story of Falak Thackar, from being a college dropout to a successful engineer, is a classic example of how having the right skills outweighs professional degrees.
Falak comes from a humble family in Pune, Maharashtra. Her journey started during her 1st year of BCA degree programme. She travelled 1.5 hours each day only to spend 3 hours in a classroom where she felt she learnt nothing different from what could be learnt staying at home. Most of her days were spent in the college canteen, waiting for the next class to begin. It was at this stage that she decided to leave college altogether and look for options that would help her develop the skills for a successful career. She came across an advertisement for Masai School and decided to sit for the entrance test, learning about its career-focused training and the Income Sharing Agreement model. After passing the test, Falak made the decision to drop out of college to give her full focus at Masai School.
The Income-Sharing Agreement (ISA) at Masai School enables students to enroll in the coding programs without having to pay any upfront tuition fee. Masai School follows a military-style 9–9–6 training model that is challenging and keeps the students engaged and motivated throughout the program.
Expressing her gratitude, Falak Thackar said, “My experience at Masai School was wonderful. I’m extremely grateful to Masai School, specifically the commitment of all my teachers and the support staff to ensure that I succeed by hand-holding me all the way through. I gained all the knowledge and the values to build strong skills and professional character. Masai pushed me out of my comfort zone, transforming me into a more disciplined and self-aware person. The depth, pattern and intensity of teaching that is followed at Masai School is unmatched in India. Today, I have begun my journey as a Software Developer at a startup in Bangalore and I look forward to my journey ahead.”
Prateek Shukla, CEO & Co-founder, Masai School said, “Learning a new skill requires personal commitment and determination. Today, companies who are hiring are giving equal or in some cases more weightage to aspirants having relevant job skills, versus a plain educational degree. The need for constant skilling and upskilling is prevalent in the industry. There are several courses available to help students do so, however, there exists a huge fee structure which many can’t afford. To solve this challenge, Masai School follows the Income-Sharing Agreement (ISA)-based education model. The ISA at Masai School enables students to enrol in the coding programs without having to pay any upfront tuition fee. Only after they find a job that pays them above Rs. 5 LPA, would Masai activate monthly ISA payments, capped at 15 percent of monthly income for a maximum of 36 months. We strongly believe that any aspiring software developer should be able to choose their careers over having to compromise upon them.”
At present, Masai School has graduated 400+ students across 14 batches, with a placement rate of over 92% and an average CTC of INR 7.5 LPA. The company has enabled student placements with more than 700 of its hiring partners which include the likes of top tech and product companies such as NoBroker, ShareChat, Paytm, Samsung, Airmeet, Meesho, among many others.
Currently, courses in Web Development & UI/UX Design are offered by Masai School, and Data Analytics, Product Management and more programs will be launched over the next few months. Masai School’s coding programs and the ISA model have helped many students achieve their IT dreams.