My name is Devendra Ummidisetti. I am a final year postgraduate student at ISTTM College in Hyderabad whose life recently changed for the better because of ETOE. But before I tell you how it has changed, let me tell you a little bit about my past.

I hail from a very poor background where it has always been challenging to make ends meet. My father is a hardworking employee of the Indian postal services, and my mother is a homemaker.

My parents were always supportive of me and my education. After completing my graduation, I decided to pursue my CA. I put in my heart and soul to prepare for the exams. However, even after all the efforts and sacrifices, I failed. That was a low point in my life.

I would have loved to give another attempt like most other CA aspirants, but my economical background would not permit that.

I knew that I needed to pursue my higher studies if I wanted a good job with a decent package, but I couldn’t afford the fees. So, after a lot of thinking, I decided to go for an education loan.

This was a huge risk I had taken with the support of my family in anticipation to give a better life to my parents.

Little did I know it was not going to be easy, another nightmare struck me in the form of the Corona Virus.

Suddenly everything was shut; people were locked in, and I was asked to switch to digital learning. Here I was, a student already tensed about the loan, and now being asked to invest in gadgets to be able to continue with digital studies.

My financial problems forced me to work as a substitute in the branch post office from October 2020 to April 2021.

Before I could secure a permanent job, we were hit with the second wave of Covid19, and all placement activities were shut. I was devastated and worried. I again got to thinking of how I would repay my loan, and what it would cost me if I were unable to pay it.

Just when I was losing all hope, my college partnered with ETOE, an EdTech startup company that is committed to solving the unemployability problem among graduating students by providing a unique ETOE ARCADE training program and placements.

I attended ETOE ARCADE PROGRAM, and it was an exemplary program. We gained so much knowledge and insights while having so much fun. I learned how to face the interviews with confidence and developed my soft skills such as communication skills etc.

After about 2 weeks, I got an opportunity from ETOE for Spandana Spoorthy Financial Ltd. I succeeded in all the rounds of interviews with the guidance of the team at ETOE, and finally got placed. The company was great, and the package is even better, they offered me 6.8 LPA.

Words cannot describe how happy I am. I can now clear off my loans sooner and I will also be able to support my family. I couldn’t be more thankful to ETOE and my college for partnering with ETOE for our placements. ETOE really does live by its name, Education to Employment.

Thank you so much ETOE.