Story 2: Travelling 5 hours everyday to learn PLC Programming

In the Indo-Swiss Training Center, I was thrilled to start a new chapter in my life 😉. I got a bicycle 🚴‍♂️ to ride to my training, feeling on top of the world after scoring well in the entrance exam. 🌟

However, things were quite different at the institute. The teachers were strict, and ragging from seniors was a common occurrence. I still remember singing a poem (Machli jan ki rani hai - Fish is the Queen of the water) on the stage where two of my friends giving beats to it 🤣. 

Working in the workshop was challenging due to the intense heat 🔥. Some teachers liked colorful pens 📝, some enjoyed making fun of us, some emphasized accuracy 🔧, and others were laid-back and invited us for drinks 🍻. 

In the workshop, we had to file (cut) metal in high temperatures 🌡️, which sometimes caused people to faint 🥵. But the training was of high quality ⚒️, following Swiss standards. In theory classes 📚, we had to write letters at specific angles and sizes (We call it technical handwriting) . Skipping a class was not allowed. After two years, I had the opportunity to upgrade my diploma to Mechatronics and Industrial Automation. As a reward, my father gifted me a motorbike (Honda Unicorn). I had a great time riding it in Chandigarh. 🏍️🌆

During my Mechatronics studies, I encountered the Pico PLC from ABB 🤖, which was my first experience with PLC programming. It had a tiny display and buttons for programming. 📲

During the summer, I went to a PLC training institute in Badarpur, which was quite far from Delhi. The commute was long and involved multiple trains 🚇 and buses 🚌. I made the most of the journey by listening to music on my iPod (fake one) 🎧🎶, which I bought in Chandni Chowk. One of my favorite songs was "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day. When I hear this song, it takes me back to the time 🥰. I continued my training and learned a lot about Micrologix PLCs 💡. Since I didn't have a laptop 👨‍💻, I wrote down all the logic in my notebook. 📓

After two months, I returned to the Indo-Swiss Training Center to complete my diploma in Mechatronics. I gained confidence in programming PLCs and worked with Automation Studio, creating circuits and connecting relays, motors, and solenoid valves. 💪⚡

Years passed, and then came the announcement  of job interviews with big companies like Schlumberger, Western Geeco, and Moserbaer. We were nervous 😥 and sought advice to succeed in the interviews. 

In the next newsletter, I am going to share my interview experiences which lead to biggest changes in my life📝. Stay tuned! ❤️