Kaamyaab.pk reposted this
EE '26 @ FIU | Co-founder @ Kaamyaab.pk | Cybersecurity Intern @ A1 Contracts | Fellow @ Headstarter AI | Resident Assistant @ FIU Housing
At the beginning of the summer, I faced a significant setback. Despite sending over 500 internship applications and participating in numerous interviews during the 2023/24 academic year, I didn't secure an internship. Rather than letting this discourage me, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I enrolled in nine online credits at Florida International University and embarked on several side projects to enhance my skills. I started with SecureCharge, where I developed a Python-based system for real-time monitoring and management of EV charging stations. This project not only improved communication and control but also incorporated security measures like DDoS detection to protect critical infrastructure. Motivated by this experience, I discovered Headstarter on LinkedIn. After applying and being accepted, I immersed myself in learning web and app development from scratch. Through the fellowship, I created my personal portfolio (abdullahnaveed.online), developed an AI chatbot, an AI-powered "Rate My Professor," and several other projects. The most rewarding part of my journey was teaming up with Mehroz Muneer, Ayaan Qasmi, and Yousuf Rehan to create and launch Kaamyaab.pk—a platform designed to empower Pakistani students by connecting them with job opportunities and resources to achieve professional success. With Kaamyaab.pk, we expanded our network, launched a waitlist that attracted over 500 users in a month, and gained significant traction on Instagram with over 7,000 views in the past month. We even ended up hiring Syed Kumail Haider as an intern to help us manage our marketing efforts. Our efforts led us to pitch our idea and gain acceptance into Institute of Business Administration (IBA's) inaugural incubator program. We were also selected as one of the top five teams out of 16,000 students in the HeadStarter program, which gave us the opportunity to pitch to Nabeel Alamgir🦄, CEO & Co-founder of Lunchbox and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. (Shoutout to Faizan Ahmed for all the support and mentoring throughout the process!) Now, we're set to launch our MVP within the next week and are working towards expanding our application across Pakistan. My takeaway from this journey: Sometimes, not getting what you want leads you to opportunities you never imagined. Embrace setbacks—they might just be steering you toward your true path. Link to our pitch: https://lnkd.in/eZgQyNbT (Time stamp: 41:25) #kaamyaab #internships #setbacks