Topic hub
OPT, O-1, visa interviews, international student survival, and the India-US leap.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of international students and tech workers face the same terrifying math: there are 85,000 H-1B seats and over 400,000 applications. The odds are not in your favor.
Everyone is obsessed with the viral videos of robots folding laundry. Almost no one is talking about the absolute nightmare of actually building the hardware.
Episode Title: Why He Rejected the US for IIT Kharagpur: The AI Career Blueprint Description: Is the "American Dream" still the only path to success for Indian engineers? In a world where the standard advice is to "get a GRE score and leave," Aayush Sugandh did the unthinkable: he stayed.
If you think running a nonprofit fundraising event is just about booking a venue, finding a caterer, and collecting auction items, you’re in for a rude awakening. The landscape has shifted beneath our feet.
Laid Off on OPT? How He Stopped the Clock & Got Hired in 40 Days (The Blueprint) Description: Getting laid off is a punch to the gut.
Are you afraid to hit "post" on LinkedIn? Do you worry that your employer might judge you, or that you don't have anything valuable to say?
In this episode of Ready Set Do , my guest is Umang Chaudhary , a Machine Learning Engineer at TikTok and former Applied Scientist at Amazon . Umang’s story is one of momentum — a reminder that you don’t need decades of experience to reach the top tiers of tech.
In this episode I talk with Hrohaan Malhotra, a Data Scientist at Wells Fargo who actually landed his role through a career fair. If that sounds lucky, it isn’t.
Moving abroad for studies often gets reduced to a checklist: applications, visas, internships, and landing that first good job. In this episode of Ready Set Do I sit down with Bhushan Chougule, a graduate student at Purdue University studying Engineering Management, to talk about what most study-abroad advice misses — the small, human things that actually make your time overseas feel like living instead of surviving.
"You need experience to get the job, but you need the job to get experience." It is the classic Product Management "Death Loop." If you are a doctor, a teacher, a marketer, or a salesperson, you are constantly told that you don't have the "technical DNA" to be a Product Manager. You are told to go get an MBA, learn to code, or start at the bottom of a support desk.
This episode is a goldmine for builders: my guest is VJ Swaminathan, a serial entrepreneur you probably already know from Pathfinders and Authentic Hustle. VJ does something rare on this show — he literally pops the hood on his AI recruiting product, Recruitt.ai, and walks us through the exact tool stack, architecture decisions, and development trade-offs that got him from idea to demo.
How do you break into one of the most competitive tech careers, navigate interviews at Amazon, and prepare for a future shaped by AI—all while still in school? This episode is packed with insights for aspiring Technical Program Managers (TPMs) , international students, and anyone eyeing top-tier roles in tech.
What does it take to create the largest gathering ever for skilled Indian immigrants in the United States? In this episode, we sit down with the visionary behind the Open Atlas Summit 2025 , a groundbreaking event designed to connect, empower, and celebrate the Indian professional diaspora in America.
How does studying in Europe prepare you for launching one of the most innovative companies in a country as complex as India? In this dynamic episode, we sit down with Supra , a global strategy professional who helped expand Tesla into new markets , including India.
In this powerful and deeply personal episode, we sit down with Gurasis Singh, the host of My Thick Accent podcast, to explore the layered experience of being an immigrant navigating identity, voice, and belonging in a new country. Gurasis opens up about his early days in Canada—where his accent often made him feel invisible or misunderstood—and how those challenges shaped his self-perception and personal growth.
In this insightful episode, we dive deep into the world of Mechatronics Engineering with Shivam, a passionate engineer who stumbled into this interdisciplinary field by accident—but never looked back. Whether you're a student exploring engineering specializations or a tech enthusiast curious about how mechanical systems, electronics, and software come together, this conversation is a must-watch.
In this episode my guests are Nirmal Budhathoki and Karun Thankachan. Nirmal is a Sr Data & Applied Scientist at Microsoft & Karun is a Sr Data Scientist at Walmart.
In this episode, our featured not-expert is Farah Fallah Toosi . This is a special crossover between the podcast and my YouTube series Build Your Own App , where we spotlight cutting-edge AI tools for everyday creators.
In this episode featured not-expert is ... it's me.
In this episode featured not-expert is Beni Wilson. Our discussion today centers around Beni's first visit to India, and we explore his experiences thru the perspective of an American traveling to India for the first time.
In this episode, featured not-expert is Suchit Sikaria. Suchit is the founder of Crucible Institute, a business school that is seeking to completely revamp higher business education in India - by optimizing for practical skills needed for digital first businesses (which the world (including india of course) is currently seeing a boom of) instead of outdated theory taught by industry professionals and with a fee structure that's super unique.
Does "healthy eating" mean boiled chicken, tasteless broccoli, and zero happiness? For most busy bachelors, the choice is usually binary: Order takeout and feel guilty, or try to cook "healthy" and end up eating cardboard.
In this episode, featured not-expert is Ved Pandey.In keeping with our theme of learning from somebody that’s just two steps ahead instead of an expert, my goal with this episode is to explore the mind and musings of a young boy - and how the timeless optimism of childhood can indeed be discovered by anyone of any age. By the end of this episode, you will walk away with a perspective on why the child-like curiosity is the greatest treasure we possess, and yet something we all discard as we grow up.In this episode we also witness the Conventional Mind in action.In Robert Greene's Mastery, the concept of the Conventional Mind describes how societal pressures, practical demands, and conformity erode the innate openness and curiosity we possess as children.
In this episode, featured not-expert is Atal Agarwal.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support the Ready Set Do podcast:2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readysetdopodcast3.
In this episode featured not-expert is Supreeth Reddy. Supreeth is the co-founder of Serene AI, which is an sleep-tech startup.
In this episode featured not-expert is Ratik Dutta. Ratik is a Marketing Ops Assistant Manager at SEED Global Education, which is a role he recently started after returning to India - having finished his Masters in Marketing degree from Purdue University in the US.
In this episode, featured not-expert is Pritesh Jagani. Known more commonly as Yudi J online, Pritesh has built and grown his youtube channel to over 280k subscribers - leveraging his knowhow and lived experience to share amazing insights on how to succeed in the US during and after getting your Masters degree .
In this episode, featured not-expert is Unnati Deshwal. Unnati is a fresh MEM graduate student at Cornell University, which is an Ivy League school.
The job market is broken. Applying online feels like throwing your resume into a black hole.
In this episode, featured not-expert is Soundarya Balasubramani. Soundarya is a founder at unshackled.club and the author of two books - Unshackled and Admitted.
In this episode, featured not-expert is Maya Mishra. Maya is a Masters student at Purdue University that has cracked the internship code.
Is it possible to build a massive content career while studying for a Master's degree in the US? Most international students are told to keep their heads down, study hard, and get a corporate job.
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Aditi Paul.
In this episode, my guest is Melissa Weinmann. Melissa is a huge travel enthusiast, with her current tally of countries and territories visited being 44 at the time of recording.
In this episode, my guest is Vrishin Subramaniam. Vrishin is a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) who is on a mission to help NRIs achieve financial freedom - by helping them be millionaires.
Here is an SEO-optimized YouTube description tailored for high click-through rate (CTR) and search discoverability. I have incorporated the specific details about Kaushik (NYU Abu Dhabi, PhD background) to make it authentic.
In this episode, featured not-expert is Devendra Chhajer. Devendra has been living and working in France for the past 5 years or so, having moved there to finish his Global Management Program from SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR).
In this episode, my guest is Kati Hutsell, who is a career advisor at Purdue University and a former recruiter for Google, Amazon, and Meta. We discuss: Kati's experience and insights from recruiting at top Big Tech companies What makes a resume stand out and Google’s 3 criteria for successful applicants The impact of online courses and certifications on resumes Debunking myths about the job application process and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) Differences in recruiting for early careers vs.
In this episode, featured not-expert is Utpal Nadiger. Utpal is a co-founder at Digger, but perhaps more notably, a life-long cricket fanatic.
Is an MBA in the US just about the classes, or is it a complete lifestyle overhaul? Most international students treat their Master’s degree like a transaction: Pay tuition, get good grades, get a job.
In this episode, my guest in this episode is Raghav Taparia . Raghav is a financial investment aficionado who has successfully built out robust systems for making strides towards his financial goals.
In this episode, my guest is Pragya Sinha. Pragya is a Technical Program Manager at Amazon.
In this episode, my guest is Ananta Chhajer . Ananta currently ranks among India's fastest-growing educational content creators.
