Khushvind Maurya — Blog

Why I Gave CFA

2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z

I cleared CFA Level 1 this February. Before you get impressed, let me ruin it immediately: it will probably never help my career (or it might, but not on my current trajectory). I am a software engineer. Nobody is going to look at my resume, see “CFA” next to a Salesforce internal tool I built, and hand me a promotion. So naturally, the real question is not “how,” it is “why on earth.”

The honest answer is embarrassing, so let me build up to it slowly.

I joined my job last year. For the first few months it was fine, genuinely fine, new city, new team, new Slack channels to get lost in. But somewhere after the initial excitement wore off, I realized the remaining time after my 9-5 was just sitting there, empty, and boredom crept in. Here is the thing about me that I have only recently admitted out loud: when I get bored, I do not relax. I spiral. I need to be doing something I can call productive, or I start losing my mind a little.

And by productive, I do not mean it has to help my career. It just has to feel like a good use of my time.

By September, I was restless enough that I needed a project, any project, that would occupy the parts of my brain that a 9-5 job was leaving idle. Clearing a CFA level had always been sitting somewhere in the back of my head as a vague, someday, wouldn’t-that-be-cool kind of dream. It had nothing to do with my career path. I just liked the idea of having cleared it, the way people like the idea of having run a marathon without particularly enjoying mile 18.

And then I found out Salesforce reimburses the exam fee (if you actually clear it).

That was it. That was the tipping point. Not passion for financial markets, not a strategic five-year plan, just the discovery that my employer would pay for something that would keep me busy for the next six months. I got weirdly, disproportionately motivated. I registered almost immediately, before I could talk myself out of it, and then I was locked in.

What followed was, in fact, quite busy, and fun. Ethics readings, FRA, quant, portfolio management, all competing for the same evening hours that used to go to doomscrolling. It kept me occupied in exactly the way I needed. And in February, I cleared Level 1.

Here is the part I keep going back and forth on. Did I do this just to stay busy, or because I genuinely like solving problems? Honestly, both. The real reason I gave the CFA exam was to keep myself busy, but the nice surprise was the thrill. I love the feeling of cracking a tough problem, especially anything with maths in it, and that was exactly what I had been missing after work.

So that is the story. Not ambition, not a burning interest in finance, just a bored engineer, a reimbursement policy, and a soft spot for solving problems.

Would I do it again? Honestly, probably yes. I do a lot of things just for the love of the game.

Speaking of which, this website you are reading this on exists for the exact same reason. I got bored one weekend and needed something to call productive, so now I have a personal site instead of a personality.

Might get a startup idea if I keep doing this, lol.

Written by Khushvind Maurya

Why the Mountains Keep Calling Me Back

2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z

If I ever disappear for a week without any trace, you can safely assume that I am in some remote corner of a mountain. And no, you are probably not getting a reply anytime soon.

I have not travelled much in my life. Before joining IIT, the only proper trip I remember was to Nainital and Agra, and that too when I was in nursery. I do not even remember that trip properly. To be honest, my parents were never big fans of travelling. My father had a transferable job, so we kept switching cities, but I would not call that travelling. For most of my childhood, travelling was simply not a thing for me.

Then college happened.

College gave me a kind of freedom I had never experienced before. I was probably one of the most excited people whenever a plan came up, and rightly so. I wanted to use that freedom to the fullest. My first trek was in July 2022. It was Kheerganga, a short beginner-level trek, usually done in two days. And man, I loved it.

I still remember the feeling of walking through those trails, slowly leaving the noise behind. That trek gave me a weird sense of achievement after completing it. It was not like clearing an exam or finishing a project. Nobody was going to give me marks for it. There was no resume point, no certificate, no external validation. Still, reaching the top felt deeply satisfying.

I really wanted to try another trek, but I could only go during semester breaks. My next one was the Triund trek near Dharamshala in Dec 2022. It was also a short trek. After that, I wanted to try longer treks for the thrill.

Sadly, I planned multiple trips in 2023, but my plans always got cancelled for one reason or another. Mostly, one person would ditch the plan, and then others would follow one by one. Lol, this happened so many times that eventually I stopped making plans. I had planned to go to Kedarkantha in Dec 2023, but could not go, for the reason you might have guessed. Anyways, we went to Manali instead, but did not do any trekking.

So, during the placement semester in 2024, we had planned to go on a trip after our group got placed. But everyone went home right after placements 😢. I did not want to go home too soon, and by then I was so fed up that I just booked a trek starting in 2 days. I went to Decathlon to buy what I needed, and then just proceeded alone.

The trek I chose was Kedarkantha. It was my first trek without any of my friends. I was so fucking nervous, because for the first time I would be trekking with unknown people. The day I reached the base camp, it was early December and there was no snow. I was really disappointed.

We had a trek briefing that night, where I got to know that the temperature near the summit could drop to -10 to -15. I was not at all prepared for that, because my trek’s POC had told me it would only go till -2 to -3. I was shit scared. I had to rent a jacket and other stuff on the spot. In that group of 20 people, I was the youngest, and clearly one of the most underprepared.

It was very cold, and to my surprise, it started snowing during the briefing. It was my first time seeing live snowfall. I was mesmerized, and also shit scared of what was supposed to come.

The next day, the trek started, and I would be on it for 4 days. I was excited. It was cold, and it kept snowing that day. The snow made the trek a bit risky, which added to the thrill. I was really enjoying it. It felt completely different from my normal life: no network for a few days, and far away from the stress of the outside world.

There were a few moments when I reconsidered my decision to go on this trek, especially during the night before summit day. I could not sleep in the tents. It was really uncomfortable, and I started trekking sleep-deprived.

Anyways, summit day proved me wrong and made it the best trip of my life. It still is.

Most importantly, I met new people, got a completely new experience, and realized how bad my health was :)

Man, this trek made me realize what is out there, and it got me hooked. It made me interested in trying other treks. It was also the sole motivation that made me continue going to the gym seriously during my final semester. Even now, it keeps me motivated to take better care of my health.

After this trek, I started creating a list of treks I would like to do in the future. I do not know when, but I genuinely want to try each one of them:

Deoriatal-Chandrashila
Sar Pass
Geochala
Kuari Pass
Hampta Pass
Gaumukh Tapovan
Valley of Flowers
ABC
EBC
KGL
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Manaslu Circuit

And the list goes on…

You might think going on treks again and again might get boring, but it really does not. There are so many different things each trek has to offer. Kedarkantha is an amazing winter trek. Deoriatal-Chandrashila is known for rhododendron bloom during March-April. Valley of Flowers is famous for blooming season in August. Gaumukh Tapovan takes you to the source of the Ganga. EBC takes you to the base of Everest. KGL and Manaslu Circuit are among the most beautiful treks you will find in the world…

Every trek has a unique character, and there are endless different experiences waiting out there.

Written by Khushvind Maurya

Why am I an Introvert?

2025-12-15T00:00:00.000Z

Want a simple answer to the title? I still don’t know, maybe it’s my nature, maybe it’s life. For the longest time, I never really thought deeply about this question.

I always assumed I was just “born this way.” I like to observe people first, understand their vibe, and then open up slowly (especially after I know what kind of humor they can tolerate). I am 22, and I have lived in 10 different cities, and have studied in 8 different schools. That constant change shaped my personality more than anything else. My school changed almost every 2 years, that too in the middle of the session. And every new place meant having a new surrounding, with a completely new set of friends, and starting from zero again.

One thing about moving so much is that it’s hard to form deep connections. Just when I’d start to get close to someone, it would be time to move again. Most of my friendships stayed on the surface-lots of acquaintances, but very few people who really knew me. After a while, I got used to not expecting permanence from anyone.

When you keep changing schools and cities, you learn to protect your energy. You stop trying to fit in immediately. You watch first. You listen first. You speak when it feels safe. Over time, this habit starts looking like introversion.

People often think introverts are shy, arrogant, or uninterested. In my case, it is none of that. I can talk a lot when I feel comfortable. I can be very expressive with my close friends. I just do not enjoy forcing conversations, and I don’t want to put on an act just to fit in.

The Tough Side of Being This Way

This trait really showed its tough side when I moved to Kota for JEE preparation. Kota is a city where everyone is hustling, competing, and trying to survive the pressure. I was in a newly created star batch, with only two students initially. And on my first day, first class, first instructor told me “Yha pe padhne aaye ho, bas padhai karna, kisi se dosti karne ki need nhi h”. Initially I didn’t take his advice seriously tho. But to me it seemed like some people did.

I was a loner and Kota provided me the perfect opportunity to avoid socializing. My social life sucked, my friend circle grew smaller, I got so absorbed in studies that I even sacrificed my hobbies. I used to stay in my room all day, I used to go out only for classes or going to mess.

I struggled to ask for help, or even to share what I was going through. There were days when I felt completely alone, even in a crowd. My introversion, which had always protected me, now felt like a wall keeping me from connecting with others. I realized that sometimes, you need people-not just for academic help, but for emotional support too.

I dreaded that experience. Never in my life had I been more desperate to move out of a place. Every day felt like a repeat - wake up, go to class, come back, eat, study, sleep. I barely spoke to anyone. Even when I wanted to, I didn’t know how. The walls of my room felt safer than the world outside, but also more suffocating with each passing week.

I don’t know how much it affected my studies, but man, it did fuck up my mental health pretty badly. There were days I’d just stare at the ceiling, wondering what I was even doing there. My motivation dipped, my hobbies disappeared, and I started feeling like a ghost in my own life.

If you want to read more about my Kota experience and how it shaped me, I wrote about it here: Quora Answer

College was the first time in my life when I knew I’d be staying in one place for a while. That stability gave me the chance to build some truly great friendships. After coming to IIT Delhi, I realized something else: everyone has their own definition of what a “friend” is. For some, it’s just someone to hang out with or study with. For others, it’s someone you trust with everything. I remember once, a friend casually asked me who I could call at 2 AM if I just wanted to talk about life or vent about anything. And honestly, I had no answer. It hit me that while I knew a lot of people, I didn’t really have that kind of connection with anyone. It made me rethink what friendship actually means to me.

What helps me now

I still get drained in high-noise environments, but I handle it better now. Kota-saga taught me that shutting myself off completely isn’t the answer. I’m so afraid of that shit happening with me again that, these days, I actively try to balance my need for quiet with reaching out for social interaction when I feel like it.

What works for me:

I explore. I explore a lot, any activity, any event, any experience, if I haven’t tried it yet. I’ll probably join the plan.
I join group activities if I feel up to it, but leave when I want.
I keep time for silence, reading, and reflection, as these are still important for me. This blog, is also a way for self reflection.
I take out time for myself - gym, running, listening to music etc.

Final thought

To sum it up: moving often made it hard for me to form deep connections, and my introversion became even more obvious in places like Kota. In college, I realized that everyone has their own way of making friends and finding comfort. For me, it’s about enjoying my own company, trying new things at my own pace, and being okay with who I am - even if that looks different from most people around me.

Written by Khushvind Maurya

SRID Interview Experience

2024-12-07T00:00:00.000Z

Samsung Research Institute - Delhi (or SRID for short) visited during the 2.2 slot of our campus placements. I had 9 interview shortlists in that slot, and Samsung (SRID and SRIN) was my top preference. What I really like about Samsung is that they are clear about their shortlisting criteria, which is quite rare at IITD Placements. You can be pretty sure that you’ll make it to the interview round if you satisfy the requirements specified in the JD and clear the coding round.

My SRID interview was scheduled 3rd in order of time — SRIN at 5:00 pm, Meesho at 5:30 pm, and SRID at 6:00 pm, if I remember correctly. I was done with SRIN interview round 1 by 5:45 and skipped the Meesho interview to go directly for the SRID interview. SRID conducted two interview rounds: Technical and HR.

Technical Round

This round focused on basic CS knowledge and implementation. The interviewer was very experienced in his field and supportive. I was given an implementation-based question where I had to come up with an algorithm to solve the problem. I first explained the approach I came up with. The interviewer then asked me to implement a class and its two functions based on my approach on a piece of paper.

I usually dread such types of questions because your code can become very complex after follow-up questions if you don’t choose your initial approach properly. Luckily, my approach was simple enough for me to avoid future problems. I implemented my solution in C++ and tried to keep it as clean and concise as possible. I then explained the working of my code and did a dry run. The interviewer further asked me the time complexity of the functions and how I derived it.

There were some follow-up questions where the constraints were changed. I re-implemented my code with the required modifications. Then came some questions related to my code, like time complexity, which I explained correctly.

The interviewer also asked about the languages I am most familiar with (C++ and Python) and the skills mentioned in my CV (like Docker and Bash). I was fully prepared for CV-related questions and aced them. The round ended with the interviewer asking me if I had any questions. I asked about the kind of projects he works on at SRID.

Just after the round ended, I received several calls (3-4) from POCs of different companies for interviews, and I was still awaiting the results of round 1 for both SRIN and SRID. I decided to stick with SRID and asked the POC to confirm if I had made it to the next round. The result came a few minutes later.

Result: Made it to the next round!

HR Round

This was the round I was most nervous about. There were a few reasons for this: I was the only candidate rejected in the HR round of Oracle just in the slot before this, and I was still trying to figure out where I had messed up because the interview had gone well according to me. On top of that, friends of mine had told me that the HR round of SRID is usually difficult to clear.

I entered the room, greeted the HR interviewer, and took a seat. My throat was dry by then, as I had already given interviews for four companies since morning, with multiple rounds. Words were barely coming out of my mouth, even though I had drunk water just before entering the room. But I knew I couldn’t risk messing up this interview.

The interview began with me giving a basic introduction of myself. The interviewer then asked me what made me unique compared to the other candidates she would be interviewing that day. To be honest, I was not at all prepared for this question, but I managed to come up with a really good and unique answer on the spot. I supported my response with real-life examples from my life. It still amazes me how, out of nowhere, I came up with that answer, but it probably helped me stand out significantly in the interview.

The following questions were general HR questions about my long-term goals, strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.

The HR round went well, but I tried not to be too optimistic. I had learned from past experiences, like with Oracle, to never be confident of getting an offer until you actually get it. The process can sometimes be very random.

After the interview, I asked the POC if she could confirm whether I had made it to the next round. I didn’t want to sit for other interviews (there were seven more scheduled). The HR interviewer told the POC that my interview was decent but that she would confirm only after interviewing all the other candidates. I continued trying not to be optimistic and went ahead with interviews for other companies.

Aftermath

I had to skip multiple interviews because of time constraints and gave interviews for a few other companies. By 10:00 pm, SRID was still my best chance, so I stayed in the Lecture Hall Complex, waiting for the result. I was really tired and had no energy left to continue with interviews on Day 3. By that time, the company had already conducted HR rounds for eight candidates.

I kept waiting, and then the results came. The company had decided to give offers to three students.

Result: Got selected! 😁

We then had a group photo with the interview panel member, and my OCS portal got blocked after an hour. That night, I had a really great sleep. Months of effort finally paid off.

Written by Khushvind Maurya

My Crazy experience at IIT Delhi Placements

2024-12-06T00:00:00.000Z

The placements at IITs are wild—wild in the sense that they can be very chaotic for those experiencing them. This blog focuses primarily on my experience during the first week of December.

My placement preparation began at the start of my 7th semester. We were scheduled to have our interviews in about five months, during the first week of December. Everyone was busy preparing for the placement tests in one way or another. As for me, I was fairly certain that targeting Quant roles would be quite difficult. So, I decided to focus mostly on SDE and ML roles. I had several unique projects related to ML, which set me apart from the crowd (although this doesn’t matter much during interviews). For preparation, I primarily relied on LeetCode and worked through a set of revision questions I had collected since the previous year (after sitting for internships).

Once my major exams ended on November 24, I started preparing intensively for the interviews. This preparation mainly involved reviewing everything I had listed in my CV, anticipating potential questions, and revisiting commonly asked topics such as OOPS, DBMS, and others. There’s an overwhelming amount of material one can cover, making it easy to feel lost. Having a clear plan for what to revise helps a lot.

Day 1

On Day 1, I had no interview shortlist in the 1.1 slot and three interview shortlists in the 1.2 slot. Unexpectedly, I was able to sleep peacefully that night. Yes, I was somewhat nervous, but I guess the blunders from my internship season had taught me to stay calm.

My first interview was with an ML startup (it got a Day 1 slot, probably because it was paying well 🤷‍♂️). The shortlist was based on resumes and CGPA. In fact, every startup working in ML that used resume shortlisting shortlisted me for interviews on Day 1 and 2. The only issue with these startups was that they didn’t hire anyone 😒 due to a mismatch between their expectations and the students’ skills.

My next interview was with BlueStone, and it was a disaster. I was asked a question on linked lists that I couldn’t answer properly, and in the subsequent round, there was a clear lack of communication between me and the interviewer. I was eliminated in Round 1. I felt fine about it because I was convinced there was no way I could have saved that interview. There are many factors that determine how an interview goes—the mood of the interviewer, the questions you get asked, whether the correct solution strikes you at the right time, your presence of mind, etc.

My last interview was with Amex for a Data Scientist role. I have no idea why I was shortlisted for that role. Of all the interviews I was shortlisted for on Days 1 and 2, this one felt the most random. Just after my introduction and a few questions, I became convinced that this role was not for me. I politely conveyed my thoughts to the interviewer and left the interview (yes, people like me exist).

By around 10:00 pm, I went back to my hostel. I went to bed at 11:00 pm as I had to wake up early. However, I wasn’t able to sleep—it wasn’t my usual time to sleep, and the nervousness of the placements was starting to set in. I finally managed to fall asleep after two hours.

Day 2

I woke up at 5 am and went to take a bath right after, on a chilly Delhi winter morning. Yes, my brain was not braining 🫠. The slotting was supposed to be announced at 6:00 am. I had three interviews in the 2.1 slot.

My first interview was with Oracle. They were conducting three rounds: two technical and one HR. After my first technical round, I had the option to leave for my other two interviews, but I stayed, hoping to make it through. Once I completed all three rounds, the company informed us that they would release the results later. My interviews went well, but you should never be hopeful until you actually get the offer.

I then left for an interview with another ML startup. When I arrived at the venue where the interviews were being held, I assessed the situation and decided not to sit for the interview. It was the same reason I mentioned earlier regarding ML startups, so I left.

My last interview in that slot was with Deutsche Bank, which was hiring many students. I was hopeful about making it here, but there was a slotting issue since I was delayed due to my Oracle interviews. My turn came quite late. The first round was going well, but towards the end of the interview, the interviewer had to leave for something urgent. A second interviewer came to continue, and it felt like I was giving the first round all over again. Overall, both attempts at the first round went well, but by the time it was done, it was already 1:00 pm, and the company decided to pack up and leave. I couldn’t sit for the HR round. This was yet another reminder that life can be very random.

I went back to the hostel, and Oracle’s results came in. I was the only one who didn’t get selected after making it to the HR round. I had no idea where I went wrong. By this point, I felt completely dead inside. Almost all my friends were placed by now, and that’s when I truly started feeling the pressure. There was no way I wanted to sit for placements on Day 3. I had to get placed in the 2.2 slot no matter what.

I don’t even remember exactly how many shortlists I had in this slot. Samsung Research Institute - Delhi (SRID) and Noida (SRIN) were my top priorities in this slot. My first four interviews were with SRIN, Meesho, SRID, and SLB. I went for the SRIN interview at 5:00 pm, and by 5:45 pm, I had completed the first round. When I checked my phone, I saw 3–4 missed calls from different companies’ POCs calling me for interviews.

Since I was still waiting for the SRIN round 1 results, I decided to go directly for the SRID interview. Over the next 1.5 hours, I completed both the technical and HR rounds of SRID. Until now, all my interviews had gone well. I’ve also written about my experience with the SRID interview here.

By this point, I was utterly exhausted. My throat was dry, and I could barely speak. I kept getting call after call for interviews, but I had to intentionally tell POCs that I wouldn’t be appearing for some. Then, I found out that I was rejected after SRIN’s first round. The stress was mounting, and I had to carefully choose which interviews to attend.

I went next for the SLB interview. During the process, it became clear that my expectations and the company’s work didn’t align. After completing the interview, I left for my next one without much hope for the final round. I then appeared for Dream11 and Harness.io interviews, but I was rejected in the first round of both. The competition was cutthroat—just one wrong answer, and you’re out. It’s unpredictable. Sometimes, you feel your interview went well, and you get rejected; other times, you feel you messed up, and somehow you make it to the next round.

By the end, I had run out of options. The companies where I hadn’t attended interviews (there were about five of them) had already completed their processes or left. I had also not gone for interview of any of the ML/AI startup for the same reason I explained above. My only remaining hope was an offer from SRID. But, as always, never be hopeful until you actually get the offer.

I waited outside the SRID interview room until the results were announced. It was already very late—10:00 pm. Around 7–8 students had made it to the HR round, but we weren’t sure how many would be selected. After some time, the POC came out and informed us that the company had selected three students, and I was one of them.

Sigh. I can’t explain the relief that washed over me. December 2 was, without a doubt, my most eventful day of 2024. It was nearly midnight. I had been awake since 5:00 am, my mouth was dry, and I could barely speak after so many interviews. I had a mild headache and lacked sleep. But in the end, all the rejections were worth it. I was glad to have been placed in the company that was my top preference in this slot.

Written by Khushvind Maurya