B.Com, 2017 · No English-medium schooling · No IT exposure · Now Lead Engineer (Oracle DBA) at Wipro
Six months after SHA Career Hub opened its doors, a young man walked into the Kolkata reception drenched in sweat from the summer heat. Upendra Roy, the founder, still remembers his face.
Deb Kumar Payra had completed his B.Com in 2017 and was working at a textile shop: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., no holidays, ₹7,000 a month. Engineering, IT, anything in "tech" was a world he had never considered his. In his mind it belonged to B.Tech graduates from top institutes, not to commerce graduates behind a shop counter. He also could not hold a conversation in English.
The turn
The turn came from an unlikely place: a computer technician who visited the shop. Deb asked him how to earn more, how to grow. The answer stuck. "Being a technician won't take you far. But if you can learn Oracle DBA, it can change your entire life." Deb searched for it that night, found SHA Career Hub, and showed up at the reception.
At home, things were tight. Two younger brothers, ageing parents, and now a decision that would cost both time and money the family did not have to spare. Even Upendra hesitated. He told Deb plainly: this will take real time, real money and real effort. Go home, think it through, and come back only if you are certain.
Deb came back five minutes early.
Starting from zero, twice over
He scraped together the joining fee and enrolled. The classes were in English and he was starting from nothing, so he rewatched every recording two or three times, looked up the words he did not know, and turned up for the 6 to 7 a.m. sessions on a laptop borrowed from a friend, because he did not own one.
Where it went
Within months, Deb had his first break into IT as a Consultant DBA at Path Infotech. From there he moved to TCS as an IT Analyst, and in July 2024 he stepped into his current role: Lead Engineer, Oracle Database Administration, at Wipro, managing production database environments across Oracle 12c, 18c and 19c, at a package of ₹24 to 28 LPA. A man who once could not string an English sentence together now leads database migrations and upgrades for one of India's largest IT companies.
He is getting married this November. And both his younger brothers, having watched what their elder brother built from a textile shop floor, are now following his path into IT.
In his words
In a note recommending Upendra to others considering the same leap, Deb wrote:
"My name is Deb Kumar Payra... I would like to enthusiastically recommend Upen Sir for the teaching position, as well as manager and career guide at SHA. I'm working with the SHA Infotech team."
You can find Deb on LinkedIn.
What Deb's story says for you
One person walked in not knowing a word of technical English. He did not just change his own salary. He changed what is possible for his entire family, and for the generation coming after him.
If you are reading this from behind a counter, a desk or a degree that was supposed to lead somewhere else, the sequence Deb followed is the one we still teach: fundamentals first, one specialisation done properly, and placement work that continues until you are hired, as long as you stay engaged with the program. The Database Architect program is the track he would join today, and the IT Foundation Program exists for people who need the basics before it. Check your IT career eligibility and a counsellor will call you within one working day.
Not sure which path fits you?
Tell a counsellor where you are today and what you want in a year. The call is free and there is no obligation.