For Arsh Goyal, engineering was not always the obvious career choice. Growing up in Faridkot, Punjab, he says he had little exposure to the field or to people around him who had pursued it. His early motivation was much simpler — winning the medal given to students who finished among the top three in their class. Years later, that journey would take him from winning a gold medal at NIT Jalandhar to interviewing Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, and eventually building an audience of more than 50,000 engineers through his work in AI and engineering education.He managed to do that consistently through Class 12. Along the way, he scored a 10 CGPA in Class 10, secured the prestigious NTSE scholarship and topped his district in the Class 12 board examinations. Yet even after these academic achievements, Goyal says he was unsure whether engineering was the right path for him.Today, he is a Senior Software Engineer at Samsung India, has worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), teaches technology and AI, and has built a large audience as an AI and Engineering Creator.
From Faridkot to NIT Jalandhar
With limited internet access and no one around him to guide him on engineering choices, Goyal initially joined Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, for his bachelor’s degree.He attended classes there for about 10 days before eventually moving to the Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, where he pursued a BTech in Electronics and Communications Engineering.The change proved significant.At NIT Jalandhar, Goyal achieved a 9.02/10 grade and became the institute’s Gold Medalist, securing the highest CGPA consistently across semesters.He was also involved in student-industry relations, initially serving as an internship representative for the ECE branch before taking on placement responsibilities and working on corporate relations.
His career took him to ISRO and Samsung
Goyal’s professional journey soon moved beyond campus.He worked with the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), ISRO, in Dehradun between 2019 and 2020. He subsequently gained experience through roles and internships associated with companies and technology organisations including Microsoft, Samsung Electronics, CodeChef and Bitgrit.In July 2021, he joined Samsung India as a Senior Software Engineer, where his profile lists experience in semiconductor engineering and embedded software programming.Alongside his corporate career, he continued exploring developer advocacy, AI and technology education.
From shy student to educator
One of the most interesting aspects of Goyal’s story is what happened after his college years.He says that he began creating content for the version of himself from 2017 — a student who was academically driven but confused about career choices and too shy to ask for help.That idea eventually became a major part of his professional identity.Goyal has taught data structures, algorithms, programming and software engineering through platforms including CodeChef and Unacademy. He has also worked as a GenAI educator with upGrad, teaching the Microsoft GenAI Foundations Certificate Course.His stated goal is to reduce the gap between students from Tier-1 and Tier-3 colleges by helping learners discover opportunities in technology, placements and internships that they may otherwise not know about.
He has mentored more than 50,000 engineers
Goyal says he has mentored more than 50,000 engineers and aspiring developers through teaching, guidance and career mentorship.His educational work covers areas including data structures and algorithms, system design, machine learning, generative AI and software engineering.He has also delivered more than 150 seminars, sessions and workshops at engineering institutions across India and has been a four-time TEDx speaker.His speaking and teaching engagements have included IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, IIT Patna, IIT Jodhpur, IIT Goa, IIT Dhanbad, NIT Trichy, NIT Rourkela, IIIT Delhi, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology and VIT Vellore, among others.
Building a career at the intersection of AI and software
Goyal’s current professional portfolio extends beyond traditional software engineering.He now works with companies like NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, etc helping them with developer adoption and also create Technical AI Content for them and does consultancy.Microsoft invited him to their Cambridge Research Lab to experience the technological research and NVIDIA invited him to Taiwan to help spread the word forward on their latest Technologies.
He also got a chance to interview and meet NVIDIA CEO and Founder, Jensen Huang
He is currently building a company at Entrepreneurs First, and has been involved in development and evangelism at ThoughtSpot, works in development and advocacy at StarTree, and teaches GenAI. His profile also highlights interests in artificial intelligence, data science, developer advocacy and technical education.His journey from a small town in Punjab to NIT Jalandhar, ISRO and Samsung reflects a career built across multiple technology domains.But his story is also closely tied to education. The student who once struggled to find someone to ask about engineering now creates content and mentors others navigating similar decisions.He has been awarded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs recently as the Best AI and Engineering Creator by Sh. Mansukh Mandviya and Sh. Rekha Gupta Ji. Also, Best Gen AI Creator by Dainik Jagran and AV Luminary Award by Analytics VidhyaFor Goyal, the objective appears to go beyond building software. It is also about making sure that students especially those without access to traditional networks and guidance and know that opportunities exist and have the confidence to pursue them.Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information and professional and educational details shared by Arsh Goyal. TOI Education has not independently verified all claims, career figures, mentorship numbers or professional achievements mentioned above.
Leave a Reply