--- title: The Person Behind the Portfolio description: From curiosity to building production-ready applications, this is the story of my journey into software development url: https://amarbiradar.me/blog/the-person-behind-the-portfolio author: Amar Biradar --- # My Story I am Amar Vishwanath Biradar. I was born in Bidar, Karnataka, and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As a child, I was a quiet introvert. Now, I am slowly trying to become an extrovert 😊 ### School Days I studied at Krist Raj High School. I always sat on the back bench, and I never thought of myself as a topper. I used to joke that I was a "below average" student. But looking back, those backbench days taught me something important: grades don't decide your future, curiosity does. Back then, I loved sports like cricket and kabaddi. Video games were my weekend escape too. Every weekend, I would ask my mom for 5 rupees so I could play WWE and racing games at the PS5 shop for half an hour. That simple routine was the highlight of my week. I grew up in Nallasopara, a place surrounded by hills. Maybe that's why I have always felt a deep connection with mountains. Even today, I tell myself, "I am a climber at heart." One day, I want to stand on top of Everest, Kanchenjunga, and Annapurna. These three peaks are my biggest dreams for the future. ### The Turning Point ![IMG_20260706_234239.jpg](https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/69a9d877-8c8d-81b6-9b95-000363ae9cfb/4d12a628-7044-4b68-8e19-13cfa692bc9b/IMG_20260706_234239.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAZI2LB4665R7TIYD6%2F20260711%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260711T141231Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEAIaCXVzLXdlc3QtMiJHMEUCIQDSN1%2F8gX5Ih7ZZC6NHnR0LUnsryPpGr8VN4ndceEbJDgIgaBxcxmC1c3USap3adC4hGkZBxLzFVKr89lFhhuVfEO0qiAQIy%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FARAAGgw2Mzc0MjMxODM4MDUiDLk%2BCvuePWpNzZzGEyrcA38%2BHYK2us7auRHHpSExhudOt39YNuFWWRaPc%2F%2BIKqfkFbhdvmDQzvgoyxJ9YR62helY7hEFL0Jg8m7aKypynbVf0ZTZfJFWfOGZU826IJuAP6QgMLsXMNRhDCdaZq%2Bvi%2BPIZwn%2Fwb1w3fvkhgi%2BUhBcwOp9cgmBaLS8Pz8x%2Ff%2B0q2FbUSUdTM4xzoKLzmPyGMrKTvb4c3eL717iMfcpUpm3tmiQH33N6DYVMU91eWLmxCJMkX%2FItbf23Yi4CTWHwoyOKd6p%2BQ0hF%2BU%2B61TSz%2FYOmm%2F%2FZh%2FoaEZJFf8JjKan%2Fk0X2lXJrEDdGBsyfd2VvV%2FzHCML3ovxov%2BAWZhPFY%2Feb45B2A7tuZwpDtx09WaiMUWW3hfoqjGALYq4i8xWSJG4T1Jyjs1GpQiZKvBSKmKnSo4fdxNnvlgKKq5pJ3WX6fGBJNdkbM2P%2BCVVVN%2B9PW6WSwjOAtDOAc8V43s9oPFXkUm3N0gfBGh%2Bjiu0Vz7YvnlUTWfA3XnmK7LAOMN%2BewKCycgQGEmTmLaV8UoM7XR86A4tBXk2upOOdK%2BthGGvplOwIkO%2FN65dkcXxdprB35LbkCLeZKliepPxqqvFseRUFFuyNix2VZFimaGHbuFrFEGKv6rKEyl07G%2FTMNuiyNIGOqUBfktPylOdZCBkGpuTh5JR0yygaZynDVYBY28uAlkHhMV15EqayCLu8J%2BwHoNImAmOtayhjLqJD3%2B%2FLFpsky7QFaMS48p3X5TNf%2B95DDyC4xrdafAWsLYF0gOM03w8oZrWJormHNSLB6KcS80hxvEKWp3yDi%2F3Juddne6XuqhDxo6uZMN6q1SXXGEoSKvYgWDOZ2VTyvCswZf2%2BnA329SjLDytfFb2&X-Amz-Signature=7259d51b7745b9af94b767697c6cadefaf5776478ba000c10209d04232c67e52&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject) After finishing 10th grade, during the pandemic, my dad bought me a laptop. It wasn't easy for him to afford it, but that struggle made the gift even more special to me. With my new HP laptop, I first explored graphic design. I learned Figma, Adobe Premiere Pro, and After Effects. I picked up a lot of skills, but somehow, this field didn't excite me the way I expected. That's when I discovered coding. I started watching Code With Harry's web development tutorials and built small projects like a tic-tac-toe game. Something clicked. Coding felt different. It felt like mine. ### Moving Forward After 10th grade, I joined Abhinav Junior College for my 11th and 12th. I completed my HSC board exams with First Class. Looking back at this journey, from a backbencher who loved video games to someone who found real passion in building things with code, I know my story is just getting started. And somewhere between the mountains I dream of climbing and the code I love to write, I am figuring out who I want to become. --- # My Worst Regret ![IMG_20260707_124102.jpg](https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/69a9d877-8c8d-81b6-9b95-000363ae9cfb/d0895c88-3d79-4548-8b4c-ee56ae6f319c/IMG_20260707_124102.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAZI2LB4665R7TIYD6%2F20260711%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260711T141231Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEAIaCXVzLXdlc3QtMiJHMEUCIQDSN1%2F8gX5Ih7ZZC6NHnR0LUnsryPpGr8VN4ndceEbJDgIgaBxcxmC1c3USap3adC4hGkZBxLzFVKr89lFhhuVfEO0qiAQIy%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FARAAGgw2Mzc0MjMxODM4MDUiDLk%2BCvuePWpNzZzGEyrcA38%2BHYK2us7auRHHpSExhudOt39YNuFWWRaPc%2F%2BIKqfkFbhdvmDQzvgoyxJ9YR62helY7hEFL0Jg8m7aKypynbVf0ZTZfJFWfOGZU826IJuAP6QgMLsXMNRhDCdaZq%2Bvi%2BPIZwn%2Fwb1w3fvkhgi%2BUhBcwOp9cgmBaLS8Pz8x%2Ff%2B0q2FbUSUdTM4xzoKLzmPyGMrKTvb4c3eL717iMfcpUpm3tmiQH33N6DYVMU91eWLmxCJMkX%2FItbf23Yi4CTWHwoyOKd6p%2BQ0hF%2BU%2B61TSz%2FYOmm%2F%2FZh%2FoaEZJFf8JjKan%2Fk0X2lXJrEDdGBsyfd2VvV%2FzHCML3ovxov%2BAWZhPFY%2Feb45B2A7tuZwpDtx09WaiMUWW3hfoqjGALYq4i8xWSJG4T1Jyjs1GpQiZKvBSKmKnSo4fdxNnvlgKKq5pJ3WX6fGBJNdkbM2P%2BCVVVN%2B9PW6WSwjOAtDOAc8V43s9oPFXkUm3N0gfBGh%2Bjiu0Vz7YvnlUTWfA3XnmK7LAOMN%2BewKCycgQGEmTmLaV8UoM7XR86A4tBXk2upOOdK%2BthGGvplOwIkO%2FN65dkcXxdprB35LbkCLeZKliepPxqqvFseRUFFuyNix2VZFimaGHbuFrFEGKv6rKEyl07G%2FTMNuiyNIGOqUBfktPylOdZCBkGpuTh5JR0yygaZynDVYBY28uAlkHhMV15EqayCLu8J%2BwHoNImAmOtayhjLqJD3%2B%2FLFpsky7QFaMS48p3X5TNf%2B95DDyC4xrdafAWsLYF0gOM03w8oZrWJormHNSLB6KcS80hxvEKWp3yDi%2F3Juddne6XuqhDxo6uZMN6q1SXXGEoSKvYgWDOZ2VTyvCswZf2%2BnA329SjLDytfFb2&X-Amz-Signature=c7a715e3ffa437b9b9fffbb634b59285835063b9bddac288353bb63c6c2cd7a4&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject) After 12th, I dropped a year. I couldn't clear a fucking competitive exam, and my rank felt like a phone number with negative infinity in front of it. It was a hard pill to swallow. After that setback, I started learning web development in depth. Curiosity pulled me in, and within three months, I had learned a lot. But somewhere along the way, life turned dark. I fell into a low, depressed mood. I had no job, and I carried a constant feeling of sarcasm and frustration. At one point, I decided to give up on tech altogether and gave an interview at D-Mart. But my family stopped me from taking that path. They pushed me to look for something different, maybe an IT job instead. Around that time, I also faced bullying and constant comparisons with friends, which made things even harder. Then, in January 2025, I finally landed an internship. It was unpaid, but it didn't matter. I learned more in those months than I had in a long time, and it rebuilt my curiosity about how the internet actually works. --- # Curiosity Goes Further ![file_000000000ae871f5b9bac7fac6af2a0a.png](https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/69a9d877-8c8d-81b6-9b95-000363ae9cfb/0c108132-e948-4efe-a8c4-5e9d2da51538/file_000000000ae871f5b9bac7fac6af2a0a.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAZI2LB4665R7TIYD6%2F20260711%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260711T141231Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEAIaCXVzLXdlc3QtMiJHMEUCIQDSN1%2F8gX5Ih7ZZC6NHnR0LUnsryPpGr8VN4ndceEbJDgIgaBxcxmC1c3USap3adC4hGkZBxLzFVKr89lFhhuVfEO0qiAQIy%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FARAAGgw2Mzc0MjMxODM4MDUiDLk%2BCvuePWpNzZzGEyrcA38%2BHYK2us7auRHHpSExhudOt39YNuFWWRaPc%2F%2BIKqfkFbhdvmDQzvgoyxJ9YR62helY7hEFL0Jg8m7aKypynbVf0ZTZfJFWfOGZU826IJuAP6QgMLsXMNRhDCdaZq%2Bvi%2BPIZwn%2Fwb1w3fvkhgi%2BUhBcwOp9cgmBaLS8Pz8x%2Ff%2B0q2FbUSUdTM4xzoKLzmPyGMrKTvb4c3eL717iMfcpUpm3tmiQH33N6DYVMU91eWLmxCJMkX%2FItbf23Yi4CTWHwoyOKd6p%2BQ0hF%2BU%2B61TSz%2FYOmm%2F%2FZh%2FoaEZJFf8JjKan%2Fk0X2lXJrEDdGBsyfd2VvV%2FzHCML3ovxov%2BAWZhPFY%2Feb45B2A7tuZwpDtx09WaiMUWW3hfoqjGALYq4i8xWSJG4T1Jyjs1GpQiZKvBSKmKnSo4fdxNnvlgKKq5pJ3WX6fGBJNdkbM2P%2BCVVVN%2B9PW6WSwjOAtDOAc8V43s9oPFXkUm3N0gfBGh%2Bjiu0Vz7YvnlUTWfA3XnmK7LAOMN%2BewKCycgQGEmTmLaV8UoM7XR86A4tBXk2upOOdK%2BthGGvplOwIkO%2FN65dkcXxdprB35LbkCLeZKliepPxqqvFseRUFFuyNix2VZFimaGHbuFrFEGKv6rKEyl07G%2FTMNuiyNIGOqUBfktPylOdZCBkGpuTh5JR0yygaZynDVYBY28uAlkHhMV15EqayCLu8J%2BwHoNImAmOtayhjLqJD3%2B%2FLFpsky7QFaMS48p3X5TNf%2B95DDyC4xrdafAWsLYF0gOM03w8oZrWJormHNSLB6KcS80hxvEKWp3yDi%2F3Juddne6XuqhDxo6uZMN6q1SXXGEoSKvYgWDOZ2VTyvCswZf2%2BnA329SjLDytfFb2&X-Amz-Signature=91fdb7cf5a0421d0d19785d7200ed65dd35b3279bc9ebe6b3ec4e21c12941a6c&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject) That unpaid internship became the real turning point of my life. I dove deep into backend development and built a small WebSocket project, a chatting app, while also learning database design and architecture. From there, I moved into DevOps. I learned CI/CD pipelines, Docker, and deployment processes using GitHub Actions. I worked on a few local freelance projects too, an e-commerce site and a company portfolio. Then came my biggest project yet: an LMS (Learning Management System). It was one of the most challenging things I've built, full of research, late nights, and constant grinding. I finished it within a month. The video and live streaming features in the LMS ran on the YouTube API, so I integrated the full YouTube API along with OBS software using OBS WebSocket to connect everything to the LMS. But then I hit a new problem: YouTube's auto-quality setting inside the iframe wasn't giving me the control I needed. That problem sparked even more curiosity. I dug into AWS, EC2, SES, S3, ASG, SQS, and CloudWatch Alarms, learning and practicing each service until I finally built my own video streaming and encoding architecture. I learned all of this through YouTube videos, documentation, blogs, and AI. And if there's one thing I've come to believe, it's this: **If you stay curious, you will always beat everyone else.** --- # Fav Movies Bollywood 1. [3 Idiots](https://www.google.com/search?q=3%20idiots) 2. [Munna Bhai M.B.B.S](https://www.google.com/search?q=Munna%20Bhai%20M.B.B.S) 3. [Taare Zameen Par](https://www.google.com/search?q=Taare%20Zameen%20Par) 4. [12th Fail](https://www.google.com/search?q=12th%20Fail) 5. [The Lunchbox](https://www.google.com/search?q=The%20Lunchbox) 6. [Lion](https://www.google.com/search?q=Lion%20movie) Hollywood 1. [Interstellar](https://www.google.com/search?q=Interstellar) 2. [The Social Network](https://www.google.com/search?q=The%20Social%20Network) 3. [Silicon Valley (series)](https://www.google.com/search?q=Silicon%20Valley%20(TV%20series)) 4. [The Pursuit of Happyness](https://www.google.com/search?q=The%20Pursuit%20of%20Happyness) --- # Books - [Psychology of Money](https://www.amazon.in/Psychology-Money-Morgan-Housel/dp/9390166268) - [Atomic Habits](https://www.amazon.in/Atomic-Habits-James-Clear/dp/1847941834/) --- > _**"If it was easy, anyone could have done it."**_