Speaking with the TechGraph editorial team, Sandeep Jain, Founder & CEO of GeeksforGeeks said, “We are making all possible efforts to reskill the people and make them industry-ready by providing them with skill-based education that can land them their preferred job.”
Read complete interview:
TechGraph: Let us start with the first things first, can you tell our readers more about GeeksforGeeks?
Sandeep Jain: GeeksforGeeks – it is a Computer Science portal that fulfills all the requirements of the individuals for placement preparation. Whether it be quality content for Data Structures & Algorithms, Programming Languages, Interview Experiences, Practice Problems, tutorials of other CS Subjects, various online & offline courses – the platform provides you with almost everything that is required to prepare and crack the interview of any big tech company.
Also, GeeksforGeeks allows you to write on a particular topic and share it with everyone using the ‘Contribute’ feature and you can get rewarded too for it via remuneration, internship opportunities, discount offers, or any other way. Other than that – various coding events, campus programs, webinars are held regularly for the individuals. Contentedly, it is one of the fastest-growing communities among programmers and all the tech individuals with a reach of around more than 10 million users.
TechGraph: How did GeeksforGeeks transpire?
Sandeep Jain: Though I have had a passion for teaching since my college days – let me tell you that it was not the sole reason for the occurrence of GeeksforGeeks. There’s a very interesting story behind it.
During my college tenure, when the placement season arrived and we were excited to make the most out of it – we students found ourselves in a struggling position as we didn’t know what companies are going to ask in the interview, how many rounds there will be in the interview, how to prepare, etc. I honestly felt the lack of guidance, mentorship, quality, and dedicated learning resources for interview preparation, etc. Then.
And all this eventually gave birth to the idea of coming up with a platform like GeeksforGeeks that can help the students in achieving their career goals.
However, things took time and I started working on the GeeksforGeeks blog when I was simultaneously working as a Software Developer at DE Shaw and Co. Initially, it was started as a blogging page consisting of very limited content for Computer Science students – but over time, GeesforGeeks has grown exponentially with the immense support of students and now has become the one-stop destination for all the placement preparation related concerns of Computer Science enthusiasts.
TechGraph: What makes GeeksforGeeks different from other platforms, which are already available in the market?
Sandeep Jain: There are a couple of crucial aspects that we think set us apart from various other platforms available out there. For instance, GeeksforGeeks works for a vision to make learning as much affordable as it could be to make it accessible for every student out there, and yes, that too without compromising with the quality. And for a similar reason, we provide a majority of the content on our platform without any cost i.e., absolutely free for everyone. Other than that, the consistency of GeeksforGeeks in providing quality & latest content and other learning resources is also a significant factor that makes GeeksforGeeks different from other platforms.
In addition, other aspects like an enriching & easy-to-use interface, the ‘Contribute’ feature that is open for everyone to showcase their technical & writing skills, a practice portal to solve numerous programming problems, various industry experts designed courses with prominent features like schedule flexibility, premium lecture videos, GeeksforGeeks job portal, etc. Give us an edge over others.
TechGraph: How do you ensure a personalized learning experience for each student?
Sandeep Jain: First and foremost, GeeksforGeeks understands the needs of every student and subsequently provides the content, courses, or practice problems accordingly for each level i.e., from beginner to advanced. Also, the courses provided at GeeksforGeeks come up with features like schedule & location flexibility, practice & assessment tests, project-based learning, lifetime access, doubt assistance, etc so that students can learn at their convenience.
Besides, we’re working on the integration of various advanced ed-tech tools and modern-day technologies like AR and VR, Artificial Intelligence, etc. To make the learning experience more personalized and better for students. Recently, we’ve launched GeeksforGeeks Premium also that offers you features like ad-free content, premium reading experience, etc. And we constantly work on the website UI and UX as well for the enhanced learning experience.
TechGraph: Could you please shed light on GeeksforGeeks’ innovative product offerings?
Sandeep Jain: Okay, whether you want to learn Data Structures and Algorithms, Programming Language or any other computer science subject or want to practice the problems, or want to share your learnings with others or want to know about the recruitment process of any tech giants and respective interview experiences – GeeksforGeeks provides you the content or quality learning resources for almost everything. In addition, various programming events & webinar sessions are scheduled regularly and numerous internship opportunities are also provided to the students.
The practice section here allows you to practice as many programming problems as you want without any cost or inconvenience. Also, you can track your progress and view your rank among other programmers – it helps you to improve your skills. Moreover, the courses provided at GeeksforGeeks are designed by industry experts with various prominent features like premium video lectures, schedule flexibility, practice & assessment tests, lifetime access, certificates, and many more at the most affordable prices.
Going ahead, the ‘Contribute’ feature at the platform allows you to write on a topic and to share it with everyone. There are rewards also for the contributors that they often get in the form of remuneration, internship opportunities, discount offers, etc. Moreover, GeeksforGeeks also has its job portal for all the individuals out there where you can explore thousands of job opportunities conveniently and apply for the relevant ones.
Other than that, GeeksforGeeks has various separate YouTube channels for every domain like Java, Python, GATE Exam, School Learning, and many others where you can find quality content and resources in an organized way as per your requirements. Geeks Digest Magazine, GFG Mobile Application for smartphone users, etc. Are a few more worthwhile product offerings of GeeksforGeeks.
TechGraph: What are your plans around up-skilling and new products and formats?
Sandeep Jain: We at GeeksforGeeks know the importance of upskilling to get the dream job in such a competitive world and we constantly try to make the platform better than yesterday and come up with various new ideas and plans accordingly that can help the individuals in achieving their goals.
Talking about the few ones, we’re coming up with various new courses based on trending technologies as per the industry requirements very soon. Also, numerous coding events, webinar sessions, and other worthwhile programs are scheduled for the coming future. Other than that, we’re looking forward to integrating the latest technological advancements such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, etc. In our platform to make the online learning experience better for the students.
Besides, we’ve already come up with a video internship program for the individuals where they get the opportunity to create a video on a topic and get uploaded it on GeeksforGeeks Official YouTube Channel (quite similar to the ‘Contribute’ feature where students showcase their technical and writing skills on the website) to provide them the utmost exposure. Moreover, we’ve recently launched a School Learning module at GeeksforGeeks where the content for the school students will be provided. It will help them to lay a solid foundation for their future career goals.
Also, we’ve created various separate YouTube channels for the individuals where they’ll be able to find quality content and resources in an organized way as per their requirements. For example – if you’re preparing for GATE Exam, there is a GeeksforGeeks GATE Computer Science channel for you or if you want to learn and master a Programming Language whether it be Python, Java, or C/C++ – there are distinct channels for each language and so on.
TechGraph: EdTech businesses seem to have benefited from COVID-19. Why do you think that is happening?
Sandeep Jain: The reason behind the significant surge in EdTech platforms’ demand is very clear. During the pandemic lockdown situation, when schools, colleges, and all other physical classrooms are closed – digital learning and the edtech platforms are the only saviors for students that are helping them to get continued with their learning and studies without stepping out of their home.
Online learning or these platforms are no more optional now. The edtech platforms are making it possible for the students to learn from anywhere or anytime they want. I believe that this trend of digital learning and edtech platforms will continue even post covid situation considering the utmost comfort, convenience, and learning exposure it is providing to the individuals.
TechGraph: What kind of growth did GeeksforGeeks register during this pandemic?
Sandeep Jain: Needless to say, amidst this worldwide pandemic, when digital learning has become the new normal – edtech platforms are becoming a new-age necessity.
However, we at GeeksforGeeks, rather than grabbing it as an opportunity, are taking it more as a responsibility to come up with more sustainable and affordable solutions for all the students out there for making things much easier and convenient for them.
During this pandemic, we’re realizing how our responsibilities towards the students and society have now increased and we’ve already taken several crucial initiatives and implemented various plans & ideas in recent times accordingly – and honestly, that’s that actual growth for us.
TechGraph: How are you reskilling the people for their livelihood who have lost their job due to the pandemic?
Sandeep Jain: GeeksforGeeks is making all possible efforts to reskill the people and make them industry-ready by providing them with skill-based education that can land them their preferred job. We’re providing various online courses for the individuals based on trending technologies as per the industry requirements that will help the individuals to become industry-ready most efficiently and conveniently.
For instance, let’s talk about the particular Complete Interview Preparation Course offered by GeeksforGeeks. The course consists of pretty much everything that you would need to get into your dream jobs with premium lectures, theory, practice tests, assessment tests, and much more.
Also, we know that many of the individuals who have lost their jobs in the pandemic would be facing financial issues – and that’s why we’re providing the content and courses either free or at the most affordable prices.
Besides, we’ve also made the GFG job portal open for everyone that allows you to explore thousands of job opportunities conveniently and apply for the relevant ones without any charges. In addition, GeeksforGeeks is providing individuals with interview experiences, guidance sessions, webinars, etc. To pave the way for them to get into their dream job in such tough times.
TechGraph: Do you see the current market as a zero-sum game between GeeksforGeeks and your competitors or there is room for everyone to grow together?
Sandeep Jain: No, I don’t see the current market as a zero-sum game – there is a space for everyone to grow together. The actual meaning of competition in business, especially in our edtech domain, is not just to compete with each other but it is to make your own business better and provide more value to your customers or users without bothering much about the competitors. All the platforms, including us, are required to enhance themselves in terms of quality, reliability, accessibility, and affordability to grow themselves.
For example, we at GeeksforGeeks constantly try to make the platform better than yesterday and come up with updated & relevant content or learning resources for the students consistently. We compete with ourselves and that’s why we don’t have any definite limit to grow ourselves. Similarly, there is room for every other platform to grow and enhance.
TechGraph: What does the future hold for GeeksforGeeks?
Sandeep Jain: As I said previously that amidst this global pandemic when the demand for digital learning and edtech platforms is rising sharply, the responsibility of GeeksforGeeks towards the students has now increased and in the coming future, we’re planning to come up with the latest online courses based on trending technologies, various coding events and new campus programs across the nation, integration of advanced technologies on the platform to make the learning experience superior for the students, internship opportunities, etc. And, in the future also, GeeksforGeeks will stick to its vision which is to make quality education very much affordable and accessible to everyone, irrespective of any financial or geographical background.