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Security guard to software engineer, Zoho’s Abdul Alim inspires the Internet with his journey

A LinkedIn post by Zoho engineer Alim, originally shared four years ago, has gone viral for its powerful story of perseverance and self-learning.

In 2020, Abdul Alim developed a COVID-19 tracker that integrated live news updates (Image source: Abdul Alim/LinkedIn)

Abdul Alim, now a Software Development Engineer at Zoho, is winning hearts online with his remarkable career journey. In 2013, he joined the company not as a developer but as a security guard — a detail that has made his story all the more inspiring.

In a heartfelt LinkedIn post, written four years ago but recently resurfaced, Alim recalled how he left home with just Rs 1,000. “I spent Rs 800 on a train ticket. After roaming the streets for two months, I finally found a job at a security desk,” he wrote.

His life changed when a senior Zoho employee, Shibu Alexis, noticed his potential. “Alim, I can see something in your eyes,” Alexis told him — a moment that Alim described as the turning point of his life. When asked about his background, Alim mentioned that he had learned a bit of HTML in school. Encouraged by Alexis to learn more, he began studying after his 12-hour shifts.

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“That’s how my learning began,” Alim wrote. “That particular moment became the turning point that set me on a path of continuous learning and growth.”

Within eight months, he had built a small app that could take user input and visualise it. Impressed, Alexis shared it with his manager, who offered Alim an interview. Despite having studied only up to Class 10 and never attended college, he cleared it successfully.

Alim then joined Zoho University for a one-year programming course and officially became an engineering trainee. Over time, he grew into a skilled software engineer, contributing to various projects.

In 2020, Alim developed a COVID-19 tracker that integrated live news updates. His LinkedIn profile shows multiple skill certifications, including front-end development, JSON, jQuery, CSS, Node.js, JavaScript, and React.

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The post prompted reactions from several professionals, with one saying, “Practice always makes perfect. Congratulations on Shibu Alexis. Very inspiring, Abdul Alim.”

Another user commented, “You’re really in under the good hands brother, Zoho gives a life to you. you’re passion and dedication makes you to get this secure position.”

“This is inspiring,” a third user reacted.