Smera discovered her love for design early, starting with t-shirt designs and selling handmade wands online. Although she started pursuing engineering, she eventually found her way back to creativity through IIIT Delhi’s design program. Now working in Germany, she’s thriving as a designer, doing what she loves.
WORK
Role at the company
UI-UX Design
Working at
Quansight
Location
Berlin, Germany
EDUCATION
Studied from
IIITD, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology
Graduated with
B.Tech Computer science & Design
Subjects in 12th
Physics
Maths
Chemistry
Hey Smera! So, when did you first get into design? Was it something you explored before college?
Oh, definitely before college! Back in school, I was really into designing t-shirts and knew I wanted to do something creative. I loved painting and even had this Instagram account called bornfrombooks where I posted my art. I was just having fun with Photoshop and typography back then, around 16 years old.
That sounds so cool! What made you close that Instagram account?
Well, I started making wands—like Harry Potter wands!—and selling them online. It was really fun at first, but after two years in college, I was burnt out. I was also doing it for the money because I didn’t get much from home. Most of my allowance went towards mess fees and the metro, so selling the wands gave me some extra cash. But eventually, it just got exhausting.
Wands?! That’s awesome. Did you ever think about going into the arts full-tim
Oh, I definitely wanted to! But my parents weren’t on board with that idea. They didn’t think art was a “real” career. They pushed me towards science and math instead, which is how I ended up doing JEE prep.
Wow, that must have been tough. Did you do any art classes growing up?
Yeah, actually! My mom used to take me to art classes every other day, and I did a bunch of competitions. Art was always a big part of my life, but once I started JEE prep, I kind of had to put it on the back burner. Then after the exams, I got back into it by making wands.
How did you find the JEE prep process?
Oh man, I joined VMC for coaching and gave it my all, but I absolutely hated it. For two years, I kept thinking, “Maybe I’m just average.” It really messes with your confidence.
Were you a topper in school?
Yeah, I was. And that’s where the imposter syndrome hit hard. I started doubting myself, thinking maybe I wasn’t really that smart—maybe I’d just convinced people I was.
Aww, that’s tough. So why didn’t you quit JEE if it was making you so unhappy?
Honestly, it was guilt. My parents had paid for the coaching, and I didn’t know what else I’d do if I stopped. Plus, when they first suggested I take commerce, I had rebelled, so I felt like I couldn’t back out now.
You’ve got a younger sister, right? Is she going down the engineering path too?
No way! I keep telling her not to. She’s 14 and a fantastic cook, so I’m like, “Find what you love, and don’t worry—every career can be successful if you’re good at it.” I think she’ll figure it out in her own way.
That’s great advice. I also had a tough time with coaching—it felt like they were constantly judging if you were good enough. So how did you eventually find your way into design?
Oh, that was kind of random! A guy in my batch was preparing for UCET, and at first, I thought it was some sketchy website! But then when he explained it to me and I saw it was linked to IIT, I was like, “Okay, this is legit.” That’s when I started getting into it.
Did you prepare for the UCET exam?
Yeah, I did! I prepped for about two months, found a cheap course, and I absolutely loved it. It was so much better than JEE prep. The exam had more aptitude questions, and I actually had fun studying for it.
And then you went to IIIT Delhi for the CSD program, right? How was that experience?
Yes! It was amazing. All the self-doubt I had during JEE prep just disappeared. I realized I wasn’t “not smart enough”—I was just doing something I didn’t love. When I got into design, it felt natural. Honestly, half the effort I put into design gave me double the results compared to JEE. The workload was heavy, but it didn’t feel as draining because I was enjoying it.
That’s so great to hear! Was it hard to find a job in design after college?
My first year was a bit of a struggle—I didn’t really enjoy the work. But by my second year, I was like, “Okay, I’m sticking with design.” I heard about Outreachy from a friend, and even though it was mostly tech-focused at the time, they had a couple of design openings. I worked on the Fedora project and got into open-source contributions through that.
Do you think your college experience helped you in your design career?
Absolutely. The course was solid, and a lot of the design concepts I learned in college applied directly to my work. So yeah, it definitely gave me a head start.
Now that you’ve been working as a designer for a while, do you still enjoy it?
I do! I was feeling kind of stagnant in my last company, but I recently switched jobs, and the change has been really refreshing. It’s nice to be excited about design again.
Last question—do you ever regret not pursuing a career in the arts?
Honestly, no. IIIT shaped my career, and the people I met there were super competitive and always knew about great opportunities. I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t gone there, but I’m happy with where I am now.
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