Covid made her rethink JEE. She took another route to IIT Madras and built AI career

COVID-19 changed Pragya's JEE plans in Malaysia, but not her IIT dream. She joined IIT Madras through its BS programme, gained hands-on data science experience and eventually landed an AI engineer role in Bengaluru.Covid changed her JEE journey. She still reached IIT Madras and built a career in AI (LinkedIn/@Pragya Singh)Her IIT dream almost took a different turn when the JEE route was disrupted by the pandemic. But Pragya did something that changed everything: she looked for another door. While in Malaysia during COVID-19, her plans to appear for JEE did not go as expected.Rather than letting the setback end her IIT dream, she chose another path, the IIT Madras BS programme in Data Science and Applications.The decision eventually took her from an undergraduate programme at IIT Madras to data science internships and, ultimately, to an AI engineer role in Bengaluru. Pragya’s journey is a powerful example of how resilience can turn an unexpected detour into a completely new path to success.WHEN THE USUAL ROUTE CLOSED, SHE FOUND ANOTHER ONEFor many IIT aspirants, the path seems straightforward: prepare for JEE, secure a rank and earn a seat at an IIT. Pragya’s journey did not follow that script. The pandemic disrupted her plans to take JEE while she was in Malaysia. But instead of allowing that setback to decide her future, she explored another possibility.In 2021, she joined IIT Madras’ BS programme in Data Science and Applications. What began as an alternative route to an IIT education would eventually become the foundation for her career in artificial intelligence and machine learning.FROM AN IIT MADRAS CLASSROOM TO DATA SCIENCE PROJECTS Pragya did not stop at completing the degree. During her undergraduate years, she began gaining practical experience through internships in data science. In 2023, she worked as a Data Science Intern at NutriNation, where she worked with technologies including Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and vector databases.She later joined Fiery, where she worked as a Data Science Intern from January to October 2024.Her work included building a RAG application for company documentation, an intent-recognition application and a home-decor application. These projects gave her exposure to the kind of practical AI applications that go beyond classroom exercises.SHE ENTERED AI/ML BEFORE FINISHING HER DEGREEPragya’s career transition came even before she officially completed her undergraduate programme. She joined Cyncly as an AI/ML Engineer in Bengaluru in October 2024.She completed her IIT Madras BS degree in Data Science and Applications in April 2025. The sequence of her journey is striking: an interrupted JEE plan, an unconventional entry into IIT Madras, internships in data science and then a professional role in AI/ML.It shows how academic credentials and practical skills can come together to create opportunities, especially in a field evolving as quickly as AI.HER STORY IS BIGGER THAN JUST IITPragya’s journey is not simply about finding an alternative route into IIT Madras. It is about refusing to let one disrupted plan decide the course of her future.The IIT Madras BS programme gave her another route to the institution she dreamed of. But she made that opportunity count, building practical skills through internships, working on real-world AI projects and eventually stepping into an AI/ML engineering role.IIT Madras BS programmes summed up her journey with a simple message: “JEE didn’t go as planned. But Pragya didn’t give up on her IIT dream.”And perhaps that is the most powerful lesson in her story. Students often grow up believing that one examination can determine where their lives are headed. JEE can open important doors, but Pragya’s experience shows that a disrupted plan does not have to become a disrupted future.She changed the route, not the destination. Sometimes, the path you never planned for can still take you exactly where you wanted to go.- EndsPublished By: Apoorva AnandPublished On: Sep 3, 2026 11:13 IST