Zoho employee spent 8 months learning to code after 12-hour security shifts

Abdul Alim spent eight months learning computer programming each evening after completing 12-hour security shifts at Zoho Corporation’s Chennai office, a routine that eventually led to his becoming a software engineer at the same company, according to a LinkedIn post recounting his story.

Alim, who studied only until Class 10, joined Zoho as a security guard in 2013 after leaving home with just Rs 1,000, most of which went toward a train ticket. A senior employee, Shibu Alexis, noticed him during his shifts, learned he knew some basic HTML, and offered to mentor him in programming after work hours.

There was no formal classroom or coaching institute involved—just consistent evening practice. After eight months, Alim built a small application that accepted and displayed user input, which impressed Alexis enough to recommend him for a technical interview.

Alim was told he did not need a college degree to work at Zoho, only relevant skills. He cleared the interview and joined the company’s technical team as an Engineering Trainee in 2014, and today serves as a Member of Technical Staff after more than 12 years at the company.