'No Wi-Fi, leaking roof': Ex-Amazon techie recalls humble 2021 WFH setup

Working with a leaky roof and no Wi-Fi in 2021, an engineer shared his journey from a village home to Amazon and Booking Holdings.

Reminiscing about his humble beginnings, a software engineer shared a powerful memory of his 2021 work-from-home setup. Long before moving up the tech ladder with stops at big-tech giants like Amazon, his daily routine involved a leaky roof, a sputtering mobile hotspot, and a laptop that died mid-interview. Reflecting on those tough days, the techie emphasised how working through severe constraints taught him far more about resilience and problem-solving than any high-tech, ideal workspace ever could.

The techie whose post has resonated with many. (LinkedIn/Akash Bachkar)

“A memory from five years ago popped up, and I’m still processing it. Back in 2021, this was my setup. It was a little unconventional,” wrote software engineer Akash Bachkar on LinkedIn.

He recalled that his home was in a village without Wi-Fi, adding, “I had to work using my mobile hotspot. My phone would overheat all the time, forcing me to drop offline frequently just to let it cool down.”

Bachkar continued, “Our roof was weak and leaked whenever it rained. I used to keep a small pot on the table to catch the drops right next to me while I worked.” He shared how he used a table fan to “survive the heat”. However, he had to switch it off during meetings or interviews.

“I was using this old laptop, which was really slow. It actually died on me right in the middle of one of my interviews,” he said, adding, “Those early constraints taught me more about problem-solving than any perfect setup ever could.”

The techie continued, “The pressure to build something from scratch, brick by brick, is a privilege. Making the best use of whatever resources are available is what takes us places. Looking back is a great reminder to be grateful for what we have, keep building for a better future, and stay humble.”

How did social media react?

An individual posted, “Inspiring. It was a similar setup that changed my life. Lived in a shack with no running water. The next year, I was working at AWS.” Another commented, “Reading this gave me goosebumps. It’s so easy to take basic stability for granted, but your journey is a powerful reminder that grit, hunger, and resilience matter far more than any perfect setup. So much respect for how far you’ve come and the humility you carry with it!”

A third expressed, “Ambition shapes the journey, not the tools. Comfort leads to caution; discomfort leads to change.” A fourth wrote, “I can only imagine how stressful it must have been to join interviews knowing your laptop or internet could fail at any time. Huge respect for pushing through it.”