Arif, a student of Bangladesh Agricultural University. Photo: BSS

BAU, Mymensingh, May 23, 2025 (BSS) - Arif, a student of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), has overcome all the challenges and achieved success as an entrepreneur at a young age.

Now, Arif, is the founder and CEO of EdTech startup 'NonAcademy', he is a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology.

NonAcademy, which started its journey on November 21, 2021, with the determination to develop skills and create employment opportunities for the poor, has transformed into a successful initiative within just a few years. 

This platform has been offering various technology-based courses including Blockchain, data science, machine learning and web development. 

So far, they have helped more than 1,300 students by developing their skills, creating job opportunities, and generating a new environment for becoming entrepreneurs.

Currently, NonAcademy has 11 permanent employees and many more contractual members. Arif's income is now several times higher than the monthly income of a first-class government official in Bangladesh.

However, the path to success began with some disappointment. Arif's first venture failed during the Covid-19. But he did not stop. 

While working, he realized that there were still many limitations in the country's education system. It was in those gaps that he found the horizon of potential.

In his words, "If we want to do something good in our country, we think we have to study at a big university. I want to convey the message to people that success can be achieved with skills outside of academia."

One of the features of NonAcademy is that there is no degree or certificate requirement. For a student to participate in the course NonAcademy only requirement is basic computer knowledge and a desire to learn. 

However, this initiative is not limited to online only. Arif wants to work on a larger scale by launching offline activities in the future.