E-Paper
From ₹2.4 LPA to ₹1 crore before 30: Bengaluru techie shares his journey to financial freedom
After starting with ₹2.4 LPA in 2018, the user shared how he survived in Bengaluru by sharing a room in a PG.
A Bengaluru software engineer’s financial journey, from earning ₹15,000 per month in a shared PG to building a ₹1 crore net worth before turning 30, is striking a chord online after he shared his life story on Reddit.
In a post titled “Milestone Check: Started at 2.4 LPA at 23, Achieved ₹1 crore before turning 30”, the Redditor reflected on how he rose from a low-income household and an underdog engineering college to secure a high-paying job in a product-based company, while steadily building wealth through investing and discipline.
“This isn’t a boast. It’s my story, a reminder that no matter where you start, with patience and persistence, things can change,” he wrote.
(Also Read: Bengaluru woman’s ₹22.5 lakh valuables stolen from parked car, all recovered in 48 hours)
Read his full post here:
PG to pay raise
After starting with ₹2.4 LPA in 2018, the user shared how he survived in Bengaluru by sharing a room in a PG, saving just ₹2,000 a month, and relying on financial help from relatives to get through college. But in three years, he had moved up to ₹12 LPA and then to ₹32 LPA, before stocks and bonuses helped him cross ₹45–50 LPA annually.
One breakthrough moment? A ₹12 LPA job offer received while answering an HR call from the toilet, he joked.
By 2022, he had 13 job offers in hand. “Some were amazing. Some looked like red flags dipped in glitter,” he added. He chose a reputed product company offering ₹32 LPA, and thanks to stock grants, his current compensation hovers close to ₹50 LPA.
The now-savvy investor also confessed to early missteps, like locking ₹3.5 lakh in a monthly payout FD instead of investing. But YouTube channels like Pranjal Kamra’s introduced him to mutual funds and SIPs. He now invests ₹71,000 per month and tracks his net worth religiously.
“That original FD? Now it’s my emergency fund,” he wrote.
His goal? Achieve Financial Independence (FI) by age 40, retire by 45. “I don't want to work beyond 45, maybe not even a day beyond if I can help it,” he wrote, imagining a future where he’s “laughing at all this from a hilltop café in Himachal.”
His advice to others starting out is t stay consistent, be frugal where it matters, and don’t underestimate compounding, both in career and finances.
(Also Read: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw bats for HAL airport reopening, Bengalureans say ‘not a good idea’)
