Indian man quits ₹90 LPA job for Harvard MBA, lands Google role after 400 rejections

Indian man's journey from a high-paying job in Switzerland to studying at Harvard and facing job rejections has gone viral.

A content creator’s roller-coaster career story, involving a ₹90 lakh per year job, a Harvard degree, 400+ failed job applications, and finally a role at Google, is going viral on Instagram after Abhijay Arora shared it along with a video of his journey.

He applied for over 400 jobs, but his resume never got shortlisted. (Instagram/abhijayarora_)

Arora revealed that in 2022, he walked away from a ₹90 lakhs-per-year job in Switzerland, choosing to pursue his dream of studying in the US. He added that he also quit because his manager told him he couldn’t be promoted. While the learning experience abroad was “great,” reality hit hard during graduation, he was finishing a Harvard degree without a single job offer in hand.

He applied for over 400 jobs, but his resume never got shortlisted. “LinkedIn failed. Traditional networking failed. None of the job strategies were working,” he said. It was only after changing his entire strategy that things shifted. Six months later, he secured a Product Manager role at Google (YouTube).

Watch video here:

Arora insisted that his story shouldn’t discourage anyone from pursuing higher education. Instead, he urged aspirants to be prepared for the uncertainty that comes with leaving a comfortable job, “It’s not a mistake as long as you believe in yourself.” He added that he’s open to sharing tips that helped him crack Google.

As his post went viral, reactions poured in, from admiration to blunt questioning and desperate pleas for help.

One user argued that if Arora had simply switched roles instead of quitting, he could have been earning “300–400k” today instead of spending “200k on an MBA.”

Another questioned how a Harvard graduate struggled to find a job: “So you’re saying after studying from Harvard you were having a hard time finding a job?” Others sought personal guidance, “Help me, I need to level up. I’m unable to pay my rent, I need to break this cycle.”

Many also congratulated him and wanted specifics: “What strategies did you change before landing this job?”

Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.