At a time when many in the tech industry are worried about layoffs, college tiers and degrees, a Reddit post detailing one professional’s steady rise from ₹1.84 LPA to ₹75 LPA in 9 years is gaining attention.
In the post titled ‘From 1.84 LPA to 75 LPA in 9 Years: No B.Tech, Tier-3 College. Nothing is Impossible,’ the user shared that he is currently working as a Senior Solutions Architect in IT, despite coming from a non-engineering background. “I didn't have a B.Tech. I did a B.Sc. in Maths with Computer Applications from a Tier-3 college. No fancy campus, no premium network,” he wrote.
The user shared that he started his career through campus placement at a WITCH company - an acronym for major Indian IT services and consulting companies, including Wipro, Infosys, TCS, Cognizant, and HCLTech - with a salary of ₹1.84 LPA. Then, after 4 years, he revealed that his salary grew to ₹4.5 LPA.
The OP shared that the turning point came after the Covid-19 pandemic. He switched to a Big 4 firm, where his salary increased to ₹8 LPA - a 78% hike. However, the user wrote that he was not satisfied with the role and decided to switch again within a year. “By aggressively offer-hopping and securing 3 competing offers: New Salary: 17.4 LPA (- 117% Hike),” he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}The OP shared that the turning point came after the Covid-19 pandemic. He switched to a Big 4 firm, where his salary increased to ₹8 LPA - a 78% hike. However, the user wrote that he was not satisfied with the role and decided to switch again within a year. “By aggressively offer-hopping and securing 3 competing offers: New Salary: 17.4 LPA (- 117% Hike),” he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Growth and challenges
The Redditor said that over the next 3 years, he stayed in the same company and received a steady annual hikes of 15-20%, reaching ₹30 LPA. But due to a difficult work environment, the user said that they moved to a startup for better pay and work-life balance. This pushed his salary to ₹42.2 LPA, marking a 40% jump.
However, the Redditor shared that a year later, he was laid off. “It felt like a setback, but I walked away with 3 months of severance. I used that time to prep,” the user wrote. But his effort did pay off as he soon secured a new role at another startup with a salary of ₹75 LPA - a 77% increase from his previous pay.
Reflecting on his journey, the techie said that not having a B.Tech degree did not stop his growth. “Once you get your foot in the door, your ability to solve problems matters more than your degree title,” he wrote.
He also noted that layoffs are not always the end, and can sometimes open doors to better opportunities.” Getting laid off at 42 LPA felt scary, but it actually provided the bridge to 75 LPA,” he said.
He concluded with a simple message: “If you are stuck at a WITCH company or feel like your non-engineering background is a curse, it’s not. Keep upskilling, keep switching when the growth stalls, and don't let a bad manager kill your ambition.”
“Degrees get you the first job; grit and strategic switching get you the career. Nothing is impossible,” the user wrote.
(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.)