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Techie fired in 3 days by IITian employer says she now makes 8 times more money
An AI techie said that an IITian employer fired her within 3 days. A year later, she said she earns 8 times more money.
An AI automation engineer has shared how being fired just 3 days into a job by an IIT-educated founder turned out to be an unexpected turning point in her career.
In an Instagram video, Ritu Maurya said she was dismissed during her first week after being criticised by the founder in front of a client. She said that the founder had promised hands-on mentorship during the hiring process but was largely unavailable once she joined.
“Just two days into the job… there were a lot of things I did not know, and he had mentioned that he would be the one guiding me, but he was nowhere to be found,” she said in the video. Maurya added that the founder often responded to her messages hours later and did not get on calls to help her understand tasks better.
She said that the situation escalated quickly, and after about 72 hours, the founder criticised her work to a client, claiming he could have completed it himself in an hour. She added that the incident was emotionally difficult and took time to process even after she moved on.
But instead of dwelling on the setback, Maurya said that she focused on improving her skills. She began watching tutorials, asking peers for help and openly asking questions until she built a stronger understanding of the work. She also started sharing her learning journey on LinkedIn, which eventually helped her connect with another founder willing to mentor and invest in her growth.
A year after losing the job, Maurya said that her career had taken a dramatically different turn. “I now make eight times more than what the IITian founder had offered,” she said, adding that she felt relieved to have exited the earlier workplace.
In the caption of the video, she wrote that she later realised she had left what many others described as a “toxic” workplace. She also recalled a recent moment that surprised her. “That founder recently messaged me to follow his Instagram page. Guess what I did?” she wrote.
(Also Read: IIT alum says excitement for work faded after joining high-paying corporate job: ‘Nothing cool being built anymore’)
Social media reactions
Her story resonated with many tech professionals online, several of whom shared similar experiences from the early stages of their careers.
“This happened with me as well. Not within 3 days, but somewhat within 2 months! When I showed my finished task, the employer used to say I was wasting his time. When he used to give me a task, I wanted to explain what I understood about the job and what I is expected from me, and if I misunderstood any part, then he used to say I am complicating things. One day I just said I am confused myself what I am doing here. I quit,” one user wrote.
“Something similar happened to me. I joined a contracting role where my main skill was Ansible. I assumed the person who interviewed and selected me would guide me on Python scripting. I was comfortable doing Ansible scripting, but then they asked me to write an Ansible module. I couldn’t do it within a week because it required Python, and I didn’t have prior experience with Python scripting. Even though they knew my background, they let me go. I cried for months until I finally got my next job. The fear of losing my job stayed with me for a long time. This happened about five years ago, and it still gives me nightmares sometimes. But I picked myself up, and I’m doing well in life now,” shared another.
“This is what happens with new founders, they themselves are weak in decision making,” wrote a third user.
“You belong right up at the top of the world. You made it through all of it and came out stronger. Super proud of you,” said another.
