A Reddit post about a tech professional's career journey has gone viral after showing how their salary increased from Rs 1.84 lakh a year to Rs 75 lakh over nine years. The professional, who has a non-engineering degree from a Tier-3 college and no B.Tech, shared details of the career growth online.
Educational Background
The professional holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics with Computer Applications and currently works as a Senior Solutions Architect in IT. He began his career through campus placement at a WITCH company with a starting package of Rs1.84 lakh per annum.
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During his first four years, his salary gradually increased to around Rs4.5 lakh per annum. During the COVID-19 period, he moved to a Big Four firm, increasing his compensation to Rs8 lakh per annum, representing a rise of nearly 78%.
Strategic Job Switches Boost Salary
A year later, dissatisfied with his role, he began exploring other opportunities and secured three competing offers. Using the offers to negotiate, he increased his compensation to Rs17.4 lakh per annum, more than doubling his previous salary.
From 1.84LPA to 75LPA in 9 years.
— Swapna Kumar Panda (@swapnakpanda) August 16, 2026
No BTech. Passed out from a Tier-3 college.
This is how he achieved it: pic.twitter.com/pJjQQGcfaA
Over the following three years, regular salary hikes took his compensation to approximately Rs 30 lakh per annum. He then moved to a startup seeking better pay and a healthier work environment, raising his salary to Rs 42.2 lakh per annum.
How Have Layoffs Shaped His Career?
About a year after joining the startup, he was laid off. He received three months of severance and used the period to prepare for his next opportunity rather than viewing the setback as the end of his career.
He subsequently joined another startup, where his compensation rose to Rs 75 lakh per annum, marking a nearly 77% increase from his previous package.
Skills, Negotiation and Resilience
His salary progression went from Rs 1.84 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh, Rs 8 lakh, Rs 17.4 lakh, Rs 30 lakh, Rs 42.2 lakh and finally Rs 75 lakh.
Looking back, he credited problem-solving skills, continuous learning, strategic job switches, salary negotiations and resilience for his career growth. He also said that, over time, skills and technical expertise can matter more than educational qualifications.
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He said the layoff was difficult, but it also pushed him to prepare better and build skills that eventually helped him land better opportunities.
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