Tier-3 tech graduate's professional journey from ₹3 LPA to ₹20 LPA goes viral: ‘Constantly felt like I wasn’t good’

A techie's viral Reddit post highlighted the everyday struggles of the IT sector—surviving multiple layoffs, navigating a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), and countering lowball HR offers.

Documenting his career journey, an anonymous professional from Uttar Pradesh shared a candid account of how he grew his starting salary from ₹3 lakh per annum (LPA) to ₹20 LPA through persistence and aggressive negotiation.

Modest dream, early setbacks

Growing up as an “above-average student” who eventually completed a BCA and MCA from a Tier-3 college, the techie admitted that programming never came naturally to him. At the time, his ambitions were incredibly grounded.

“My biggest dream was to earn ₹30,000 per month,” he wrote. “I used to think, ‘That’s ₹1,000 a day. Imagine earning that much!’ That was my definition of success. I never imagined earning ₹1 lakh a month. I simply didn’t have that level of confidence.”

But his corporate entry was turbulent. After facing 15 to 20 interview rejections, he said he secured his first job via campus placement, only to be laid off just two months later.

Out of a team of nine freshers, he was one of three let go. Undeterred, he found another role, only to be laid off again when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Hiring boom & dreaded PIP

After spending 1.5 years at a smaller company, the techie shared that he capitalised on the pandemic-era tech hiring boom. The techie secured offers from industry giants like Genpact, TCS, Wipro, and Infosys before settling on Capgemini.

The switch boosted his salary from ₹4 LPA to ₹9.5 LPA with just over two and a half years of experience.

However, the transition was far from smooth. The techie noted that while his first project was manageable, a subsequent client assignment exposed his lack of experience.

“I struggled badly. I lacked exposure, my confidence dropped, and I was even placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP),” he recalled. “At that point, I had almost six years of experience, yet I constantly felt like I wasn't a good performer.”

After spending nearly four years at Capgemini, battling stagnant wages, the techie shared he eventually left the company, earning just ₹10 LPA—a mere ₹50,000 increment over four years.

Lesson in corporate negotiation

Feeling stuck and constantly failing interviews, the professional eventually broke the cycle, but not without facing aggressive lowballing from HR departments.

He recounted instances in which companies verbally promised higher figures, only to slash them in the final offer letters.

The turning point came during his negotiations with HCL. Initially told the package would be ₹17 LPA, HR steadily walked the number down—first to ₹16 LPA, and then to ₹15 LPA plus a ₹1 lakh variable component.

“When you don’t have many options, you often have to accept things you normally wouldn’t,” he explained. “That experience taught me an important lesson: always keep interviewing until you have the offer you actually want.”

He did exactly that, eventually securing a competing offer for ₹20 LPA. When he informed HCL, they initially capped their counter at ₹17 LPA. He declined.

Forced to compete, HCL eventually matched the ₹20 LPA offer. Ironically, after joining HCL, he received a ₹23 LPA offer from Tech Mahindra, but he chose to stay put.

‘Don't stop believing’

Reflecting on his progression from a ₹3 LPA fresher to earning ₹20 LPA, the techie acknowledged that while his college friends might be earning upwards of ₹30 LPA, his personal growth has been monumental.

“When I look back at the boy whose biggest dream was to earn ₹30,000 a month, I realise I’ve already achieved something that once felt impossible,” he wrote.

Leaving a final piece of advice for other struggling IT professionals, he said: “You don’t have to be the smartest coder in the room. You don’t need perfect communication skills from day one. You might get rejected, laid off, put on a PIP, or made to feel like you’re not good enough. Just don’t stop learning, don’t stop interviewing, and don’t stop believing that your next opportunity can completely change your career.”

Netizens react

The candid post struck a chord with the online community, as many appreciated the techie's transparency about the industry's hidden struggles. “It's tough to navigate IT sometimes; sharing your experience can really help others feel less alone,” one social media user commented.

However, the discussion also reflected broader anxieties about current tech hiring trends and global competition.

Pointing to the changing landscape, another user argued, "The job market is completely oversaturated now. Unlike pre-COVID times, you can't just get a job without solid skills." The commenter also sparked a debate about wage stagnation by attributing the decline in salaries to a “massive influx” of IT professionals from India.

About the Author

Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.

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