BTech student by day, security guard by night: Why this teen works to pay a Rs 10 lakh loan

At around 7 am, when most people begin their day, a 19-year-old college student in Hyderabad wraps up his night shift as a security guard. His father, who works as a security guard at the same establishment, arrives for his day shift, allowing the teenager to head home, freshen up and leave for college. After attending classes and preparing for his semester examinations, he returns to work at night.

It is an unusual routine for a second-year BTech student, but one Abhi Ram has come to accept as part of his everyday life. With a Rs 10 lakh education loan to repay and a monthly EMI of Rs 27,000, working is not a choice he can afford to postpone.

Through Instagram, where he began documenting his life as a security guard, Ram is challenging the stigma attached to certain professions and encouraging young people to take up work without worrying about what others might think.

Popular as BTech Security Wala, his videos have resonated with students and young people who find themselves in similar circumstances, with many reaching out to him for advice on finding jobs, managing their education and building skills.

A family’s collective effort

Abhi Ram, who is pursuing Computer Science at KG Reddy College in Moinabad, lives with his parents and two sisters in a rented single-room accommodation in Hyderabad’s Film Nagar-Jubilee Hills area.

The family of five has limited space, with the same room serving as their kitchen, bedroom and living area. Finding a quiet corner to study is often difficult, especially with household activities going on around him. His younger sister is in Class 10, while his elder sister is pursuing the fourth year of physiotherapy.

His father works as a security guard, while his mother is employed as a domestic worker in houses around their locality. The family’s finances are divided between repaying the education loan and managing everyday expenses.

His father earns approximately Rs 16,000 a month, while Ram earns Rs 13,000 from his security job. Almost their entire combined income goes towards the monthly EMI. His mother’s earnings are used to run the household, pay rent and meet other expenses.

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“My dad used to get around 16,000, and I get around 13,000. So our salary completely goes to the EMI. And my mom is a housemaid. Her salary is the only income for my house,” Abhiram, who has already paid the EMI for approximately 10 months, said.

Why he chose a night-shift job

Abhiram tried other part-time jobs, including packaging work and food delivery. However, these left him with little time to concentrate on his studies.

“In those jobs, I didn’t get enough time for college work. I did them for almost three to four months, but I started getting distracted from my studies,” he recalled.

Abhiram’s current job lets him work at night and utilise quieter hours to study. He said his father would arrive early for the day shift, allowing him to leave around 7 am, return home, freshen up and head to college.

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Abhiram shared that the security job offered something that his previous employment did not: the ability to earn a monthly salary while continuing to study.

‘No job is less or more’

The idea of sharing his experiences on social media came from something he noticed among his friends, Abhiram said. Some were facing financial difficulties like him. However, when he suggested that they consider taking up security jobs, they were reluctant. “They don’t even consider doing this,” he said.

Abhiram believes the hesitation stems from the stigma attached to certain professions and the fear of being judged. His own experience made him question why earning an honest living should ever be considered embarrassing.

An interaction with a stranger, who worked as a delivery executive, strengthened his belief. “He told me, ‘You’re doing pretty good. You should do this.’ So through that, I got motivation,” he recalled.

Abhiram began thinking about how documenting his experiences could encourage others to overcome similar inhibitions. “Through this, they’ll know that no job is less or no job is more,” he said.

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Abhiram believes that youngsters should not let the fear of social judgement stop them from contributing to their families or financing their education. “They are not killing their self-respect; they are killing their families by doing nothing,” he said.

From 50 videos to an Instagram audience

Though Abhiram joined his current workplace around the time he turned 18, he began creating content on Instagram in February this year.

The initial response was discouraging. He uploaded random videos, but they received very few views. Between February and August, he continued posting and eventually uploaded approximately 40 to 50 videos.

One of his reels finally reached around 10,000 views in August. “Through that, I got a lot of motivation from my audience. They love what I do,” he said.

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Soon, students pursuing BTech and other courses began reaching out to him. Many shared similar financial struggles and sought to know how they could find employment while studying.

Instead of merely documenting his routine, Abhiram began seeing the platform as an opportunity to guide people.

His bigger goal: affordable education

Despite the attention his videos have drawn, Abhiram says becoming a celebrity or an influencer is not his ambition. He wants to complete his engineering degree, secure a job and continue helping young people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.

One of the biggest concerns among his followers is the lack of affordable learning resources, he said. Students who want to acquire skills in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence often have to pay between Rs 50,000 and Rs 80,000 for certain courses, he said, adding that for those already struggling to finance their education, such expenses can be difficult to manage.

“In the future, whatever I do, I would like to provide affordable or free education,” Ram said. “I would like to make videos about what I have learned. And I would like to teach people. That’s the main goal for me now.”

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His followers have also started asking him for resources and a roadmap to build their careers.

A brand collaboration

Abhi Ram’s growing Instagram presence has also begun attracting commercial opportunities. He recently received an offer for his first brand collaboration, which was supposed to be a paid arrangement. However, he said, the brand has yet to pay him. “I have messaged them, but they are not replying.”

Asked if he would consider leaving college if his content gained millions of views or opened up opportunities with larger platforms, Ram maintained that completing his education remains his main goal. His ambition, he said, is not to become a celebrity but to build a career and inspire others along the way.

For now, Abhi Ram’s days revolve around college, examinations, and night shifts.