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The person posting (OP) graduated from a small private college in 2021 and started a job at Cognizant through large-scale campus hiring at a salary of ₹3.5 LPA (about ₹26,000 per month in hand). Driven by family debt (₹5,000-10,000 per month) and pressure from a middle-class family, he focused all his attention on repaying the loan and improving his skills. In 2022, he changed jobs to IBM at a salary of ₹8 LPA. He prioritized gaining 3 years of solid experience to hone his expertise (probably in the area of ​​software engineering/development) rather than a small salary increase (turned down offers of 30-40%). The result of this was that his salary increased by 45% in 2023 and by 28% in 2024.

Mid 2024: He started a job in a new company at a salary of ₹19 LPA. Later, he also received job offers from companies like ServiceNow, PayPal and Cisco, and finally got a job with a top-tier product-based company (whose name was not disclosed, but it was at the same level as big companies like MAANG) with a salary of ₹65 LPA. OP expressed immense happiness that they have made their parents proud and now they can enjoy all the luxuries of their choice. Internet users praised his dedication, called it inspiring, and asked him for some preparation tips (like: LeetCode, system design, and constantly updating his skills). Media outlets like Hindustan Times, India Today, Bussiness and NDTV also featured the news prominently today, leading to even more buzz with reactions like “the pinnacle of inspiration” and “guide others”.

Some important points: Some news headlines have quoted the salary as ₹3.6 LPA or ₹3.4 LPA (which may be due to rounding or minor variations in post); His entire journey has lasted for about 4 years (from 2021 to early 2025/2026); And in this era of tech-boom in India, it is completely possible and realistic for professionals to change jobs based on their skills and achieve such success. **Rewritten version (298 words):**

An inspiring journey of a software engineer, who jumped from ₹3.5 LPA to ₹65 LPA in four years, shared on Reddit has gone viral. This story shows the strategic steps he took towards his career and the consistent hard work he put in. In this story (“From ₹3.5 LPA to ₹65 LPA in 4 years: My journey”) posted on r/TeluguJournals, this tech-professional graduated from a modest private college in 2021 and started working at Cognizant through campus bulk hiring at a salary of ₹3.5 LPA (about ₹26,000 per month in hand).

Coming from a middle-class family that had a loan of ₹5,000-10,000 per month, her initial months were more focused on gaining stability and repaying the loan rather than dreaming big. When faced with reality, change was sparked: In 2022, he changed jobs at IBM at a salary of ₹8 LPA. Instead of chasing an immediate 30-40% salary increase, this engineer focused on gaining solid experience over three years and continuously improving his skills (with a strong emphasis on coding, projects, and interview preparation).

This patience paid off—there was a salary increase of 45% in 2023 and 28% in 2024. In mid-2024, he got a job in a new company at a salary of ₹19 LPA, after which he also got job offers from companies like ServiceNow, PayPal and Cisco. Eventually, a top product-based company offered her a salary of ₹65 LPA—which changed her life, enabling her to support her family and afford luxuries she never thought possible.

This post highlights a disciplined strategy: prioritize learning your skills in-depth rather than making a hasty job change, mastering the skills required for senior positions, and leveraging your experience to make big leaps into product-based companies. People across the internet praised this story—“awesome inspiration,” “so inspiring”—and many asked OP to share her preparation plan (e.g. LeetCode, system design, interview behavior tips). In the comments, people praised this shift from hard work at service-based companies to high-paying tech jobs.

This true story reflects the fierce competition that exists in India’s IT sector: consistent hard work, changing jobs at the right time, and improving your skills—all of this can lead to tremendous growth for even someone from a humble background. In this era of economic pressures, this story has become a source of inspiration for thousands of people.