New Delhi: A tech professional on Reddit recently shared his inspiring journey of increasing his salary from Rs 7.4 lakh per annum at a service-based company to Rs 60 LPA at a FAANG firm (specifically Amazon). His story, which has since gone viral, details a significant career and personal transformation.
In a lengthy Reddit post, the techie explianed that he began his career at a service-based firm with a package of Rs 7.4 LPA after graduating from a “tier-3 college”. He then moved to a startup, which raised his salary to Rs 13.5 LPA. The turning point came when an Amazon recruiter contacted him on LinkedIn, leading to the interview process that landed him the Rs 60 LPA role as a Software Development Engineer II (SDE2).
Beyond the financial success, he also emphasised a personal transformation, including getting in shape and developing more confidence and a better sense of humor.The engineer attributed his success to patience and rigorous preparation, and highlighted that compensation at large tech companies is based on internal level bands, not a candidate’s previous salary.
“I scored 17 out of 360 in JEE Mains and 73% in 12th. I used to shine in studies and sports… and then suddenly I didn’t. Tier-3 college, low confidence, no real personality but got really good friends in college. Then COVID hit, and I isolated myself. It was a tough phase, but it pushed me to work on myself quietly. Got placed at 7.4 LPA in a service-based company. Worked hard. Moved to a startup at 13.5 LPA. Then one day, an Amazon recruiter reached out and I made it. 60L a year. But honestly, the job isn’t the whole story. I’ve grown. I’ve changed. Now I’m someone with an athletic body, good humour, and a presence I never had before,” he wrote.
He prepared for the interview using the Striver SDE Sheet for DSA, an open-source low-level design repository, and high-level design concepts from YouTube creator Gaurav Sen.His selection process at Amazon consisted of five rounds:
His selection process at Amazon consisted of five rounds:
- Online Assessment: One medium and one hard problem, plus a system design section.
- DSA Round: One medium and one hard problem (graphs + min-heap).
- LLD Round: Focused on low-level design (hard).
- Bar Raiser (Problem-Solving): Involved graphs and dynamic programming.
- HLD Round: Focused on high-level system design (medium).
- His story has inspired many in the tech community, especially those from non-premier colleges, by
demonstrating that significant career growth is possible through dedicated upskilling and strategic job changes.
One user wrote, “Congratulations brother, your story is an inspiration for people like us.”
Another commented, “All the under confident folks out there- life does change and can turn itself around, believe it . All you have to do is take action. Congrats op.”
A third said, “Inspirational bro keep up the grind hope you get way more successful than this.”
