Because everything had gone smoothly, but because several experiences that initially seemed like failures eventually led to opportunities he had never imagined, reflecting on his nearly 9.5-year career, the man said he felt fortunate, not.
The man began his career at L&T Infotech, where he was assigned manual testing and had to clear seven internal examinations within eight attempts. He said he struggled with the assigned role and was eventually laid off.
The man began his career at L&T Infotech, where he was assigned manual testing and had to clear seven internal examinations within eight attempts. At the time, he viewed the experience as a failure. a friend encouraged him to give it another shot Although he was not planning to apply again. This time, he received a response and was selected. For anyone unfamiliar with it, it’s an enterprise software platform used by businesses. But I wasn’t excited about that career path. I’d wanted to work in big data since college, so I started learning it on my own. However, switching to a different technology stack required management approval. He eventually spoke candidly with his manager about his insecurities and concerns that his career was going nowhere. He explained that he needed an opportunity to work in the field he had been trying to enter. His manager listened, approached the service line leader, and helped secure approval for the switch. The manager suggested that he interview elsewhere and return if he received a better offer. Later that year, however, his manager left, and the situation changed. “My previous reviews had been excellent. He decided to start interviewing again. Failing internal examinations and losing his first job led him to reconsider his career path. A friend’s encouragement prompted him to apply to IBM again. An unexpected professional connection helped him secure his first big data opportunity, while a supportive manager enabled him to switch technology stacks when others believed approval was unlikely. “Of course, I worked hard. I spent years learning, took risks, kept applying, and tried to make the most of the opportunities I got. I’m not suggesting that everything happens for a reason or that hard work guarantees success,” he wrote. He added that many of the turning points in his career depended on circumstances he could not have planned. He wondered whether he would have pursued big data had he cleared his examinations at L&T, whether he would have applied to IBM again without his friend’s encouragement, or how much longer he would have waited for his first big data opportunity if the professional connection had not emerged. “Maybe it’s luck. Maybe it’s persistence. Maybe it’s timing, the people you meet, and being prepared when a door finally opens. Probably all of them,” he wrote. He also acknowledged that he had not reached the finish line and that the next phase of his career could bring its own challenges. He concluded that a setback could eventually lead to an opportunity a person could never have planned for, even if that was not apparent at the time.
Because employers wanted candidates with production experience, despite learning big data, he struggled to find an opportunity. Because he had worked on several successful projects, delivered results, and contributed to savings worth millions of dollars, the rating hurt, he said,. He therefore accepted the offer. Because he had spent years feeling anxious about his future, comparing his salary with others and worrying that his career was not progressing, he said he was sharing his experience.
Looking back, however, he wondered whether staying at the company would have kept him on a career path he never really wanted, earning around Rs 2.9 lakh a year. Within 15 days of being laid off, he joined IBM. Recalling his time at IBM, where he joined on February 14, 2017, he wrote, “At IBM, I was assigned JD Edwards. In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he finally joined a big data project. Following this advice, the professional interviewed with several companies and received offers from TCS, Cognizant, Wipro, and Nineleaps at Rs 7.5 lakh, Rs 9 lakh, Rs 12 lakh, and Rs 13 lakh per annum, respectively. By March 2022, his monthly salary had increased to Rs 1.25 lakh. He began exploring opportunities outside the company again and received several offers, including some worth around Rs 30 lakh per annum. He eventually chose Airbus, which offered him an annual package of Rs 23 lakh along with a joining bonus of Rs 5 lakh. He worked on major projects, handled a platform used by around 50,000 people, and contributed to projects that generated multimillion-dollar savings for the organisation. When the performance review cycle arrived, he received a rating of 2 out of 5. Yet this time, I received a poor rating and lost Rs 20,000 from my variable pay,” he wrote. This time, he received 15 job offers and chose Thoughtworks, which offered him Rs 48 lakh per annum. He said he had been living away from home since 2011 and wanted an opportunity to spend more time with his family. Now, he has received another opportunity to move to the UAE and work for a consulting firm, with annual compensation worth approximately Rs 1.5 crore.
He said he struggled with the assigned role and was eventually laid off. He said he had applied to the company several times earlier but had never received a response. For almost two years, he said, he did not receive much meaningful work. He said colleagues told him the request had never been approved before and was unlikely to succeed. He discussed the matter with his manager, who was sympathetic but said there was little he could do without an external job offer. He said his manager matched the highest offer. At Airbus, he got the opportunity to work with Palantir Foundry, a development he said changed his career trajectory. He said the experience helped him learn, grow, and take on responsibilities he could never have imagined when he was struggling to secure his first big data role. He said the issue was not just the money but the feeling that his contributions were not being recognised despite the effort he had put in. Looking back, he said he was struck by how several seemingly unrelated events had shaped his career. Later, he said, new opportunities emerged when he felt undervalued or stuck in his career. A higher salary, he said, did not guarantee happiness, and moving to a new country would require him to adapt, learn, and prove himself all over again. “But for now, I’m grateful,” he wrote. Reflecting on his journey, he said setbacks did not necessarily define a person’s future, and people did not always need to understand why something happened to keep moving forward.
He continued applying for jobs until an unexpected connection changed things. He connected with someone working in big data who needed a replacement before moving to Bengaluru. He asked her to recommend him, and she agreed. He subsequently cleared the interview. “I worked incredibly hard. I’d never worked in a production environment before, so I was learning on the job and trying to catch up. The discovery left him frustrated. He clarified that his concern was not that the colleague was earning too much, but that he could not understand why his own efforts had not translated into comparable financial growth. He chose not to disclose the organisation’s name, describing it as a relatively small company. The role also offered permanent work from home, with just three days of work at the client’s office each month, along with significant ownership and responsibility.
There were periods when I worked 14-15 hours a day,” he wrote. Despite his efforts, his annual salary had reached only around Rs 3.78 lakh by January 2022. He then came across the salary slip of a colleague who had joined after him, had around three years of experience, and was earning Rs 1.18 lakh a month in hand. The company offered him Rs 62 lakh per annum along with a joining bonus of Rs 5 lakh.
The professional had been at Thoughtworks for only two months when another organisation, which had previously offered him a job, approached him again.
