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A Bengaluru engineer who began his career with a ₹5,000 monthly salary has built a ₹70 lakh net worth and now earns in lakhs, while reflecting on regrets, growth, and self-belief
A Bengaluru-based software professional has built a career that now earns him ₹45 LPA and a net worth of ₹70 lakh (Image-AI)
A Bengaluru-based techie has gone viral after revealing how he went from earning just ₹5,000 a month in his first job to drawing a ₹45 lakh annual package today. Shared on Reddit, his 12-year journey has struck a chord with aspiring professionals, especially those who believe the absence of a bachelor’s degree can become a barrier to career growth.
The techie revealed that he completed Class 12 in the commerce stream before pursuing a three-year Diploma in Computer Science, which he finished in 2013. Unlike many professionals in the technology sector, he did not hold a bachelor’s degree when he entered the workforce.
Nevertheless, he began building his career from the ground up, accepting a junior web developer role that paid only ₹5,000 per month.
Detailing his professional progression, he shared that his second job as a full-stack developer in 2015 increased his earnings to ₹15,000 per month. By 2017, he had become a senior developer with a monthly salary of ₹50,000. A year later, he moved into a Senior Software Engineer role, where his compensation gradually rose to around ₹87,000 per month.
The turning point in his career came in 2021 when he landed a Technical Lead position with a package of ₹28 lakh per annum. Calling it a “big jump” in his professional life, he said the role eventually paid up to ₹32 lakh annually. It was also during this period that he became serious about financial planning and wealth creation.
The techie admitted that until 2020-21, he had virtually no savings, as most of his income was spent on travel and other expenses. However, after learning about mutual funds and stock market investing, he began investing aggressively. He also benefited from substantial Provident Fund contributions, which helped him build long-term wealth.
His career faced a setback in April 2025 when he was laid off. However, the severance package, along with notice pay and leave encashment, amounted to approximately ₹11 lakh before taxes. Since he had accumulated sufficient savings by then, he decided to take a short career break.
The break proved temporary. By November 2025, he secured another opportunity as a Senior Technical Lead, this time with a compensation package of ₹45 lakh per annum and a monthly salary of around ₹2.7 lakh.
Despite reaching milestones many professionals aspire to achieve, the Bengaluru techie admitted that he continues to struggle with feelings of regret and self-doubt. He said he often wonders whether he could have progressed faster had he pursued a bachelor’s degree earlier in life.
Reflecting on his journey, he wrote, “I’m currently content with my salary but I feel like I should have worked hard and got into good salary jobs earlier in my career rather than sticking to small scale web dev companies with small salary – but back then it was huge for me too. What was holding me back was the lack of Bachelor Degree, I though I could only get so much with Diploma.”
He further shared, “I still feel regrets of not taking Bachelors degree and in only in this Jan I enrolled to IGNOU BCA just for the sake of having a Bachelors Degree.”
At the same time, he acknowledged how far he has come, adding, “Looking back, I feel proud of myself for getting to where I am but also feel like there are people doing better than me and getting paid way higher than me for the same experience (It’s a human think ig, constant comparison).”
According to the post, his current net worth stands at approximately ₹70 lakh, spread across mutual funds, Provident Fund savings, fixed deposits, and other investments.
The post quickly attracted attention from fellow professionals, many of whom were curious about his career path and sought guidance for their own journeys.
“Are you doing a remote job currently? What kind of company is it and how did ypu come across this job,” asked one user.
“I am a UX designer with a degree in commerce from tier III, now thinking of taking a bachelor degree from IIT-coursera. What do you suggest?” said another.
“Which platform do you use for applying the job?” said a third.
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