Rupanjana Mitra, a graduate from the National Institute of Technology Durgapur, shared her tumultuous career journey in a recent LinkedIn post, highlighting the unpredictability of professional life. Despite graduating from a prestigious engineering institute, Mitra faced significant challenges, including a lack of participation in campus recruitment, which led to a modest off-campus job in Mumbai with a salary of ₹28,000 (approximately $340 USD) per month. After nearly three years, she moved to San Francisco for higher studies but encountered further setbacks, including failing a course and struggling to secure a US visa for her master's program at Drexel University.

During her career rebuild, Mitra worked as a Rapido rider, a ride-sharing service, while applying to over 500 companies without success. Her candid reflections on social media resonated with many who appreciated her honesty about the often-hidden struggles behind polished success stories. Today, she has found her footing as a Senior Software Engineer at a company in Goa, India, and continues to inspire others with her narrative of resilience and perseverance.