A Reddit user recounted his arduous career journey from failing the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) entrance exam to securing a lucrative position at Microsoft with a total compensation exceeding ₹1.2 crore (approximately $145,000 USD). Initially, he took a year off after Class 12 to prepare for IIT but ended up attending a tier-2 engineering college, where he struggled with motivation and completed his degree in 6 years due to backlogs. During this time, he attempted to work on startups, which ultimately failed. After earning his degree, he began his career in sales before pursuing an MBA from another tier-2 institution. His career path included a challenging role at a Middle East-based company and a return to India due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, he joined a startup at ₹11 lakh per annum (roughly $13,200 USD), which led to a series of promotions. His breakthrough came when he received an offer from Microsoft, marking a significant turnaround in his career. He encourages others facing difficulties to keep pushing forward, stating that setbacks do not define one's potential for success.