Earning Rs 10k As Intern To Starting Own Company In 6 Years, Techie Shares Journey: 'Survived On Maggi'

A techie's journey from an intern earning a modest stipend of Rs 10,000 to a startup founder has gone viral on social media. After leaving a comfortable job with a Rs 3.5 lakh monthly salary, the techie built his own company in just under six years. Sharing his journey on Reddit, the techie revealed he now leads a team of nine with a growing international client base across India, Europe, and the US, achieving six consecutive months of revenue growth.

"Fresh out of college in 2018. Joined a Bangalore startup as an intern for Rs 10,000/month. Had a Rs 25k offer from a service company. turned it down. Everyone thought I was being stupid. My logic was simple, which is I wanted to write real code from day one. not spend 6 months in training," the techie wrote.

During the internship, the techie shared a 2BHK with three roommates in Bengaluru, where he survived on Maggi but learned important technical details related to the job. His first full-time role was in the same startup in 2019, with a monthly salary of Rs 25,000.

Things changed dramatically in 2021 when they jumped from a salary of Rs 45,000 to Rs 80,000 after learning blockchain while still working at the previous company. Afterwards, a French Blockchain startup came looking for the techie and he made another jump.

"2022: Rs 3,50,000/mo, French blockchain startup found me on LinkedIn. Three interview rounds. Offered Rs 3.5L/month, 4x my previous salary. Took it. Worked remotely for 1.5 years. Used that time to quietly build my own company on the side," the techie said.

In 2024, the techie left the job and decided to build his own startup, stating that his decision not to pick the 'service' job at the beginning was the game-changer.

"The one decision that mattered most: taking the Rs 10k internship over the Rs 25k service company job. Everything else was downstream of that."

Check The Viral Post Here:

I went from ₹10K intern to running my own company. Sharing every salary number since nobody in India talks about this openly.
by u/Ok_Pineapple_5163 in developersIndia

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Social Media Reactions

As the post gained traction, social media users lauded the techie for sharing his journey with the salary numbers, whilst others sought his help.

'This is solid. The 10k intern to own company arc is basically the Bangalore startup dream. Congrats man," said one user while another added: "Yep most crypto jobs pay extremely well. It's a bear market now tho."

A third commented: "Salute to your hustle, OP. Truly inspiring. Where there's a will, there's always a way. Many youngsters chase Rs 50 LPA packages, thinking a handful of LeetCode problems makes them worthy, while turning down startup roles that may pay less but offer 10x learning and real career acceleration."

A fourth said: "This should be a wake-up call for those waiting for opportunities instead of building them. You chose the harder path; creating your own and that's what sets you apart. Respect for your dedication and relentless hard work."