Pradeep Kumar Saini, a Bengaluru-based engineer, exemplifies resilience and determination in his professional journey. Despite early setbacks, including failing to crack IIT-JEE and struggling during campus placements, Saini now enjoys a handsome salary package of ₹50 lakh per annum.
Saini, a career coach and YouTuber, shared his inspiring career story on Instagram and revealed the ‘magic mantra’ behind his success—an unexpected tool: Excel sheets.
Failure to crack IIT JEE entrance exam
In his social media post, Saini says he wanted to study at India's most premier engineering college, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). However, his dream was shattered when he failed to secure admission to IIT or even the National Insititute of Technology (NIT) after school.
After completing his engineering degree at Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Technical University, Saini faced further challenges. Despite his qualifications, he struggled during campus placements and failed to get placed with any top tech giants like Wipro, TCS, or Infosys.
Saini eventually began his career as a web developer.
Remained jobless during COVID
The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a heavy blow to his career, leaving him jobless for over three months. Before the pandemic, he had been working at ShopClues with a salary of ₹8 LPA.
Job offer that changed everything
Despite the setbacks, Saini remained determined to keep pushing forward. His perseverance paid off when, after being unemployed for months, he secured a new job with a pay package of ₹50 lakh per annum at Zee.
Key factors that fueled his career trajectory
In his Instagram post, Saini outlined the key factors that contributed to his success. He shared that he used Excel sheets to track every step of his journey, from success to failure.
- He never gave up during tough times and always tried to upskill himself and expand his domain knowledge.
- Remaining firm on a plan, and continuously learning from mistakes, Saini ensured that he stayed on course.
- Key aspect of his growth was regularly self-introspecting, even if it meant tracking every step through Excel sheets.
Netizens react on Instagram
His success story garnered huge social media attention, where many people praised his consistent efforts.
“Most realistic success,” commented a user on the post.
“Congrats and u deserved. with resilience& consistency can make failure is another chance to grow [sic].”
“Hence, it is proved that college doesn't matter [sic].”
“Koshish karne walo ki haar nhi hoti [sic].”
