From ₹2.4 LPA to ₹14 LPA in 6 years: IT professional’s salary jump goes viral; social media debates over job strategies

An IT professional’s salary jump over six years has captured significant attention on X. Nandini M, who goes by the handle @your_niaaaa, shared her income journey from fresher to Senior DevOps engineer. The post garnered over 4.2 lakh views so far and sparked a wide-ranging debate about job loyalty in India's tech sector.

Nandini started her career in 2020 at an IT company, earning ₹2.40 LPA. A modest 10% hike the following year took her to ₹2.64 LPA. Her first significant leap came in 2022 when she switched to a startup, securing a 35% increase to ₹3.56 LPA. A promotion in 2023 brought a 25% rise to ₹4.45 LPA.

The defining move came in 2024. She joined a crypto firm as a DevOps L2 engineer, doubling her salary to ₹8.90 LPA. A promotion in 2025 added another 20%, taking her to ₹10.68 LPA. Her current salary in 2026 is ₹14 LPA, reflecting a 31.1% increase.

Her key takeaway was direct: "Sometimes, switching companies can make a bigger difference than waiting for annual hikes."

Social media reacts

The post prompted a range of reactions from professionals across experience levels.

One user shared that he had grown from ₹1 lakh per year to ₹40 lakh in gross salary over 18 years at the same company. The user tried to prove that loyalty-based growth was still possible.

Another user revealed a current salary of ₹52 LPA in DevOps. That prompted Nandini to ask about their total experience.

One user suggested a formula for freshers: target a salary equal to 4 times years of experience. The formula most likely means this. If you have 5 years of experience. You should ask for a 20% hike in the new company.

Nandini's response was measured. She indicated that peace of mind and a positive work environment were equally important to her at this stage of her career. “I’m happy right now. Peace of mind also matters,” she wrote.

One user noted that switching companies in the early years typically yielded 25–30% salary increases. The user argued that annual hikes within the same organisation were relatively minor.

“From my experience, switching companies gives a 25-30% jump. So, in initial years, one should jump 2-3 companies to get a good package, then settle down for a decent package. One may also put down the papers and bargain a bit every 2-3 years if you’re in the same company for many years,” the user added.

Another observed that every move in Nandini's timeline appeared to be tied to a specific role upgrade or agenuine opportunity. The user concluded that purposeful switching would matter far more than frequent switching.

One user invoked a well-known pricing analogy: the same bottle of water costs vastly different amounts depending on where it is sold.

“The old Warren Buffett logic explained. A bottle of 0.5l water in the wholesale warehouse is 0.15 GBP, in a corner shop is 0.25, in a local store is 0.5, in a flagship store on Oxford Street is 1.5, at the airport is 2.5 and on the actual plane is 3.5,” the user added.

A fresher asked Nandini whether accepting a role with a three-year bond was advisable. Her response was candid.

“If you don’t have another offer, I would consider taking it, but only after reading the bond properly. Three years is a long commitment for a fresher, especially if the pay and growth are average. Getting stuck at an unhappy job for 3 years could be brutal,” she replied.