From layoff to ₹1.5 crore UAE offer: How reskilling helped a tech professional rebuild his career and boost earnings

A tech professional who says he was laid off from his first job after failing internal examinations has shared how reskilling, job switches and career opportunities helped him progress from an annual salary of ₹2.9 lakh to a UAE consulting opportunity worth around ₹1.5 crore a year.

In a post on Reddit's r/Indian_flex community, user u/Aggravating_Dot_8757 recounted a career spanning L&T Infotech, IBM, Airbus and Thoughtworks before receiving the latest UAE opportunity. The professional, who reported around 9.5 years of experience, said the journey involved setbacks, periods of feeling undervalued and several attempts to move into a technology specialisation he wanted to pursue.

He joined IBM within 15 days of the layoff, following encouragement from a friend who urged him to apply again after earlier attempts had gone unanswered.

At IBM, he was assigned JD Edwards, an enterprise software platform, but wanted to work in big data. He began learning the technology independently but said employers were reluctant to hire him because he lacked production experience.

A chance connection eventually helped him secure an opportunity on a big data project. After discussing his career concerns with his manager, he obtained approval to change his technology stack and joined the project in May 2020.

Despite working long hours to learn on the job, his salary was around ₹3.78 lakh a year by January 2022, according to the post.

He received offers from TCS, Cognizant, Wipro and Nineleaps at ₹7.5 lakh, ₹9 lakh, ₹12 lakh and ₹13 lakh a year, respectively. His manager matched the highest offer, and his monthly salary reached ₹1.25 lakh by March 2022, he said.

Later, he joined Airbus at ₹23 lakh annually, along with a ₹5 lakh joining bonus. There, he worked with Palantir Foundry and contributed to projects that he said generated multimillion-dollar savings for the organisation.

After receiving a performance rating of 2 out of 5 and losing ₹20,000 from his variable pay, he decided to look for another role. He subsequently received 15 offers and chose Thoughtworks at ₹48 lakh a year.

Two months later, another organisation offered him ₹62 lakh annually and a ₹5 lakh joining bonus, along with permanent work-from-home flexibility and limited office attendance. He accepted the offer, citing the opportunity to spend more time at home after years away.

He said the move was driven not only by money but also by the prospect of international exposure, new challenges and professional growth.

Reflecting on the journey, he wrote, “I'm not suggesting that everything happens for a reason or that hard work guarantees success.”

He added that his progress reflected a combination of persistence, timing, connections and opportunities that he could not have planned in advance.

The post also drew responses from Reddit users. One commenter congratulated him but cautioned that living costs in the UAE could be substantial, writing, “As cost of living is extremely high. I am happy for you.”

Another user, who said they had recently been laid off and had not yet found a job, described the account as inspiring.

The professional acknowledged that the next chapter could bring new challenges, adding that a high salary did not guarantee happiness and that he would need to adapt and prove himself again.

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