From Rs 3 LPA in BPO to Rs 18 LPA in AI: Man shares career journey after layoffs and unemployment

According to fresh market updates, A man's journey from a BPO job paying around Rs 3 lakh a year to an Rs 18 lakh set package as an AI Engineer has drawn attention online. He shared the account on Reddit, detailing a career marked by a firm shutdown, unemployment, a return to BPO work and multiple career transitions before moving into artificial intelligence.

The user stated the journey began with a three-year BCA degree. Without an IIT or NIT background or a campus placement at a high-paying firm, the initial offers were largely from BPO and service firms, with salaries of around Rs 15,000-18,000 a month.

Having developed skills in Python, he decided to apply for jobs off-campus and eventually joined a firm that provided a nine-month computational data science training programme.

After completing the training, he was hired as a Data Scientist with a salary of Rs 50,000 a month.

The first major setback came around three months later when the firm shut down after its main client allegedly pulled out.

With the job market difficult at the time and income needed, the user returned to a BPO role, earning around Rs 25,000 a month, equivalent to roughly Rs 3 lakh annually.

The job involved long commutes and unusual shifts. The user stated the daily travel time was around four hours, in addition to nine hours of work.

After eight months, the user decided to resign without another offer in hand.

According to the post, the decision came after a billing error at work was escalated to the team leader and quality manager. During the discussion, the user stated there was a realisation that the role was no longer the right career path.

He subsequently spent time unemployed before securing an internship.

Three months into the internship, a full-time position was offered, but the compensation was considered too low and the offer was declined.

After another period without a job, the user eventually landed a Machine Learning Engineer role with a Rs 6 lakh annual package.

That firm became an important turning point in the career, according to the post.

Over roughly two years, the user moved from ML Engineer to Senior ML Engineer and then Senior AI Engineer, with compensation increasing from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8.5 lakh and then Rs 11 lakh.

After spending time in the role, the user stated there was a realisation that professional expansion had slowed.

Instead of immediately applying to multiple firms, the user stated the approach was simple: reinstall Naukri, update the resume, log in and wait.

The calls and interview opportunities followed, according to the post.

From a ₹25K/month BPO job to an ₹18 LPA set AI Engineer role, probably my biggest career achievement so far

u/GodDoes69 in

One offer was for Rs 14.5 lakh, but the firm changed the work location from Bengaluru to Mumbai shortly before joining. The user stated relocation or accommodation backing was requested but could not be provided, leading to the offer being declined.

Another offer of Rs 16 lakh was additionally not accepted.

The eventual breakthrough came with an Rs 18 lakh set package for an AI Engineer role, which the user accepted.

He stated the salary figure itself was not the main reason for sharing the story. Instead, the post focused on the sequence of setbacks and career changes.

The user stated there were several points when the next career move was unclear, but the eventual progression revealed that a career does not necessarily follow a straight path.

The post drew several congratulatory responses from other users.

One commenter, explorer_seeker, congratulated the user and stated that firm skills in data science and AI, along with mathematics and statistics fundamentals, could command elevated compensation. The commenter additionally highlighted the nine-month training programme at the first firm as a valuable part of the career journey.

Another user, adventurous_yus, congratulated the user and praised the perseverance shown throughout the career journey.

The post has since attracted attention for documenting the career path from an entry-level BPO role to an Rs 18 lakh AI position, despite multiple periods of unemployment and setbacks along the way.

Note: Moneycontrol has not independently verified the claims made in the Reddit post. The following account is based solely on the post shared on Reddit.