700% Salary Hike In Just 1 Year! Employee Shares Tips On How His Pay Jumped From Rs 5.5l To Rs 45 LPA

New Delhi: A Delhi-based software development engineer has claimed that he managed to bag a job offer of Rs 45 lakhs per annum within a year of starting his career at IBM at a CTC of 5.5 LPA. His massive salary jump has sparked a heated debate online, with many wondering how it is possible and also if there are any tips for getting such a hefty salary hike. 

A dream salary for a middle-class person

Devesh Kumar claimed in a post on X that for a middle-class man like himself, his massive salary jump felt like a dream. “I started my full-time career last year at IBM with just a CTC of 5.5 LPA and now having an offer of over 45 LPA CTC in hand within a year, for a middle-class guy like me, it’s still a dream,” he wrote on X. 

Never mentioned it but tbh, I still sometimes think I am still in a dream, bcoz I started my full time career last year at IBM with just a CTC of 5.5 LPA, and now having an offer of over 45 LPA CTC in hand within an year, for a middle class guy like me, it's still a dream__. — Devesh (@theywayshhh) May 26, 2025

Follow-up posts

"In starting of your career, prioritise job over money. If you are not getting a good package, just enter with low and work so hard that you take a massive jump,” he wrote in a follow-up post.

After the post was shared, many were curious to know how someone earning Rs 5.5 LPA could earn over Rs 45 LPA CTC. In response to the queries of people, Devesh posted a follow-up and said, "Those people who have a doubt, like how it is possible to directly jump from CTC like Rs 5-6 LPA to Rs 45 LPA - the MAANG or FAANG companies have their base pay and CTC preset. So it’s similar for everyone. They won’t judge you on your previous pay."

Those people who have a doubt like how is it possible to directly jump from CTC like 5-6 LPA to 45 LPA something, so basically the MAANG or FAANG (whatever) companies have their base pay and ctc preset, so it's similar for everyone, they won't judge you on your previous pays. — Devesh (@theywayshhh) May 27, 2025

Reaction of netizens

There were conflicting responses to Devesh's career path on the internet. While many praised his accomplishments and asked for advice, others responded with skepticism. 

One user said, “45 LPA offer within a year? That’s incredible. Can you share some tips?”

Another said, “How do you negotiate? Any recruiter looking at your current 5.5 LPA would say, ‘We can give you an increment of 25% max.’ How do you convince the other person?”

A sceptical user said, “Next year his CTC will be 47 Crore Per annum.” 

Another user said, “Early success is a scam – that’s what people told me.”