3x salary hike in just one year: Employee reveals the risky decision that helped him jump from 7.8 LPA to 24.8 LPA income

Many professionals spend years hoping for a major salary jump, but for one software engineer, a series of career moves over just 12 months led to a dramatic increase in pay. Sharing his journey on Reddit, the techie explained how a difficult decision to relocate for a new job eventually helped him nearly triple his annual compensation.

The software engineer, a Java Full Stack Developer with close to five years of experience, said he started his career at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) through the Ninja profile. Looking back, he credited his first project for giving him exposure to technologies such as Java, Spring Boot, AWS, Angular and Python.

Despite spending nearly four years on the same project and receiving strong performance ratings, he felt his salary growth remained limited. In his Reddit post, he wrote, “But even after clearing the Digital Exam (Wings 1) and getting good bands (A - 2022, B - 2023, A - 2024), my CTC was just 7.8 LPA.”

The decision he almost didn't take

The turning point came during his first job switch in July 2025. At the time, he had multiple offers to choose from. One offered remote work but came with a lower salary. Another provided the highest package but required relocation to Bengaluru. A third option was located closer to home and paid slightly less than the Bengaluru role.

As someone who described himself as an introvert, moving to a new city was not something he was excited about. He admitted that he was leaning toward the safer option until a colleague encouraged him to think about the long-term benefits.

“I was planning to accept the last one because, as an introvert, I find it hard to make new friends and I hated relocating,” he wrote. “But one of my colleagues told me that I should accept the Bengaluru offer and relocate because it would be better for my career.”

He eventually followed that advice and moved to Bengaluru. The transition, he said, turned out better than expected. He found accommodation within budget, made new friends and settled into life in the city.

A second switch changed everything

For about six months, things went smoothly. However, cost-cutting measures soon affected his team. Several colleagues were released from the project, while another teammate's assignment came to an end. The developments pushed him to start exploring new opportunities again.

He first received an offer from a fintech company after clearing all interview rounds in a single day. However, the salary increase offered was only 22% over his existing package.

During his notice period, he continued interviewing with several organisations, including Philips, Delta Airlines, AMEX GBT and other service-based firms. While AMEX GBT offered a 50% hike, he said Delta Airlines declined his request for a 75% increase, saying it was outside the company's budget.

In the end, he accepted the AMEX GBT offer and joined the company this month.

Summarising his journey, the developer revealed that he began his career with a package of 3.3 LPA at TCS. Over the years, steady performance and skill development helped him reach 7.8 LPA. The big leap, however, came after changing companies and being willing to relocate.

“My current CTC is 24.8 LPA,” he later confirmed in the comments section.