The developer shared his journey on Reddit, explaining that the real secret behind his rapid career growth was continuously changing his preparation strategy with every job switch rather than relying on luck.
He began his career at a typical service-based company with a ₹3.5 LPA package. Over the next three years, he switched companies three times and eventually secured a ₹35 LPA role at a leading product-based company.
One detail that particularly caught the internet’s attention was his extraordinary consistency — he maintained a 1,750-day streak on LeetCode throughout the entire journey.
First Switch: From Service Company to Product Firm
According to the engineer, the preparation for his first switch mainly focused on mastering medium-level DSA (Data Structures and Algorithms) problems and clearly explaining solutions during interviews.
To prepare, he followed a highly disciplined but simple routine:
Solved one easy coding question daily for six months
Completed the well-known NeetCode 150 list
Practised mock interviews every week
He intentionally avoided expensive online courses and advanced system design preparation because those topics were unnecessary at that stage of his career.
Second Switch: From ₹12 LPA to ₹22 LPA
The second career jump proved significantly more demanding.
At this point, interviewers began focusing heavily on coding speed, backend development concepts, and competitive programming skills. To improve, he started participating in weekly LeetCode contests.
However, the transition wasn’t smooth initially.
“The first 15 contests were terrible. Around the 20th one, things finally started clicking. There’s honestly no shortcut — just repeated practice under pressure,” he explained.
Alongside coding preparation, he also improved his behavioural interview skills using the STAR method and strengthened his understanding of system design fundamentals through YouTube videos and books.
Final Leap: ₹22 LPA to ₹35 LPA
For the final switch, interviews became less about textbook coding questions and more about solving open-ended engineering challenges and discussing large-scale system design.
To prepare for this level, he:
Practised mock system design interviews with friends
Revised previously solved hard-level coding problems
Focused on improving speed and pattern recognition
By this stage, the emphasis had shifted from simply solving problems to demonstrating strong engineering thinking and communication skills.
Three Habits He Credits for His Growth
The engineer attributed his rapid salary growth to three major habits:
Maintaining consistency with his daily LeetCode practice
Learning coding patterns instead of blindly solving hundreds of questions
Switching companies every 12–18 months to maximise salary growth
He concluded his post with a statement that resonated strongly with many young developers online:
“Waiting for yearly hikes is probably the fastest way to stay underpaid. The market usually values your skills better than your manager does.”
