Small-town techie lands job at OpenAI project after 500 of rejections, earns Rs 20 lakh per month

“Rejection after rejection for months,” he wrote in a Reddit post that quickly went viral. “Out of all those applications, I got just one interview call—and somehow, I cleared it.”

That one interview turned into a life-changing opportunity. The OpenAI-linked project gave him not just financial independence, but also the kind of exposure most fresh graduates only dream of. From a humble campus package, the jump to Rs 20 lakh per month was unimaginable.

He admitted that during the project he worked tirelessly, often cutting down to four to five hours of sleep a night. But for him, it was worth it: “Remote work proved to me that geography doesn’t matter if you have skills and internet access.”

The project wrapped up in August, but he’s already onto the next chapter, setting up his own tech company.

For students from small towns, his advice is simple but powerful: “Don’t settle for good enough. Apply everywhere, build in public, and network relentlessly.”

His journey is proof that determination, skill, and the right opportunity can help anyone—from any corner of India, make it big on the global stage.