The life narrative of an Indian technology leader has recently garnered a lot of interest on social media—not because it followed a clear-cut or ideal course, but rather because it did not. The trip demonstrates how early academic failures did not prevent long-term success but rather served as a basis for resiliency, confidence, and steady expansion in the global technological ecosystem.
Currently a Senior Director at Microsoft, Priyanka Vergadia used X (previously Twitter) to discuss her incredibly personal and professional story. She discussed failing the IIT-JEE admission test twice in her open post, which at the time felt terrible and definitive. But instead of signaling the end of her dreams, that stage subtly became the beginning of a very different and rewarding career path.
Students and young professionals in India, who frequently see early setbacks as irreversible obstacles, found great resonance in her thorough, year-by-year description. She showed that real accomplishment frequently happens gradually and unexpectedly and that development is rarely linear by candidly expressing her problems.
Early Academic Failures and Fresh Starts
Vergadia disclosed that she had originally intended to enroll at IIT in 2000 but had failed the admission exam in 2004 and 2005. After these attempts, she decided to enroll in an engineering institution in India that wasn’t affiliated with IIT. Although it was an accidental choice, it turned out to be crucial in determining her destiny.
After earning her engineering degree in 2009, she relocated to the US to continue her education at the University of Pennsylvania. When she thought back on those early years, she said they were very difficult. While many of her friends rose more swiftly, she struggled to find internships, had financial strain from school debts, and started her professional career in a quality engineering post.
A Step-by-Step Career
Her job path changed gradually over time. Her duties went beyond testing to include dealing directly with clients and resolving actual business issues. By 2014, she was working on projects that truly matched her abilities and interests.
As she said in her essay, “Google found me” in 2017. She wrote a best-selling book, helped design new technologies, found her love for developer relations at Google Cloud, and finally became the head of Developer Advocacy for North America.
Microsoft offered her a senior leadership position with an emphasis on developer strategy in 2024. She finished her MBA at Wharton, wrote a second book, gave a TED talk, and oversaw teams that carried out significant technical projects in the next year.
A Self-Belief-Based Message
Vergadia emphasized the need of inner confidence as she thought back on her trip. The one thing that kept her going, she claimed, was that she believed in herself before anybody else did. She claimed that although failing IIT twice first seemed like the end of the world, it was actually just the start of a lengthier journey.
She emphasized that it wasn’t intelligence that propelled her from a non-IIT engineering institution to leadership positions in multinational technology corporations, but rather perseverance, lifelong learning, and refusing to allow failure or fear control her choices.
She gave a strong reminder at the end of her speech: each person’s timetable is different. Since believing is the first step towards success, one must never stop dreaming and imagining.
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