Archive · 16 Aug 2026
IIT-BHU Alumnus Reveals Hidden Cost of IITian Tag
A man named Akash went to a very famous engineering college in India called IIT.
Many people think IIT students will always be successful.
After he graduated, he took a break to prepare for a big government exam.
Later, he tried to get a normal job.
During one interview, the interviewer made fun of him, saying, "You went to IIT and you're still here?"
His feelings were hurt, and he felt like a loser.
He says this is the hidden cost of the IIT label: people do not let you fail without judging you.
He slowly got back to work through ordinary jobs and now works in New York, earning more than almost everyone in the United States.
He wants people to remember that a test taken at age 18 should not decide your whole life.
IIT-BHU alumnus Akash Sampurnanand Pandey, now a software engineer at Rippling in New York City, shared his experience in a LinkedIn post.
During a 2019 interview for an entry-level data analyst role paying Rs 40,000 a month, an interviewer remarked, 'Arre, IIT se ho kar bhi yahin ho?' (you are still here, even after IIT).
Pandey had graduated from IIT (BHU) Varanasi in 2016 and had recently discontinued Union Public Service Commission exam preparation before returning to work.
He said the comment made him feel like a 'loser,' shattered his confidence, and highlighted that the IIT tag removes the 'right to fail' without being judged or insulted.
Now earning in the top 2% of US incomes, Pandey argued that the JEE exam was 'never meant to be a life sentence or a lifetime pass.'
- Who
- Akash Sampurnanand Pandey, an IIT-BHU alumnus and software engineer at Rippling in New York City, who shared the story in a LinkedIn post.
- What
- A LinkedIn post describing how he was judged and insulted in a job interview because of the pressure attached to the IIT tag, sparking a wider conversation about expectations placed on IITians and their career decisions.
- When
- The interviewer's remark came in 2019, three years after Pandey's 2016 graduation; the LinkedIn post was shared recently (exact date not stated).
- Where
- The post was shared on LinkedIn; Pandey currently works in New York City, United States. The interview's location was not stated.
- Why
- To highlight the hidden cost of the IIT tag, which removes the 'right to fail' without being judged or insulted, and to push back against treating graduates' setbacks as entertainment.
- Person
- Akash Sampurnanand Pandey
- Current role
- Software engineer at Rippling, New York City
- Alma mater
- Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi (graduated 2016)
- Incident
- Interviewer's remark during an entry-level data analyst interview in 2019
- Interview salary offered
- Rs 40,000 per month
- Prior career step
- Discontinued Union Public Service Commission exam preparation
- Income status
- Top 2% of earners in the United States
- Platform