Archive · 12 Aug 2026
IIT Alumnus Recalls Rs 40,000 Interview, Felt Like A Loser
A man named Akash went to a very famous engineering school in India called IIT.
After he finished school in 2016, he spent three years preparing for a big government exam called UPSC.
In 2019, he went to a job interview for a small data job that paid Rs 40,000 a month.
Instead of talking about his skills, the interviewer asked why someone from IIT would want a job like that.
The question made Akash feel like a ‘loser’, and he compared himself to his most successful classmates for months.
He realized that the IIT name opens many doors but can also make people judge you.
He says the entrance exam students take at 18 should not decide the rest of their lives.
Akash rebuilt his career one unglamorous role at a time.
Today he works as a software engineer in New York and says his income is in the top 2% of US incomes.
Many people who read his message on LinkedIn said they had felt the same pressure.
New York-based software engineer Akash Sampurnanand Pandey, an IIT-BHU alumnus, recalled a 2019 interview for an entry-level data analyst position paying Rs 40,000 a month.
Instead of focusing on his skills, the interviewer asked, “Arre, IIT se ho kar bhi yahin ho?” – why an IITian was applying for such a position – which left Pandey feeling like a ‘loser’.
Pandey had spent three years away from the industry after graduating from IIT (BHU) in 2016, preparing for the UPSC examination before returning to the corporate world.
He said the IIT tag opens doors but “quietly shuts one door – the right to fail without being judged or insulted,” and that he measured himself against the top 1 per cent of his batch for months.
Pandey argued that the JEE exam, taken at 18, was never meant to be a life sentence or a lifetime pass, and his LinkedIn post drew many users sharing similar career setbacks.
- Who
- Akash Sampurnanand Pandey, a New York-based software engineer and IIT-BHU alumnus
- What
- Recalled a 2019 job interview for an entry-level data analyst role paying Rs 40,000 a month, where the interviewer questioned why an IITian was applying for such a position
- When
- The interview took place in 2019; the LinkedIn post was reported on August 12, 2026
- Where
- Pandey is based in New York (the interview location is not specified)
- Why
- To highlight the pressure and judgment that come with the IIT tag and to argue that the JEE entrance test should not set lifelong limits on success
Backing Pandey's View
The IIT-Tag Expectation
Should IIT graduates face career judgment?
Backing Pandey's View
Pandey argues IIT graduates have the right to fail without being judged or insulted, and that applying for modest roles should not invite questioning from interviewers.
The IIT-Tag Expectation
The interviewer's question reflected an assumption that IITians should pursue top-tier careers and that an entry-level role was unusual for an IIT graduate.
Is JEE a lifelong measure of success?
Backing Pandey's View
Pandey says the JEE exam was never meant to be a life sentence or lifetime pass, and an entrance test taken at 18 cannot set lifelong limits on a person.
The IIT-Tag Expectation
The IIT tag is commonly seen as a signal of guaranteed career success, an expectation that commenters said creates pressure and humiliation for graduates who do not match it.
Is the IIT tag a blessing or a burden?
Backing Pandey's View
Some commenters said getting into IIT is a personal success that gives courage to overcome future challenges.
The IIT-Tag Expectation
Others said society has created an imaginary hype that IITians are by default brilliant, which piles extra pressure on ordinary graduates.
- Person
- Akash Sampurnanand Pandey
- Occupation
- Software engineer in New York
- Alma Mater
- IIT (BHU), Varanasi, class of 2016
- Interview Year
- 2019
- Position Offered
- Entry-level data analyst, Rs 40,000 per month
- Career Gap
- Three years away from industry preparing for UPSC
- Living IITians
- About 300,000 in the last 60 years
- Current Income
- Top 2% of US incomes, per Pandey
