After four months of unemployment and “30+ interviews,” a young engineer resigns from a DevOps role at a small startup just nine days after joining, choosing instead a Software Engineer position at a UK-headquartered bank. The decision, shared in a widely discussed Reddit post, has sparked an outpouring of support and a frank debate on stability, brand value, and early-career trade-offs in India’s tech job market.

The Timeline, in His Words

The engineer (about two years of experience, Tier-3 college) recounts a run of rejections before finally landing a remote DevOps job at a roughly 80-person startup where “only 10 Indians” were on the team. He joined at ₹14 LPA, after negotiating up from an initial ₹8 LPA offer that, he says, was below his last CTC.

In parallel, he had been interviewing with an MNC, “a UK bank.” Days into the startup role, the MNC offer arrived: ₹15 LPA, a Software Engineer title, Bengaluru-based, hybrid (2 days a week on-site), and crucially in his view, better stability, product exposure, and work-life balance.

“Money difference might not be huge… but career trajectory and quality of life will be.”

Why Switch So Quickly?

He acknowledges the discomfort of quitting “after just 9 days,” but frames the move as a long-term bet on role fit and environment. The deciding factors he lists:

• Career trajectory: a product-centric software role vs. his current DevOps position.
• Stability and brand: the MNC tag and banking domain.
• Work-life balance: a hybrid schedule in Bengaluru after working fully remote since 2023.
• In-office exposure: he notes he has lacked office interactions for nearly two years and sees value in returning.

He says he sought advice from senior professionals at Nvidia, Amazon, Zeta, and Nutanix; “literally every single one of them” urged him to accept the MNC offer. Tired from continuous interviewing and study, he hopes to stay put for at least 1.5-2 years to gain stability.

“I have stopped applying… I needed peace. I feel this will be it.”

Engineer Resigns: Community Reaction: “You Did the Right Thing”

Commenters largely backed the switch, pointing to brand recognition and practical self-interest in a volatile market.

One response read: “An MNC is relatively the more stable job. And also the brand recognition helps, so don’t worry too much, you did the right thing.”

Another pointed: “Arey sahi hai bhai… kitna lowball kiya aapko, 8 de rahe, yeh 15 de rahe hai plus better brand value, go ahead bhai… layoffs ke time ek baar nahi sochte employees ke baare mein.” The sentiment: companies act pragmatically, so employees should, too.

The Offer vs. the Reality

While ₹15 LPA is only a modest bump from ₹14 LPA (“3–5k more in hand”), the engineer emphasizes non-monetary upside: a software engineering title, a stronger product environment, and structured work at scale. He also flags the initial lowballing to ₹8 LPA at the startup as an early red flag that “stayed in my head.”

What Comes Next?

He plans to pause the job hunt, settle into the Bengaluru hybrid role, and focus on learning without the churn of constant interviews. After his previous post drew “hundreds of DMs,” he says he’s tried to answer as many questions as possible: a small way, he adds, to “give back to the tech community.”

Takeaways From The Story

• Speedy switches aren’t always about salary. In this case, title, domain, and work-life balance outweighed a small pay bump.
• Negotiation history matters. Starting at a lowball number can shape how new hires feel about a role, even if they negotiate up.
• Peer guidance is influential. Advice from trusted seniors helped the engineer choose the MNC role with clearer long-term leverage.
• Stability can be a strategy. Aiming to stay 1.5–2 years reflects an intent to build compounding experience rather than chase frequent jumps.

All details in this report are drawn from the engineer’s own account and direct community responses on Reddit, as shared in the user’s summary. No additional claims or figures have been added.

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