‘Not Always Luck’: IIT Graduate’s Inspiring Journey to Microsoft Goes Viral
‘Not Always Luck’: IIT Graduate’s Inspiring Journey to Microsoft Goes Viral
Discipline, persistence, and skills paved her path, not just chance
When people hear that someone works at Microsoft, the immediate assumption is often “they were lucky.” But for Shivanjali Verma, an IIT graduate now working as a software engineer at Microsoft, her success is the result of patience, persistence, and discipline rather than luck alone.
In a viral Instagram video, Shivanjali shared glimpses from her college days, her certificates, and finally, the proud moment outside Microsoft’s office. She revealed that while luck may play a small role, without discipline and continuous learning, “luck can’t take you anywhere.”
Shivanjali studied mechanical engineering at IIT, breaking the stereotype that only computer science graduates land jobs at top tech firms. She explained that major companies like Microsoft hire from different engineering branches, as long as candidates demonstrate consistent academic performance, problem-solving skills, and strong coding abilities. Through IIT’s tech community, she developed coding expertise alongside her degree, which gave her the competitive edge.
Her path to Microsoft wasn’t immediate, it was built step by step. She interned with Microsoft in 2021 for two months, returned in 2022 for a three-month internship, and finally secured a full-time software engineer role in 2023. This gradual journey, she said, allowed her to prove her abilities and earn trust over time.
Addressing young professionals, she emphasized that degrees do not define destiny—skills and determination do. Her story quickly resonated with students who feel stuck in their career paths, reminding them that progress, not perfection, is what truly matters.
