Looking for Fast Promotion? 4 Promotions in 5 Years, Indian-Origin Microsoft Engineer Reveals Secret
Looking for Fast Promotion? 4 Promotions in 5 Years, Indian-Origin Microsoft Engineer Reveals Secret
Ritwika Nagula’s proactive approach and focus on impact-driven work set her apart in a challenging tech industry.
The global tech sector is in flux, with artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly replacing junior roles and layoffs worrying employees across companies. Yet, in this uncertain climate, Indian-origin engineer Ritwika Nagula has scripted an inspiring success story at Microsoft by securing four promotions in just five years.
Nagula, who joined Microsoft’s Azure division in April 2019, quickly realised that simply doing quality work wasn’t enough to climb the corporate ladder. Her turning point came after her first year, when she understood that silence about career goals could be mistaken for a lack of ambition.
From her second year onwards, she began holding monthly one-on-one sessions with her manager, always keeping one discussion each month focused on her professional growth. She prepared diligently, asking: What is going well? Where can I improve? What am I overlooking?
Alongside this, Nagula set herself a personal timetable — aiming for a promotion every 18–24 months — and used Microsoft’s internal role library to benchmark her performance against expectations for each career stage.
“The first thing you have to understand is what’s required of you now and what’s expected at the next level. Then, figure out the gap and how to close it,” she explained.
Crucially, she didn’t wait for opportunities — she created them. When learning that senior roles demanded end-to-end project leadership, Nagula asked to lead projects instead of waiting to be assigned one. She also sought continuous feedback not only from managers but also peers and mentors, building a 360-degree view of her performance.
For Nagula, excelling at assigned work was only half the story. She deliberately chose projects with measurable impact that aligned with both team and company priorities.
“Getting promoted isn’t just about doing what’s on your plate,” she said. “It’s about taking ownership, finding opportunities, and making sure your work moves the needle in ways that matter.”
This blend of self-awareness, proactive goal-setting, and high-impact delivery helped her rise from a fresh graduate hire to Senior Software Engineer within five years — a rare achievement in one of the world’s most competitive industries.
