Software Engineer from Chennai Lands Job with a 300% Salary Hike Post Upskilling

Rising above mediocrity, Abirami S, a system engineer from a service-
based company in Chennai, received a staggering 300% salary hike after 11 months of tech
upskilling. Abirami cracked the first interview she undertook post-upskilling, securing a product-
based job at Zetwerk.
Born and brought up in an ambitious family in Chennai with multiple successful engineers employed
in the US, Abirami aspired to be an engineer since childhood. However, due to the lack of proper
guidance in her school, her path toward becoming a skilled engineer seemed very unclear. During
the critical years of Class 11 and 12, Abirami was unaware of the significance of preparing for IITs
and other important engineering entrance exams. Due to this lack of clarity and counsel, she had to
settle for a Tier 3 engineering college in the city, studying Computer Science, the stream of her
choice.
While most of her peers were investing time to hone their coding and software development skills,
Abirami didn’t step out of the set curriculum, fearing failure.

However, being a hard worker and consistently doing well in her studies, Abirami secured excellent
marks and was a rank holder in her batch. She secured a decent job in the service-tech industry.
Abirami once again settled with whatever was being offered without questioning the status quo. A
good part of the 2.5 years at the service-based company went by with Abirami being placed on the
reserve bench, with little to no career growth. This, in turn, led to her contemplating her choices and
thus seeking her friends’ counsel to achieve sustainable career growth. A few of her coder friends
had first-hand experience with tech upskilling from Scaler, and they recommended that Abirami
undertake the Scaler Academy program. After much deliberation, this seemed like the ideal
opportunity to help her scale greater heights in her career.
“The first three to four years of one’s career is when the learning curve is generally steep. Hence, it is
important to identify the right career decisions and grab the best opportunities during this phase of
life. For me, I knew exactly where I wanted to be. My target was squarely set on landing a job in a
product-based company. But, the path to reach that goal was very unclear. I was looking for
guidance that could direct me toward this goal. Upskilling in software programming was precisely
that for me. A guiding light toward my dream job. Apart from learning the necessary skills to master
the art of software development, upskilling helped me believe in myself and provided me with the
confidence to tackle the coding challenges thrown at me. Moreover, it helped me develop the
attitude of giving everything a try in life, without the fear of failure or results holding me back”, said
Abirami S, Scaler Alumni.
Through mock interviews and mentorship provided by industry experts in the tech industry during
her upskilling program, Abirami was ready to handle the real-world challenges of software
development. With this new lease on life, equipped with the right skills for a product-based
company, she was now optimistic about reaching her target. Abirami went on to secure her dream
job as a Full-stack developer (SDE 2) at Zetwerk, with three times the remuneration she received
from her first stint with the service-based company.

Speaking on Abirami’s success, Abhimanyu Saxena, Co-founder of Scaler and InterviewBit, said,
“Today, the need for skilled software professionals is massive in the country. Even as our engineers
secure the required educational qualifications, they seem to lack critical thinking and problem-solving
skills, which the industry demands. Understanding this need and internalising the desire to bridge the
skill-gap situation is very important for every software engineer to stay relevant in the current tech
environment. Only then can a coder leave a mark and impact the industry. All credit to Abirami for
understanding this need and taking the right decisions toward becoming a skilled software developer
in a product-based company. When a learner sticks to their career goals and is ready to go to any
lengths to achieve that goal, dreams are bound to become a reality.”
After securing her dream job, Abirami has been on a growth journey with her team at Zetwerk,
winning multiple awards for her high-impact contributions to the organisation. Now, reaping the
benefits of continuous learning, Abirami urges every techie to focus on growth and learning,
understanding the software industry’s scope and need.
About Scaler:
Launched in 2019, Scaler is India’s leading edtech startup that upskills tech professionals. Scaler’s
industry-vetted curriculum provides solutions to real-world challenges addressing the changing
dynamics of the technology industry through two flagship programs – Scaler Academy and Scaler
DSML. Scaler believes in creating real-life impact by focusing on ‘impact-driven’ tech talent. Enrolled
learners are mentored and taught by leaders and subject matter experts working with leading
organisations, including MAANG companies. Scaler has generated enviable career outcomes in a
short period, and on average, its learners see a 4.5x RoI (return on investment) and salary hike of
approximately 126% (KPMG assessed Scaler’s placement records). To further redefine tech
education, Scaler has launched Scaler Neovarsity, an online university which offers an outcome-
focused Master’s Program accredited with ECTS. Scaler is also the only edtech player in the country
to establish ‘Scalerverse’, a distributed campus to add to its Neovarsity vision for learners, teachers
and mentors, encouraging holistic learning and development. Scaler Enterprise is the B2B arm that
focuses on building relationships with domestic and global organisations to provide them with
industry-ready talent. Over 600 companies have worked with Scaler for their tech recruitment
needs. The startup’s parent firm, InterviewBit, is featured on the Financial Times Asia Pacific High
Growth Companies 2021 and 2022 ranking. Scaler is backed by marquee global investors like
Sequoia Capital India, Tiger Global and Lightrock India and has expanded its footprints across India
and US.