BTech Dropout Success Story, IIT Degree vs. Skills: Is an IIT degree necessary for a big salary? A viral post on social media has brought this question back into the spotlight. Growth marketer Lavanya Jain, who dropped out of engineering, claims to earn around ₹95 lakh annually. She shared a screenshot of her salary and said that the real secret to success isn’t the college name, but skills and a habit of continuous learning. Following her post, the IIT vs. Skills debate has intensified online.
BTech Dropout Success Story, IIT Degree vs. Skills: Is it necessary to study at an IIT to get a good job and a high salary? A viral post on social media has brought this question back into the spotlight. A young man claims to have dropped out of engineering before completing his BTech, but today he earns approximately 9.5 million rupees annually. He also shared a screenshot of his salary, sparking a debate on degree versus skills on social media.
He left his studies before completing his engineering degree.
This post was shared by a growth marketer named Lavanya Jain. She explained that she started a B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) but dropped out in the last semester. She says this decision proved to be one of the best of her life. She wrote that she neither studied at an IIT nor has an engineering degree. Despite this, today her earnings exceed the placement packages of many major colleges.
Claims to earn Rs 95 lakh annually
Lavanya Jain stated that she currently works as a part-time contractor and earns over US$100,000 (approximately ₹9.5 million) annually. She also shared screenshots of two salary credits in her post. One transaction shows a value of ₹3.74 lakh and the other shows a value of ₹1.12 lakh. Together, the total salary credits amount to approximately ₹4.86 lakh.
Not just a job, but also 5 passive income streams
Lavanya Jain said that her earnings are not limited to just her job. She claimed that she also has five different sources of passive income from which she earns additional income. She says that all her expenses are met from the income from her main job, while the rest of the income comes separately.
Worked in startups
According to her LinkedIn profile, Lavanya Jain has handled responsibilities related to Growth and Go-To-Market (GTM) in many startup companies. She has worked with many companies. She believes that in today’s startup world, more important than a degree is how well a person can work for the company and how much impact he can leave.
IIT is just a tag
In her post, Lavanya Jain said that her aim is not to show off her earnings. She wrote that she just wants to tell that an IIT degree is not a guarantee of success. According to her, the name of IIT can definitely give you a good alumni network and initial recognition, but to move ahead, the real difference is made by your skills and work. She also wrote that today many IIT graduates are working with her.
Debate erupted on social media
After the post went viral, people reacted differently on social media. Many praised Lavanya Jain’s hard work and success. One user wrote, “Great, happy to see your success.” Another wrote, “Great work, keep moving forward like this.”
Many people did not listen to him
However, not everyone agreed with her opinion. One user wrote that Lavanya Jain’s story is certainly inspiring, but it may be an exception. They said that on average, IIT students still achieve better careers, so students should definitely aim for IIT. Another user wrote that the importance of IIT cannot be underestimated. They said that even reaching IIT requires hard work, and even after getting a job, one must continue to work hard.
The degree versus skills debate is escalating again.
Lavanya Jain’s post has once again raised the question: what’s more important for career success—a great degree or strong skills? Today, many companies, especially startups, are prioritizing a candidate’s work experience, problem-solving abilities, and practical skills over a degree. However, education experts believe that both a good degree and strong skills have their own importance. A degree can provide initial opportunities, but for long-term growth, continuous learning, developing new skills, and achieving excellence are essential.