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Career Advice

In India, we’re taught to avoid salary talk like it’s bad manners. “Don’t ask others,” “Don’t tell yours,” “Just be grateful.” But this silence is exactly why many people keep getting paid less than they deserve.

The system benefits from this silence. If you don’t know the market rate, how will you negotiate? And guess what, those who ask, get. Always. Whether it’s through peers, forums like AmbitionBox, or ex-colleagues, ask and learn.

Your skills may be better than someone earning double. But if they asked and you didn’t, that’s not unfair, that’s unspoken strategy. Start talking numbers. It’s not rude, it’s smart.

If You Stay Silent About Pay, You’ll Stay Underpaid

Show me the money! Let's talk compensation and hustle.

Salary Discussions, Hike & Promotions

My manager is at 50lpa and age of 32 years, fully in the tech world.
But I feel he is broke, Home loans and EMI are consuming his salary.
1.5 crore apartment, shiny car, apart from all this, he can't afford a single stress-free vacation.
Welcome to India's newest illusion: high income with zero financial freedom.

Literally feel he deserves this, but feel bad for him also!
So in short, why do you want a good package and a good designation when you can't afford a happy vacation with family?

Do you agree too?

CTC is 50lpa, but cannot even afford a vacation!

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Career Growth

I have no dependency and financial burden on me, happy guy. So I was working in a service based company 6.5 LPA 3.5 years of experience.

I released I was being paid less worked my a** off got in product based company, 21 LPA and all the perks with good WLB.

But now everyone around me are also earning like crazy and I feel I am being underpaid still. I feel more hungry and unsatisfied as ever before. I used to enjoy my life much more before and my focus used to be experience and fun. 
I don't know what is up with me.

Have I become Greedy?

My friend cracked a top MBA. Landed a dream role. First few months, he was giving it everything. Long hours, proactive ideas, trying to learn fast.

But slowly, he realized the truth. He wasn’t growing, just getting better at chasing deadlines. His manager barely gave feedback. Promotions went to favourites. The work? Same slide, different title.

One night he told me, “I don’t even hate my job but I feel like I’m wasting my best years doing nothing that matters.” Since then i have been thinking about what he said. Because honestly, so many of us are quietly stuck, not unhappy enough to quit, not excited enough to grow.

No advice, yaar. Just felt like sharing this. Maybe you’ve felt the same? Yahi ghissi pitti life hai kya?

Job mil gayi, career kaha hai?

Supporting each other through the ups and downs of work life

Day to Day Office

I’ve been in this company for 4 years. In the beginning, I was excited and doing well. But slowly, that feeling just went away.

These days, I barely open my laptop. I manage most of my day through my phone. Haven’t felt truly engaged in months. I’ve been applying out consistently for 7 to 8 months, reaching out, networking, tweaking my resume everything. But m exhausted.

Every single promotion cycle just brought another reorg. And with every reorg, I got moved farther away from the work I actually wanted to do. The team I cared about doesn’t even exist anymore. There's no real growth path left, no appreciation, and now there are whispers about layoffs in the next 6 to 7 months. 

I’ve emotionally checked out. I dread opening Teams. Most meetings feel like noise. I don’t even know what I’m working toward anymore. And the worst part? I used to care. Deeply. About the impact, about my team, about doing good work.

How did you pull yourself out of it?

How long am I supposed to last like this?

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News

Dolly Chaiwala. A name that started with fun videos and reached all the way to Bill Gates.

And now when 1,600+ people want to open his tapri franchise,
we understand that it was never just about tea.
It was about doing something different, every single day

No MBA. No big money.
Just hard work, confidence and staying real.

Some people look for jobs.
Some people become the opportunity.

What do you think made Dolly successful.....his look, his hustle or his heart?