From Twice IIT Failure To Head Microsoft And Bestselling Author: Inspiring Story Of Priyanka Vergadia
‘Failure shapes us in ways where success can not’, many people must agree with this statement, as life comes in a package of struggles and relief. In a world full of hope and disappointments, success and failures, we keep searching for stories that we can connect with and be inspired to keep moving ahead. One such story is shared by Microsoft Senior Director Priyanka Vergadia, which will resonate with many and encourage those who are struggling with failures.
Priyanka, who started her career from scratch, now leads a top tech company and used ‘X’ to share her inspiring story of struggle to achieve her dreams and the truth that kept her motivated in the entire journey.
“The entire time, one truth kept me going: I had to believe in myself before anyone else would,” she wrote.
Priyanka writes that her world felt crumbled when she failed IIT twice, but it was not the destination but the beginning of something big.
Being the smartest person in the room is not compulsory to reach high; rather, it is about showing up consistently, learning relentlessly, and never letting failure or fear decisions is the key to success, she says.
“Don’t give up on yourself. Your timeline is your own. Dream! Dream big! You can only achieve what you can imagine, so don’t hold back,” she wrote.
Priyanka shared the timeline of her journey, navigating failures and showing up taller and stronger at every step.
2000: Decided to become an Engineer from IIT
2004: Failed to get into IIT
2005: Failed to get into IIT a second time—reluctantly took admission in another engineering school
2006: Started preparing for grad school in US
2008: Ran around trying to get a loan to go to grad school.
2009: Graduated with an engineering degree in India
2009: Moved to the US for grad school at UPenn, started from scratch in a new country
2010: Struggled to land an internship, while all my friends had one.
2010: The clock was ticking on student loan installments.
2010: Finally got an internship at a tiny startup
2011: Finally landed a job at the same startup.
2012: Struggled through tech career beginnings as a QA engineer
2013: Doubted if I belonged, leaped into customer-facing engineering
2014: Really felt like I’d arrived in my happy place—solving new business problems every day with engineering
2017: Google found me!
2019: Found this role called DevRel, found my love for learning out loud
2020: Launched some cool zero-to-one products
2021: Became a published best-selling author
2023: Led Developer Advocacy for North America at Google Cloud
2024: Microsoft found me to lead Developer Strategy for GTM!
2025: Earned Wharton MBA, launched another best-selling book, took the TED stage while building and leading a team with a multi-billion dollar impact.
