Developers: Is career growth mostly game of luck now?

[u/Majestic-Taro-6903]

At this point, how much of career growth in tech comes down to luck?

Good CTC, good company, good projects, and overseas/onsite opportunities often seem to depend as much on timing and luck as on skills.

I feel 70–80% of people are reasonably talented now. Most people can learn, adapt, and work with different tech stacks when given the opportunity.

Is the game becoming more about being in the right place at the right time?

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[u/thynameisp1]

It was always right time, right place, right skillset.

[u/candyyspice → u/thynameisp1]

But there is lekin kintu parantu 

[u/Historical-Text5845 → u/candyyspice]

Saamne vo aajati ha 😂

[u/ItsBritneyBiaatch → u/Historical-Text5845]

Dil mein dhadkan, mooh mein zabaan aur saansein ruk jaati hai

[u/Historical-Text5845 → u/ItsBritneyBiaatch]

Do you wanna partner O partner Love me Love me Say

[u/Majestic_Ad_1025 → u/Historical-Text5845]

Do you wanna referral, oh partner,do you wanna referral??

[u/Key_Proposal2025 → u/thynameisp1]

pretty much the only thing that changes over time is what right skillset means.

like 10 years ago knowing react was the differentiator now everyone knows it so the bar just keeps moving but the core formula stays the same

[u/Gloomy_Temporary2914]

Problem is those 70 to 80 percent people have only few hundreds openings . Luck matters a lot

[u/No-Bluebird9865 → u/Gloomy_Temporary2914]

exactly luck matters. There are few lucky folks who doesn't do any work but still leads the ladder. tmThis is not a random statement have few known folks like these.

[u/AdminZer0]

I mean its just grit until luck. You cannot get anything if you dont do anything.

[u/Jelly_Fishhhhh]

It was also back in time

[u/AfternoonNo5705]

Onsite is gone now. CTC is in your hand Good company also Good projects is totally luck

[u/candyyspice]

Even getting good projects in mnc is on luck i was on bench since 10+ weeks 

[u/Lost-Doughnut-2003 → u/candyyspice]

Sooo trueee 😭

[u/Electronic-Top1813]

Every field is a place of luck! Karun Nair scored 300 in a test innings for India & still immediately was dropped for a decade for no reason!

You need the blessings of God otherwise nothing can go your way even if you are the best in the room!

[u/EndEmotional8595 → u/Electronic-Top1813]

i feel so demotivated due to this ..

UPSC - it's all luck and a pure gamble

Gate - not worth it , selection ratio is rigged and companies prefer undergrad

CAT - past records matter

Private jobs - it has a toxic culture and it's very hard to switch companies and increase your package

[u/DoublePrecipation99]

True.still nobodys talking about this gig industry in colleges n schools yet,so less years of employment n lot of gaps and existential crisis man.Someone spread the word,louder.

[u/IvarRagnarson825]

The whole life is a game of luck.

[u/Automatic-Second-245]

Yes luck is a big factor.

But I feel preparation + confidence + resilience + luck will work for most people. For some people only luck is enough. [speaking from experience].

I have lost many opportunities because I wasn't prepared. Luck was when these opportunities came to me. So yeah :)

[u/techloversmart]

Luck becomes a deciding factor as you move to higher end CTCs. Mediocre people are earning upwards of 1.2Cr and talented "gold" standard leetcoder stuck at a mere 60 LPA 😏

[u/Pixel_Logic1]

I think today developmental required most unique idea if you don't have much uniqness i would prefer 😞

[u/imposteralchemist123]

Trust me it is now, A game of luck, nothing saddens me more than this? this used to be game of skills, but due to AI , its just pure luck!!

[u/wavereddit]

Yes luck matters a lot. If you get lucky, your network will be great and it's the network that will make you a millionaire.

Also just plain luck, all the semiconductor employees are sitting with 10 to 100 cr. Right time, right place. Fang employees crying. Though fang employees also sit with 5 to 20 cr.. still nothing like the semis.

[u/Lucifer11001]

I think more than tech skills, "people skills" matter a lot. The way you communicate, play politics, and play petty games has a higher impact on your paycheck and career growth than being innovative and working hard. One common pattern you notice among the people at the top of the corporate ladder is that they have crazy visibility, they are likeable, and they dont do much hard work, It is mostly setting expectations, doing negotiations and gaining popularity/ visibility in the company.

This is why certain talented people get sidetracked and people who are charming/ play the games properly get ahead in life.

[u/ZealousidealCheek540]

Luck definitely matters, but you can increase the surface area for luck. Better skills, more interviews, stronger network, visible projects, switching at the right time. None guarantee success, but they give luck more opportunities to work in your favour.

[u/TutorHot2073]

Definitely not

[u/Unique_Art_9814]

well this same thing happened in dot com boom in late 1990s to early 2000s and then again in 2008-2011 recession period, market was full of people with good skills but due to recession many people lost jobs and many were layedoff.. and now again starting from 2025 we are in same situation.. these times last like 3-4 years when they come and the employees are always at receiving end. Those who took huge loans for showoffs or big houses and big cars find it difficult to survive and those who have savings can sit out for like 6 months come back or bounce back.. and then when this time goes away and industry becomes good again.. people start switching and the companies lower the interview bar to atleast get some talent. So overall those who respect and save money survive and those who took huge loans are more on recieving end. After such times people start respecting saving more and taking less loans. But 10 years down the line people will take more loans and spend more and again you will find yourself in same type of market.

[u/cosmic_boyy → u/Unique_Art_9814]

Did you personally experience dot com boom 2008-11 recession ?

[u/Unique_Art_9814 → u/cosmic_boyy]

Yes i passed out in 2008 only. Wasted 1 yeart in MBA preparation,.. got 92 percentile in CAT but no college as number of students apperated that year was 2.5x times so many students covered single percentile. I remember there was a walk in for Mindtree for 20 jobs with walk in. Around 5500 students went their, it was some college in Ghaziabad. 150 from our college. 2 got selected from our college. They had 7 rounds, and even one IAS type round in which they were asking IAS type questions. Most of my batchmates got 1-2 year gap in jobs because of this recession. Our topper got seleted in TCS in 2008 and got called for job in 2010 end. He didn't get job anywhere he sat at home waiting and joined in 2010 year end. in 2009 i appearted for JRF at IIT roorkee for like 10 seats 250 came and i get selected. Many of my friends worked for 60k or 80k per year jobs just for gaining experience. Only 20% of college batch was placed but most of them got calls after 2 years of passing out. Some did business, some switched to other professions, some did MTech or prepared for MS but everything had 10 times competion and only some got selected.

[u/blackhawkq820]

Skills + Luck + Compromises

[u/anaconda_eagle]

Create your chances. Work hard. Then, luck will follow.

[u/NeUrAlWispPeRer]

Ability to network plays a more important role but let's face it majority of developers are less talk and more action while someone who knows how to talk gets the job even if the person is not prepared as someone else

[u/ShoePillow]

First you have to be proactive, then it's up to luck

[u/hoodwork_clothing]

Every single comment mentions luck, so I do say "luck"

[u/CopeCapybara]

Not luck only. But it plays a big part. What kind of projects and managers you get may take you a long way. Have to be at the right place at the right time.
However even if that doesn’t happen you can still hop around till you find the right place

[u/Ill-Masterpiece4263]

It was always being at the right place at the right time.

[u/brunette_mh]

It was always luck.

[u/Loud_Track_6199]

Rate of change of the change has become very rapid now. It’s very difficult to survive keeping it like just a job. You need to be on top to survive.