Success stories are often told in straight lines: study hard, get a good job, build a stable life. But real life rarely moves that smoothly. One viral story shared by a Hyderabad-based techie is now resonating online because it captures the messy, painful, and unpredictable side of ambition. It is the story of an IIT Madras graduate who walked away from a lucrative placement offer to chase the UPSC dream, only to spend years battling failure, heartbreak, addiction, and uncertainty before eventually rebuilding his life from scratch. Hyderabad-based techie Vikas Alwys shared the story on X while talking about a man who once lived in his apartment complex. According to Alwys, the man completed his B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras in 2012. After graduation, he received a campus placement offer worth Rs 10 LPA, a package many engineering graduates aspire to secure. But instead of accepting the job, he decided to prepare for the UPSC examination. Alwys explained that the man belonged to the general category and approached the exam with complete seriousness from the very beginning. For his first attempt, he moved to Delhi for coaching and dedicated himself fully to preparation. However, the result was disappointing. “He could not clear the prelims,” Alwys wrote. After the setback, he returned to Hyderabad and prepared once again with renewed focus. During his second attempt, he managed to clear the prelims stage but failed to make it through the mains examination. The repeated failures slowly began taking an emotional toll on him.You Might Also Like: According to Alwys, after two exhausting UPSC attempts, the IIT graduate started questioning whether he wanted to continue down the same path. Since he had always been passionate about badminton, he decided to explore sports professionally.— VikasAlwys (@VikasAlwys) Pursued badminton He began participating in district and state-level badminton tournaments and reportedly played very well. For a while, it seemed like he had finally discovered a different direction for his future. But things did not go as expected there either. Alwys claimed that the badminton circuit involved significant politics and unhealthy practices. He alleged that some people even approached the player with offers of money to intentionally lose matches. Disillusioned by the experience, the IIT graduate eventually quit badminton too. According to Alwys, another year slipped away during this phase. After leaving badminton, he once again returned to UPSC preparation, hoping to finally clear the examination. But life became increasingly complicated during this period. Alwys said the man fell in love with a woman while preparing for his third attempt. The emotional distractions affected his preparation, and he failed again.You Might Also Like:Break up and disappointment During his fourth attempt, he reportedly went through a painful breakup and once more could not clear the exam. The repeated disappointments slowly pushed him toward unhealthy coping mechanisms. “After that, he became addicted to drinking and cigarettes,” Alwys revealed in his post. The emotional exhaustion eventually affected his attitude toward the examination itself. According to Alwys, the IIT graduate approached his fifth and sixth UPSC attempts without seriousness or motivation. By then, nearly 12 years had passed between UPSC preparation and his badminton journey. At the age of 35, he found himself unmarried, unemployed, and emotionally drained despite graduating from one of India’s most prestigious institutions. “From being an IIT Madras graduate, life pushed him through many failures,” Alwys wrote.Life took a turn But the story did not end there. According to the Hyderabad techie, the man eventually decided to learn trading through online resources. Without formal coaching or institutional backing, he started studying financial markets independently and gradually developed expertise in day trading.You Might Also Like: Over time, he reportedly became a trading professional and began earning around Rs 2 lakh per month, though Alwys noted that the income still depends on market conditions and trends. Alwys shared that the man recently got married, adding that he genuinely felt happy seeing his life finally improve after years of struggle. “Life finally gave him a fresh start,” he wrote. He ended the emotional post with a simple message in capital letters: “Never give up”.Internet reactsInternet users were deeply moved by the story and shared their thoughts on resilience, delayed success, and personal growth. One user said the most meaningful part of the journey was not the final success itself but the years of struggle, learning, and persistence that shaped him along the way. Another pointed out that life rarely unfolds according to the plans people make in their early twenties, adding that resilience keeps building quietly even when the world assumes someone is falling behind. One commenter also noted that people often notice only the final outcome while ignoring the silent years filled with confusion, setbacks, and rebuilding.