10-hour factory shifts to US tech firm: How Indian man rewrote his future in just 18 months after dropping out of college

His first internship was difficult, but it pushed him to improve (Image source: @Coding_Sage/X)

A man’s journey from factory worker to full-stack developer is winning hearts on social media. The man, who goes by the username “Sambhav.apk,” shared how he moved from factory work to a full-stack developer role in just 18 months and transformed his life with persistence and hard work.

In his post, he wrote, “From a factory worker to a full-stack developer in 1.5 years of grind,” and clarified that the thread was not meant to show off, but to highlight what consistent effort can achieve. Describing his life a year and a half earlier, he said, “1.5 years ago, I was working in a vegetable factory. 10 hours a day. Packing. Picking. Standing. Physically exhausting. Mentally draining.”

He went on to explain that financial struggles had forced him to drop out of college, leaving him feeling trapped. “This felt like the end of the road,” he wrote, before recalling advice from a friend. “A friend told me, ‘Try learning to code.’ I saved whatever money I could. Took some help from my parents. Bought a laptop.”

Soon after, he quit his factory job to focus on learning. He further said he taught himself programming through online resources. “HTML, CSS, JavaScript one month. Then React. No fancy courses. Just docs, projects, and breaking things,” he wrote.

His first internship was difficult, but it pushed him to improve. “After 4 months, I pushed harder: Deep React (no tutorial hopping), backend basics and some DSA,” he said, adding that the effort paid off. “That grind got me a full-stack role at a US-based company (onsite in Bhopal).”

Despite facing setbacks, he said he continued moving forward. “I quit. Took time. Regrouped. Started freelancing. Got 2 to 3 projects. Kept moving forward.” Reflecting on his journey, he added, “My journey hasn’t been clean. It’s been messy, uncertain, and uncomfortable.” Concludingly, he wrote, “If you’re starting from zero, don’t underestimate what 1–2 years of focused grind can do.”

From a factory worker to a full-stack developer in 1.5 years of grind.

I’m not saying this to flex. I’m saying this because I didn’t believe it was possible either. 1.5 years ago, I was working in a vegetables factory. 10 hours a day. Packing. Picking. Standing. Physically… pic.twitter.com/pn30AaJ8LY

— Sambhav.apk▲ (@Coding_Sage) January 2, 2026

The post has since gone viral, garnering a flurry of reactions, with one commenting, “Wow, this is really amazing, you have done really well man, it keeps getting better.” Another user wrote, “Respect the hustle bro , Inspiring journey, keep the grind up! There is no looking back now, keep going.”

“You have done it…. Congratulations…. Hard work and Continous thirst to grow new heights will always reward you… God Bless You,” a third user reacted.