Not everybody on the high has had it straightforward in life. Some have struggled for years, survived on the naked minimal and given their all to be the place they’re in the present day. One such persona is Santosh Yadav, an Indian-origin man who as soon as lived in a Mumbai chawl and now owns a multi-storey residence in Germany.His story goes viral on the web for his sheer grit to not quit in life and proceed persevering, even when destiny was not understanding in his favour. He took to X to share a submit that includes earlier than and after images along with his spouse, displaying how their lives have modified after 14 years, prompting many to hail the journey behind the transformation.
A tough begin
Yadav shared that he was born in Mumbai and lived in a slum so long as he may bear in mind. “It was a typical slum which you see in motion pictures, there have been good individuals and loads of unhealthy individuals, too. I used to be fortunate not to hang around with these unhealthy individuals for lengthy,” he wrote.At school, he mentioned he was extra of a lazy particular person and cricket was his old flame. He carried out very poorly in his tenth exams and wasn’t certain what he would do subsequent. He wished to get admitted to science however his marks have been low.Certainly one of his father’s mates knowledgeable them concerning the Diploma programs. He selected pc science with out considering twice, even supposing he had by no means labored on a pc earlier than.Rising up finding out in a Hindi-medium faculty, English was by no means his native language. “I bear in mind crying in a category as a result of I could not perceive a factor, and I used to be scared to fail once more like I failed my expectations in tenth normal,” he wrote.When he didn’t carry out nicely within the inside exams, he realised giving up was not an choice this time. He pulled himself again, started finding out exhausting, stopped enjoying cricket and remoted himself from his mates. “The one factor I wished to realize was in some way to not fail within the first 12 months of the 3-year program. Within the upcoming exams, I did okay and acquired round 50% within the first 12 months.” By the tip of the ultimate 12 months, he had scored greater than 60%.
The primary setback
After the diploma, Yadav was much more excited by finding out CS as a level. There was one other program he entered into however throughout the second 12 months, his dad misplaced his job. “He requested me to begin searching for a job as he couldn’t afford to pay the price for my CS diploma which was round 42k (550 USD) per 12 months,’ he shared.He remembered crying the whole night time and the following day his mom stood up for him and mentioned: “Do no matter you wish to do, however my son goes to proceed his research.” In 2004, he was admitted into the second 12 months of faculty at Mumbai University. Since he could not afford textbooks, he would purchase them from the library. A few of his professors used to borrow books for him so he may research for the exams. By the third 12 months, his household’s circumstances had gotten worse however his father had saved up some cash and he was in a position to get the diploma.
Coming into the job market
Yadav married Upasana in 2007, and the couple continued to face monetary hardships. They lived in modest circumstances, with rainwater reportedly leaking into their dwelling throughout the monsoon. He has credited his spouse with supporting him by these tough years.In the course of the Nice Recession, he acquired his first job with a wage of Rs 5,000. In 2010, he acquired one other job coding for a Home windows software utilizing C# with a month-to-month wage of Rs 12,000. Since there was not a lot work, he brushed up on C# and SQL. In 2011, he joined a startup with a greater than 50% increase. He labored there for 5 years, getting insurance coverage and PF as nicely.Decided to enhance his prospects, he sharpened his coding expertise. His work on Angular and NgRx earned him recognition as a Google Developer Professional for Angular in 2019. A 12 months later, he turned India’s first GitHub Star.All of the whereas, he tackled repaying loans he took for his daughter’s pressing supply on the hospital, her faculty admission and even her TB prognosis. However Yadav reminded individuals of two issues: by no means quit, and household is necessary.
Life in Germany
At 36, he determined to maneuver to Germany for a possibility with an organization and a greater life for his household. His daughter had lived in a slum for eight years earlier than they moved out and now he wished to present her all he may. At present, he works as a Principal Developer Advocate at CodeRabbit, specializing in AI-related developer instruments.To rejoice their seventeenth marriage ceremony anniversary, he shared two images on X: one taken on the couple’s Mumbai dwelling in 2012 and one other in Hamburg in 2026. “The way it began. How’s it going,” wrote Yadav within the caption.“At one level we have been sleeping on the ground. And after I take into consideration these days, it makes me even stronger. We as soon as had nothing, however we had individuals who may assist. So now, it’s time to assist others,” he wrote in an accompanying weblog submit.