Success Stories
From world-class founders who started with nothing, to CodeLab students taking their first steps. Proof that background doesn't decide your future — effort does.
People Who Proved Everyone Wrong
Real people. Real backgrounds. Real results. If they could do it, so can you.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Founder, Paytm
Aligarh, UP · Delhi College of Engineering (not IIT)
₹7,000+ Crore
Studied at Delhi College of Engineering — a solid college, but not IIT. Grew up in a Hindi-medium school in Aligarh. Struggled badly with English. Was looked down upon by peers at top colleges. Built Paytm from a small Delhi apartment and made it India's largest fintech platform. He still says he thinks in Hindi.
Hindi-medium, non-IIT, small town. Still built a billion-dollar company.
Ritesh Agarwal
Founder, OYO Rooms
Bissam Cuttack, Odisha (small town)
$500 million+
Dropped out of college at 19. Came from a small town nobody had heard of. Taught himself to code and build products. OYO became a global hospitality company in 80+ countries. He didn't wait for a degree — he built things and learned on the way.
A college degree is optional. Execution is not.
Jan Koum
Co-founder, WhatsApp
Ukraine → USA (lived on food stamps)
$9 Billion
Immigrated to the US at 16 with nothing. His family used food stamps. He taught himself programming by reading discarded computer manuals. Got rejected by Facebook. Then built WhatsApp in a garage and sold it to Facebook for $19 billion. Every programming manual he read at that age made him a billionaire.
Self-teaching works. Jan Koum is proof.
Byju Raveendran
Founder, BYJU'S
Azhikode, Kerala · Government Engineering College Kannur
$2 Billion+
Son of two school teachers from a small Kerala village. Studied at a state government engineering college — not IIT, not NIT. Started teaching friends as a side gig, realised he had a gift for explaining concepts. Built BYJU'S into the world's most valued edtech company at its peak. His entire story runs on teaching ability, not brand name.
Government college. Small village. World's biggest edtech.
Larry Ellison
Founder, Oracle
South Side Chicago (poor family)
$150 Billion
Dropped out of college twice. Grew up poor in Chicago. Taught himself programming by reading IBM manuals. Founded Oracle, which powers databases for most of the world's banks and governments. When people say you need a degree — remember Larry Ellison.
Dropped out twice. Still became one of the richest people alive.
Nithin Kamath
Founder, Zerodha
Bengaluru · Bangalore University (regular college)
$3 Billion+
Studied at Bangalore University — a regular state university, not IIT. Started trading at 17, failed multiple times, taught himself finance and tech by doing. Built Zerodha from scratch with his brother in a small office. Today it is India's largest stockbroker with 1.5 crore+ customers. He never took a rupee of venture capital.
Regular university. Zero VC funding. India's largest stockbroker.
From CodeLab Hisar Students
These are honest accounts — including the hard parts. No exaggeration.
Priya Yadav
B.Tech CSE (2023 passout), Hisar
“I had a B.Tech in CSE but kept failing TCS NQT — twice. My college taught C++ theory but never how to actually solve problems under time pressure. The DSA course at CodeLab was different. We solved problems live, with the instructor explaining each step. By month 3 I was solving medium LeetCode questions. Cleared TCS NQT in my third attempt. First salary credited on October 1st.”
It took 3 attempts to crack NQT. Month 2 was extremely frustrating.
Rahul Sharma
B.A. (Political Science), Hisar
“Everyone — my parents, relatives, even some instructors — told me that a B.A. student can't get into software. I joined CodeLab to prove them wrong. It wasn't easy. The first two months I barely understood JavaScript. But by month 5 I had built my first React project. I applied to 40+ companies before getting an offer from a Delhi startup. The salary isn't huge yet, but I'm in the industry now.”
Applied to 40+ companies. Took 7 months. First job salary is modest — but growth is fast in startups.
Deepak Bansal
12th Pass (Science), Hisar
“I joined right after 12th boards while waiting for college admissions. My parents thought I was wasting time. But in 6 months I built a portfolio with 3 projects and landed a paid internship. ₹8,000/month isn't a big salary, but I'm 18 years old, learning real skills, and earning while most of my friends are just studying theory in college. The internship may convert to full-time by next year.”
Stipend is small. But at 18, with real work experience, the future outlook is strong.
Kavita Bishnoi
Diploma (Mechanical Engg.), Hisar
“Switching from mechanical to software felt impossible. I had never used a computer for anything serious. I started with C/C++ to build logic, then moved to web development. Nine months is a long time — I won't lie, there were moments I wanted to quit. But each week I could see myself improving. My first project was a mess. My last one is deployed live. That difference is real.”
Took 9 months of consistent studying. There were multiple low points.
* Stories shared with student consent. Salaries and timelines reflect individual circumstances — results will vary.
Things Worth Remembering
For when you feel like giving up.
You don't need a CS degree
Jan Koum never graduated. Larry Ellison dropped out twice. Over 35% of Indian software engineers don't have a CS degree. Companies hire based on what you can build.
Age is not a barrier
Ritesh Agarwal started at 19. Many career-switchers enter tech at 28–32. The industry judges your code, not your age.
Month 2 and 3 are the hardest
Every programmer hits a wall where nothing makes sense. This is not a sign you can't do it — it's the exact point where people who succeed push through.
Your background is context, not a limitation
Vijay Shekhar Sharma's Hindi-medium background didn't stop him. Your B.A., B.Com, or diploma gives you a unique perspective that pure CS graduates don't have.
“The people you look up to were once exactly where you are — confused, doubting themselves, wondering if it's worth it. The only difference is they kept going.”