A Reddit user with roots in extreme financial hardship recently shared an inspiring account of how he achieved early retirement at the age of 34 and is now travelling across the world. Posting on the subreddit Indian Flex, he described a journey that began in a small village in Vidarbha and evolved into a life many only dream of.
He grew up in a household struggling to make ends meet and completed his schooling up to Class 12 in government-run institutions. Until his teenage years, even basic comforts were out of reach. He recalled receiving his first bicycle only in Class 11, a second-hand women’s cycle bought for just Rs 600. Asking for a motorcycle felt unthinkable, and out of embarrassment, he avoided making such requests to relatives or friends. He eventually learned to ride a geared bike at 24, only after securing employment. Today, he owns premium vehicles like a Bullet and a Thar and has travelled extensively across India with them, a transformation he takes immense pride in.
His father’s income during his childhood was modest and unstable. For nearly seven to eight years in the early 2000s, his father worked at a relative’s STD-PCO booth, earning around Rs 1,500 a month. Later, he managed to find another job that paid Rs 4,000 monthly, offering slight relief but no real financial security.
Despite these odds, the Reddit user earned admission into a tier-three government engineering college. Through relentless effort and discipline, he excelled academically, graduating as a gold medalist. This achievement opened the door to a position at a leading American technology firm, where he worked for a decade. In 2022, he chose to leave the company despite strong performance, having built a sufficient stock portfolio to feel financially independent.
Seeking broader exposure, he joined two semiconductor companies to deepen his expertise. Eventually, he walked away from a role that paid over Rs 1 crore annually at another major semiconductor firm, concluding that his career had reached its peak and further gains would not significantly improve his life.
Through strategic use of premium credit cards, he accumulated over a million airline and hotel reward miles. Now living as a dual-income, no-children couple, he and his partner travel internationally at minimal personal expense.
Reflecting on his journey from poverty to freedom, he described this phase of life as a deeply personal victory shaped by perseverance, sacrifice, and smart choices.