I scored 54% in Class 12 and failed a year of engineering. Today, I work in AI/ML at 52+ LPA. Your worst academic phase does not define your life.

I am writing this for anyone here who believes that poor marks, backlogs, a bad college experience, or mental illness have permanently destroyed their future.

In Class 10, I scored 92% in ICSE. I was considered a “bright student,” and like many students, I was pushed towards IIT-JEE.

That is where things began to fall apart.

My family paid a large amount of money to an IIT-JEE coaching institute that made huge promises but provided very little genuine support. I struggled to cope with eight-hour coaching schedules, started skipping classes, lost confidence, and became completely disconnected from academics.

I scored only 54% in Class 12.

Going from 92% to 54% felt humiliating. People who had once praised me suddenly treated me as if I had wasted my potential. I retook my exams and improved my score, but the psychological damage had already been done.

I joined a Core Engineering branch (non CS/IT) at a Tier-2 university. During my second year, I realized that I didn't have an aptitude for this branch. I failed multiple subjects and effectively lost a year. I watched my original batch move ahead while I remained behind clearing backlogs.

At that point, my academic record looked terrible:

* 54% in Class 12
* No IIT or NIT
* Multiple engineering backlogs
* An additional year required to graduate
* Very little confidence about my future

But slowly, I began rebuilding.

I cleared my backlogs and completed my engineering degree. I then prepared seriously for graduate studies abroad. I scored 323 on the GRE and 111 on the TOEFL.

Those scores helped me secure admission to a top-50 university in the United States for a master’s degree in an engineering and applied mathematics discipline.

I graduated with a CGPA of approximately 3.63/4, equivalent to a India CGPA of 9.08/10.

After graduation, I built a career in data science, analytics and machine learning. I spent nearly eight years working in the United States, including roles with major Fortune 500 organisations.

While working full-time in the US, I began a second master’s degree: the Online Master of Science in Data Science from Georgia Tech.

Completing it was not easy. I was balancing a demanding job, assignments, examinations and serious health challenges. I had to move back home to India after a layoff in 2024.

But in 2025, I graduated with my second US master’s degree from Georgia Tech.

Today, I work in India in a senior AI/ML engineering role. My CTC is above ₹52 lakh per year, and I have invested more than ₹55 lakh for my future.

I am sharing these numbers not to flex. Money and job titles do not make someone more valuable. I am sharing them because the student who scored 54% and failed a year of engineering could never have imagined reaching this position.

There is another part of my story that is harder to discuss.

I have battled severe mental-health conditions, including schizoaffective disorder and borderline personality disorder. At different points, these illnesses affected my thoughts, emotions, relationships, concentration, career and ability to function independently.

Schizoaffective disorder is currently in remission, but recovery has not been a straight line. It has involved psychiatric treatment, medication, therapy, family support, setbacks and repeatedly learning how to rebuild my life.

I do not want to romanticise mental illness or claim that determination alone can cure it. Professional treatment and support matter enormously.

But a diagnosis does not erase your intelligence, dignity or potential.

My journey was never a smooth transformation from “failure” to “success.” It was messy:

Progress, relapse, rejection, recovery, unemployment, immigration problems, career changes, medication side effects, self-doubt - and then progress again.

Here is what I wish somebody had told me when I was 18:

Your Class 12 percentage is not a final judgement on your intelligence.

A backlog is an