The global tech industry is undergoing some major transformation. With AI replacing many junior-level roles and professionals facing constant layoff fears, one Indian-origin Microsoft engineer, Ritvika Nagula, has a different story to tell.
She has earned four promotions in just five years in one of the most competitive sectors in the world.
What was Ritvika’s approach to work in the first year?
When Nagula started working at Microsoft’s Azure division in April 2019, she believed that consistent, high-quality work would naturally lead to advancement.
“I thought if I just kept delivering good results, promotions would follow,” she recalled in an interview with Business Insider.
Her first year proved otherwise. She realised that staying silent about her ambitions could be misread as a lack of ambition altogether.
That early lesson reshaped her approach to work and to her manager.
What changed in the second year?
From her second year onwards, Nagula began scheduling regular one-on-one meetings with her manager, making sure that at least one conversation each month focused on her development.
She came prepared with questions: What is going well? Where can I improve? What am I overlooking?
She also set herself a personal timetable, aiming to move up every 18 to 24 months, and used Microsoft’s internal “role library” to benchmark her progress against what was expected at each career level.
“The first thing you have to understand is what’s required of you now and what’s expected at the next level,” she said. “Then, figure out the gap and how to close it.”
Is feedback an integral part?
Nagula made feedback a constant part of her work life, not just from her manager but also from peers and mentors. When she learned that a senior role required leading a project end-to-end, she didn’t wait to be assigned one, she asked for it.
Her requests were specific: “If we’re aiming for my next promotion, I believe I need to lead a full project. How can we find the right opportunity for that?”
That direct approach, she says, made her manager see her as someone ready for more responsibility.
For Nagula, doing her assigned work was only part of the equation. She focused on projects that had measurable impact and aligned with team and company priorities.
“Getting promoted isn’t just about doing what’s on your plate,” she explained. “It’s about taking ownership, finding opportunities, and making sure your work moves the needle in ways that matter.”
That combination of self-awareness, active goal-setting, and high-impact delivery has powered her rise from new graduate to senior software engineer in just five years.
