A first-person account shared on Reddit detailing a dramatic career turnaround, from earning Rs 21,000 a month as a document executive to closing a Rs 50-60 crore financial deal, has struck a chord online, triggering wide discussion on degrees, gatekeeping and informal expertise in India’s financial services sector.
The post, written by a Delhi-based professional who now runs his own financial consultancy, lays out how years of ground-level work, a chance conversation with a chartered accountant, and a strategic pivot helped him move from field work to high-value deal-making.
‘A Fancy Name For A Delivery Boy’
The author recounts graduating with a Polytechnic diploma in Mechanical Engineering in the aftermath of COVID-19, when job prospects were scarce. He took up work as a “Document Executive” at a financial firm, a role he describes as essentially collecting, checking and submitting client documents to banks.
For over four years, he worked outdoors in extreme weather, handling files, liaising with bank officials and troubleshooting cases. Over time, he says, he learned how the system functioned in practice, which banks delayed files, which documents caused rejections, and how to structure proposals to avoid bottlenecks.
Despite this, he says, career progression was limited. While office-based colleagues received significant appraisals, his own salary rose from Rs 18,000 to Rs 21,000 after a Rs 2,000 increment.
“I wanted to switch to a big bank or NBFC, but they all slammed the door in my face: ‘Sorry, you don’t have a B.Com or MBA,’” the post states.
A Rainy Night And A Crucial Conversation
The turning point, according to the account, came during a late evening spent at a chartered accountant’s office due to heavy rain. Having worked with the CA on company files for years, the author shared his frustrations that night.
The CA, he writes, told him, “You know the process better than the people sitting in the bank. You have the relationship with the clients. Why are you acting like an employee? Start sourcing.”
The CA proposed a revenue-sharing arrangement, files sourced independently would be processed through his codes, with payouts split equally.
From Document Collector To Consultant
Following that conversation, the author says he quietly began reaching out to his existing network, positioning himself as someone who could personally handle funding requirements. He began sourcing working capital loans and small business cases, gaining confidence as files were successfully processed.
The breakthrough came when an old contact approached him for urgent funding of ₹50–60 crore for a project, offering a 2 per cent success fee if the amount could be disbursed within three weeks.
“I didn’t sleep for those three weeks,” he wrote, describing how he worked with the CA to structure the proposal and navigate the banking system efficiently.
The Deal That Changed Everything
The deal was eventually disbursed. Between the client’s success fee, around 1.5 per cent, and the bank payout share routed through the CA, the author says he earned between Rs 45 lakh and Rs 70 lakh from the single transaction.
“It was more money than I would have made in 20 years at my old job,” the post states.
He resigned the following day and, on advice, registered his own firm, Rate & Estate.
Building A Business Beyond Degrees
According to the post, the author now works as a full-time financial consultant handling project funding, equity funding, mergers and acquisitions, and high-ticket B2B loans. He has also expanded into commercial real estate, facilitating transactions involving hotels and hospitals.
He claims his firm now generates Rs 1-2 crore in annual revenue.
Reflecting on the journey, he writes that the market values execution over formal qualifications. However, he also acknowledges the pressures of the work, compliance, client expectations and the absence of a guaranteed monthly income.
Why The Story Resonated
The author stresses that he is not selling courses or offering coaching. He says the motivation for sharing his experience was to highlight the plight of thousands of field executives who understand banking processes deeply but remain stuck due to lack of formal degrees.
“If you are doing the grunt work, realise one thing, you are the one holding the relationships. That is your equity,” he wrote.
The post has since gained traction across social media, resonating with readers who see it as a rare, unfiltered account of how informal expertise and relationships can sometimes outpace conventional career ladders in India’s financial ecosystem.