At 29, Tanvi Pisal’s career journey spans continents, industries, and some of the toughest years in the global job market. Originally from Pune and now based in San Jose, California, her story is not just about a pay jump from ₹3.5 lakh to over ₹1 crore — it is also about layoffs, visa anxiety, and relentless persistence.
Pisal spoke to HT.com over a phone call from the US, where she now works with Apple as a UX Designer. Her professional credentials and her six-figure salary may sound impressive—and they are—but Pisal also notes how years of hard work, visa issues, layoffs, and even a termination coloured her experience.
Early years in India
Pisal began her career in India as a software engineer after completing her engineering degree in Pune. Her first job was at a top global professional services company, where she earned ₹3.5 lakh annually.
“I started my career as a software developer,” she says. “But I was always inclined towards the creative side.”
That instinct pushed her to pivot into UX and product design — a move that would later shape her career, but also make her job search far more challenging.
Moving to the US amid COVID delays
In pursuit of formal training, Pisal enrolled in a Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction at San Jose State University. However, her plans were disrupted by the pandemic.
“When I decided to come to the US, COVID hit. Everything got delayed — visas, admissions, everything,” she recalled. “But because of COVID, there were visa issues. There were a lot of problems. But finally I got the chance to come here in the fall of 2021.”
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Pisal eventually arrived in 2021, joining what she describes as a difficult, post-COVID academic environment.
“There were very limited on-campus jobs. Even café or receptionist roles were hard to find. Too many students, very few opportunities.”
The US job market
After graduating in May 2023, Pisal entered a job market she describes as “very, very terrible.”
She secured a full-time role at a software company after interning there. Her starting salary was around $70,000 ( ₹58 lakh approx), eventually rising to $80,000.
“It was very low,” she admits. “But I had to take it because of the market, my niche field, and the visa pressure.”
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She also points out a structural challenge: “If there are 100 software engineering jobs, there are maybe 10 design roles. That made things harder.”
Asked if she regrets switching from software engineering to UX design, Pisal answers in the negative — “The reason being, I know that if I would have stayed in software or tech, I wouldn’t have been able to perform better in that because I was always inclined towards the creative side,” she explained.
October 2025: First layoff
After nearly three years with the company, Pisal was laid off on October 30, 2025. Around the same time, she had been interviewing with other firms — with the advent of AI, she had already seen the writing on the wall.
“I was in the final rounds with two companies,” she says. “One didn’t work out because of visa sponsorship issues.”
The second opportunity — a New York-based startup — came through after a gruelling 10-round interview process.
A cross-country move — and a 12-day job
Pisal received the offer on November 12, 2025, moved from California to New York within two weeks, and joined on December 1.
What followed was one of the most turbulent phases of her career.
“The work culture was very, very intense. It was a 9-to-9 expectation — and even that was considered the bare minimum,” Pisal said.
Within just 12 working days, she was let go. “They told me my work ethic didn’t match because I wasn’t staying beyond 9 pm,” she explained.
The experience left her shaken. “I had sold everything in California, moved across the country, and then I was laid off in less than two weeks,” she told HT.com.
As someone on an , Pisal had limited time to secure another job. “I had around 60 days. I had to find something, otherwise I would have to leave,” she recalled.
Pisal set up a rigorous job search routine. Every day, she would wake up at 4 am and hit quick apply on LinkedIn posts. She did this daily until 7 am.
From 7 am to 9 am, she would dedicate her time to targeted applications — looking up jobs on company websites and tailoring her resume for each specific position. Finally, the rest of the day she would give to portfolio building.
“This strategy worked,” Pisal said. “From January 5 onwards, I was getting at least one call every week.”
The turnaround: landing a contract role tied to Apple
Tanvi Pisal’s breakthrough came via a consultancy that connected her to a role working with teams at Apple. After a presentation-heavy interview, she got the offer within days.
“The interview was supposed to be 45 minutes but went on for over an hour,” she says. “They really liked my work.” Pisal joined on February 20, 2026, in a full-time contract role as part of which she works from the office in San Jose, California.
Her current compensation ranges between $120,000 and $130,000 (over ₹1 crore annually).
‘Surviving, not thriving’
Despite the new role, immigration uncertainty continues. “I’m still on F1 OPT,” she explained. Pisal is hoping to get an H-1B visa soon.
Reflecting on the current US job market, she offers a sobering perspective. “Everyone here is in survival mode. Nobody is really thriving — people just want job security,” she opined.
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She believes aspiring students should weigh their decisions carefully before uprooting their lives in India and moving to the US. “Yes, the US offers great opportunities and pay. But the pressure is intense. You have to ask if it’s worth it,” she says.
Having spent nearly five years in the US, Pisal says the reality is far from the glamour many imagine. “I saw the glamorous side before coming — travel, money, big tech. But I didn’t see this side.”
She adds, “You have to do everything on your own here. At times, it feels very lonely.”
Still, she remains cautiously hopeful. “It’s hard. You have to fight for everything. But maybe, in the end, it will be worth it.”
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