Many students pursue degrees from elite universities, hoping that it will open doors to top jobs. But for one Indian professional, even an MBA from did not guarantee a smooth path into Big Tech. Abhijay Vuyyuru, now a product manager at , recently shared how he graduated from Harvard in 2024 without a full-time job, faced pressure from a ticking visa clock, and eventually landed his dream role at the tech giant months later.
In an as-told-to essay published in Business Insider, Vuyyuru said that his goal had always been to work at a Big Tech firm such as or Google. But his journey wasn’t easy, even with a Harvard degree.
After completing his bachelor’s degree in India in 2017, Vuyyuru said that he worked in data science and product management roles across before moving to the US in 2022 to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School. He said that despite attending one of the world’s most prestigious business schools, he found that the US job market was far more challenging than expected.
Vuyyuru recalled that after enrolling at Harvard, he started looking for a summer internship. He initially relied on traditional applications but received mostly automated rejections. “It took me some time to realize how different the job search process was compared to India, where companies often visit campuses and evaluate candidates directly. In the US, the search felt much more network-driven — I had to reach the right person to have a chance,” he Business Insider.
Vuyyuru said that he changed his strategy and began identifying hiring managers on LinkedIn and messaging them directly. “Out of 100 messages, maybe eight people would reply, and one might turn into a legitimate lead,” he said.
One such LinkedIn message then helped him secure a product manager internship at Apple in 2023. He hoped the internship would lead to a full-time position after graduation. However, he was later informed that there was no headcount available on the team. “I was told to stay in touch in case circumstances changed, but I assumed that probably wouldn’t happen anytime soon. So I started actively looking for a full-time role to begin after graduation,” he said.
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Graduated without a full-time job offer
Vuyyuru shared that by the time he graduated from Harvard in May 2024, he still did not have a full-time role lined up. He described the US job market as extremely difficult, especially for product management positions. He said that he also completed an unpaid externship at a venture capital firm during his final semester, but did not receive a permanent offer. “Despite feeling I did well in the role and that the company liked me, I didn’t get the job.”
Vuyyuru said that at the same time, he was also dealing with the financial pressure of graduate school loans and preparing to host family members who were travelling to the US for his graduation. “It was a weird feeling not to have a job lined up at that point,” he recalled.
Visa deadline and an unexpected opportunity
Vuyyuru said that while he didn’t have a full-time role after graduation, he secured a product management internship at a private equity firm. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but that three-month internship proved to be a game changer for several reasons,” he said.
He further said that as an international student, he had 90 days after graduation to find employment or risk having to leave the country. Fortunately, the internship allowed him to continue building experience while effectively buying time during his job search.
Vuyyuru said that even as he explored a wide range of opportunities, he remained focused on his long-term goal of joining Big Tech. He shared that the breakthrough came through his Harvard network. He said that a former classmate informed him that a manager in Google’s YouTube division was hiring for a product manager role and offered to recommend him.
“After five rounds of interviews, I landed the role and started at Google in November 2024 — six months after graduating from Harvard,” he shared.
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Lessons from the journey
Today, Vuyyuru said that he works on products used by millions of people and describes the role as his dream job. Reflecting on his experience, he said networking played a crucial role in opening doors that standard applications could not.
Beyond his work at Google, Vuyyuru also said that he now shares career advice on social media and has built an audience of more than 750,000 followers across Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
