For many students in India, competitive exams and early academic milestones often feel like the ultimate measure of success. However, for Rijul Singh Malik, the path to Google was marked not by a perfect record, but by repeated failures, tough improvements, and the decision to keep going even when things seemed uncertain.
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Speaking to HT.com, Rijul explained how years of failures and perseverance shaped his journey to Google.
Originally from Rohtak, Haryana, Rijul has lived in Delhi since childhood and now works as a Digital Transformation Consultant at Google Hyderabad. His work involves automating processes and building AI solutions using large language models for Google’s long line of customers.
Rijul completed his schooling from Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj, did B.Tech in Information Technology from University School of Information, Communication and Technology under GGSIPU and later completed his Master’s in Data Science from University of California, Irvine.
‘Not doing JEE was probably the best thing’
Rijul’s educational journey was not very smooth. He failed the JEE twice, including once after taking a drop year. Recalling that period, he said that he had prepared seriously and was confident that he would clear the exam, but could not reach the cutoff.
“I took two coachings, bought new books, hired a private home tutor, read hundreds of books, solved mocks. Whatever I could find and study, I did it,” he told HT.com.
On the day of the exam, Rijul said he carried around 20 books in the car because he still did not feel confident. When the results came the disappointment was immense.
He said, “The entire House was very silent and disappointed. Not about me, but about the result. It felt like a year had been wasted.”
The emotional impact was enormous. Rijul said there is a “very specific kind of embarrassment” associated with not clearing the JEE in India, especially when relatives start comparing students with others.
“That was the first time my confidence was shattered,” he said.
However, he eventually realized that the entrance exam at 18 does not define the next 40 years of one’s career. “Ultimately, not doing JEE was probably the best thing that could have happened. It forced me to learn quickly that flexibility matters more than credentials,” he said.
Berkeley Summer School changed her direction
Rijul described his B.Tech years at IP University as “pretty standard” academically, but said the real growth he achieved went beyond the curriculum. A major turning point was the Berkeley Summer School in 2019, where he got his first serious experience in data science.
“That’s what inspired me to pursue it seriously in graduate school,” he said.
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Getting into UC Irvine became his goal, but that came after repeated attempts. Rijul took the GRE four times. He crossed the mark of 303 in the first attempt, 305 in the second, 307 in the third and finally achieved a score of 308 in the fourth attempt.
By then, he had stopped telling people that he was taking the exam again.
He said, “I was tired of the pity, tired of the ‘Maybe this isn’t for you’ looks, tired of being the guy who kept trying.”
Rijul said that his inspiration came from not wanting another test to decide his story. He also found strength in a line from Rocky Balboa: “Life is not about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit while moving forward.”
When UC Irvine finally got approval, he said the score was no longer a real win.
“The truth is I didn’t quit,” he said.
Academic Probation in America
The MS program at UC Irvine came with its challenges. Rijul said she struggled in the first quarter, as an introvert she felt isolated and had to deal with the pressure of settling in a new country. His GPA dropped to 2.8, which put him on academic probation.
He remembered receiving the email when he was in India for his mother’s birthday.
He said, “My heart sank. Everyone was passed out, everyone was celebrating. I just sat in my room and felt like a failure.”
The email warned them they needed to make improvements or face further action. Rijul said the pressure was immense as he had already left his job at EY and had no backup plan.
He also claimed that he faced racism during his stay in America. “A woman at the bus stop yelled at me to go back to my country, you don’t belong here. I actually filed a complaint with the UC Irvine department about that,” he said.
To recover academically, Rijul started attending doubt classes, extra sessions, watching lectures, reading blogs and asking for help, admitting that it was difficult for him.
He said, “I hate asking for help. I always want to do things myself.”
By the second quarter, he brought his GPA up slightly above the required mark, and eventually graduated with a 3.3 GPA.
Last in his batch to get internship
Even after recovering academically, Rijul faced another difficult phase. He said that he was the last person in his batch to get an internship.
“I started two months before everyone else. I was optimizing my resume, getting referrals, being active on LinkedIn. Why couldn’t I get an internship?” He remembered.
He said he applied for hundreds of roles, reached out for referrals and went through the interview stages, but in the end nothing worked out. He finally got the internship in the last week of May, just before the internship started in June.
“Again, a sigh of relief that hey, I got over it too,” he said.
Work culture lessons after EY and Walmart
After EY, Rijul moved to Walmart Global Tech with high expectations, calling it one of his dream companies. However, he said the experience taught him what he did not want from the workplace.
He claimed that he received little support from his teammates and his manager. In one instance, he said he reached out to a superior for help, but the matter escalated to his manager.
“My manager said you figure it out yourself, stop messaging people above your pay grade,” Rijul said.
They said these experiences shaped their expectations from future workplaces: respect, supportive coworkers, autonomy, and a blame-free culture.
‘Khushi and my parents brought me to Google’
Before landing at Google, Rijul said he faced more than 520 rejections. He said the actual number was higher, but he could count 520.
During that period, his biggest support came from his girlfriend, now fiancee and soon-to-be wife Khushi and his parents.
He said, “The way Khushi supported me, listening to me every day and night about why it wasn’t happening for me, what I was doing wrong and always responding, ‘I’m here, don’t worry’, it really gave me peace.”
He said his parents also kept reminding him that he had overcome difficult times before and could do so again.
Google’s offer that made everyone cry
Rijul remembers well the moment when he received Google’s offer. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon, and he was walking outside his Walmart office when the recruiter called to say that the offer letter was being sent.
“I started counting every second. Why didn’t he send it yet? Did he change his mind? Then boom, I got an email saying congratulations, here’s your offer letter. Welcome to Google,” he said.
The first person he called was Khushi.
He said, “She started crying and I had tears in my eyes. Then her mother started crying too. It was basically the crying disease, everyone got it that day.”
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She then called her mother and sister, who also cried emotionally. His father, who was in a meeting, reacted more calmly at first but later called him back to congratulate him.
“I miss my dog. I lost him last year. He would have loved the new office,” Rijul said.
‘Everything turns out alright in the end’
Looking back, Rijul believes that flexibility and timing mattered more than talent.
He said, “I always supported myself that it will happen. I was determined that no matter what happens, I am not going to give up, because I know what will happen if I give up. Let’s see what happens when I don’t give up.”
He said every setback ultimately redirects him. After failing in JEE, he was taken to IP University. A difficult job experience pushed him abroad. Academic probation motivated him to work harder. Internship struggles taught him the value of perseverance. A negative workplace experience pushed him to Google.
He said, “Everything was on time. Right time, right place, right person. I now believe that everything happened to me when it was supposed to happen.”
For students and young professionals struggling with rejection, self-doubt or career uncertainty, Rijul’s message is simple: keep moving forward.
“Everything works out in the end, and if it doesn’t it’s not the end, my friend,” he said.
