A quiet dream that began in a small village in Karnataka led Pruthviraj Prakash to one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies.Prakash, who currently works at NVIDIA’s headquarters in Santa Clara, California, as a software development engineer in the field of deep learning, recently shared his journey from having limited technical exposure to building artificial intelligence systems with some of the biggest names in the industry.The story he shared in his LinkedIn post wasn’t just about celebrating a new job, but tracing the years of education, persistence and career changes that made this opportunity possible.
from small village to Silicon Valley
Prakash comes from a small village near Chitradurga in Karnataka, where access to technology “used to feel out of reach,” as he writes.“What started as a quiet dream in a small town has now become a reality,” he wrote when announcing he was joining NVIDIA as a software development engineer.Prakash received his Bachelor of Technology in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from PES University between 2016 and 2020.Soon after graduation, he joined Bengaluru-based technology company Enquero as an engineer, where he worked for three years from August 2020 to July 2023. This position provided him with industry experience before he decided to further his studies in the United States.In August 2023, he enrolled in the Master of Science in Computer Science program at Clarkson University. Over the next two years, he solidified his background and graduated in May 2025.Within months, he was offered a position at NVIDIA, joining the company’s deep learning group in August 2025.Today, he works in Santa Clara and earns a reported annual salary of around Rs 260 crore.
Join NVIDIA
In announcing this milestone, Prakash said working at NVIDIA represents more than just a career change.“Joining NVIDIA feels surreal, not only for the opportunity to work on cutting-edge deep learning and artificial intelligence, but to be part of something bigger with the brightest minds in tech,” he wrote.Prakash concludes the article with advice for students and young professionals pursuing careers in technology.“For those who are still chasing their dreams, please don’t stop. Keep learning, be patient, and move forward one step at a time,” he wrote.In one sentence, he ends his journey from a small village in Karnataka to one of the most influential artificial intelligence companies in the world.“What feels impossible today may become your story tomorrow.”And then there’s a sentence that sums up this milestone. “Yes, I successfully joined NVIDIA, and you can too.”
