Is Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between worth it if you’re shopping in Education?
The $10 Tech Career Map: What Harsh Agrawal’s Mini-Book Actually Covers
Most career advice for engineers feels like a highlight reel. You see the offer letter, the startup launch, or the VC pitch, but you don’t see the dropouts, the failed products, or the years spent learning DevOps in a basement. If you are trying to build a tech career that doesn’t follow the standard “college → big tech → retirement” script, you are likely drowning in polished LinkedIn posts that hide the messy reality of the job. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between is a different kind of resource. It is a mini-book from Harsh Agrawal, an engineer who skipped the traditional path to become the youngest SWE at a $10B company, launched a startup, and now leads engineering at an AI firm. At $10, it is priced as a low-friction entry point to a specific, non-linear career narrative. It is not a generic “how to code” tutorial; it is a case study in how to navigate the tech industry when the map is blank.
Quick answer
| Best for | Aspiring engineers and solopreneurs who want to see the “behind the scenes” of a non-linear tech career, including dropouts, startup failures, and VC pitches. |
| Skip if | You are looking for a step-by-step coding curriculum, a job search toolkit, or a product that is already in its final, polished state. |
| Price | $10 (pre-sale price; listed as $20 for the final version) |
| Format | Digital mini-book with bi-weekly updates |
| One-line take | A raw, honest look at a tech career that skipped the usual checkpoints, packaged in an evolving digital document. |
What you’re actually buying
You are not buying a static PDF that sits in your downloads folder. You are buying a living document that Harsh Agrawal updates every two weeks. This is the core value proposition: the content evolves as he continues to work in the industry, meaning the insights on web development, big data, and DevOps reflect current market realities rather than outdated best practices.
The content itself is a career autopsy. It details the specific decisions that led Agrawal from building video games in 8th grade to dropping out of college in India to work at Avalara. It covers the two years spent building in Web Dev and Big Data, the year working on a Web3 EdTech product, and the six months spent full-time on his startup, DevKit. You get the unfiltered view of what it takes to get 8,000+ signups and $5,000 in revenue, and what it feels like to pitch to partners at a16z, Sequoia, and TechStars. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
The “failures” section is just as important as the successes. It documents the moments where the plan fell apart, such as the inability to attend NYU despite a $100K scholarship. This is a rare commodity in tech education: a narrative that includes the dead ends, not just the wins. By paying $10, you are getting access to a specific, detailed timeline of a career that defied the standard corporate ladder, with the promise that the lessons will keep growing as the author’s experience does. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
Why it’s on our radar
This product stands out because it rejects the “guru” packaging common in the education niche. Instead of selling a perfect, unblemished success story, it sells the mess. The pre-sale model—where the price is currently $10 but will rise to $20 for the final version—signals that this is a work in progress, not a finished commodity. That transparency is refreshing for buyers who are tired of over-hyped courses that promise the moon and deliver a generic slide deck. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
The specificity of the author’s background is the hook. He isn’t a generic “tech expert”; he is someone who has actually sat in the room with VC partners and built products for influencers with millions of followers. The offer is interesting for anyone who feels that the standard career advice is too safe and too slow. It positions the tech industry as a place where you can drop out, pivot, and still land high-level roles, provided you are willing to look at the data points that others hide. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
One buyer noted the value of the unconventional path: “Fantastic read. If you’re someone who wants to go off the beaten path when it comes to a career in tech and still succeed, this book is for you.” That sentiment captures the core appeal—it is a permission slip to do things differently, backed by a real person’s real history. You can read more of that feedback in the Gumroad reviews.
What actually matters
Before you check out, consider the format. This is a mini-book, not a 500-page textbook. It is designed to be read quickly and referenced often. If you are looking for a comprehensive university-style curriculum, this is not it. It is a strategic overview, a collection of lessons learned, and a case study. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
Check the update cadence. The listing states that the mini-book is updated every two weeks. If you buy this, you are signing up for a relationship with the content, not just a one-time purchase. The value increases over time as new experiences are added. If you prefer “set and forget” products, this might feel like too much maintenance. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
Finally, look at the price trajectory. The current price is $10, but the final version is listed at $20. If you are on the fence, the pre-sale price is the lower barrier to entry. You are getting the current version plus all future updates for free. That is a strong value proposition for a $10 investment, especially if the content resonates with your specific career goals. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
Mid-check
If you are ready to see the full outline and the current state of the mini-book, you can View on Gumroad.
FAQ
Is this a coding course? No, this is not a technical tutorial. It does not teach you how to write Python or build a React app. It teaches you how to navigate a tech career, including the business, startup, and personal development aspects. If you need to learn to code, you will need a different resource. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
Will I get the final version for free? Yes. The listing states that the final version will be live by May 30, 2024, and the price will be fixed at $20. However, buyers of the pre-sale version get all future updates for free. This means you pay $10 now and get the $20 final version plus any additional updates as they are released. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
Who is Harsh Agrawal? Harsh is an engineer from India who started programming in 8th grade. He dropped out of college to work at Avalara, launched a startup called DevKit, and is currently leading engineering at BanterAI. His background is in Web Dev, Big Data, DevOps, and AI products. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
Is this suitable for non-engineers? While the author is an engineer, the lessons about career navigation, startup building, and dealing with failure are applicable to anyone in the tech industry or anyone looking to build a non-linear career. However, the specific examples will be heavily weighted toward software engineering and startup contexts. (Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between)
Bottom line
Successes, Failures, and Everything In Between is a smart buy if you are looking for a raw, unpolished look at how a tech career can work outside the standard script. It is not a perfect product—it is a work in progress, and the content is evolving. But for $10, you get a detailed case study from someone who has actually done the things he is writing about, plus the benefit of future updates. If you are tired of generic career advice and want to see the real data points of a non-linear path, this is a low-risk, high-insight investment.