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Ankur Warikoo shared his journey from earning Rs 14,746 pm to Rs 33 lpa in five years, detailing his struggles, an MBA from ISB, and rise in consulting firms like ATKearney
News18
Entrepreneur and author Ankur Warikoo, known for his motivational content and insights on personal growth, has taken to LinkedIn with a deeply personal post charting his remarkable professional journey. The post has struck a chord with professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs alike, as Warikoo opens up about how he grew his salary from Rs 14,746 monthly to Rs 33 lakh annually, within just five years.
In a candid revelation, Warikoo reflected on the early years of his career. “I needed financial stability,” he wrote, recalling the time when he returned to India at the age of 24. At the time, he had abandoned his plan of pursuing a PhD in the United States, choosing instead to chase a more immediate need – a job.
He described a challenging period where he gave walk-in interviews and applied to several companies. “After 45 days, I appeared for the final round of NIS Sparta,” Waikoo wrote. When asked about his salary expectations, he thought a modest pay of Rs 10,000 per month would suffice. However, the company offered him 15,000 per month as his in-hand salary. “Way more money than I expected,” he said.
Describing his job at the company, Warikoo said his work was to design training programs for large companies. “But I knew nothing about the real world. The company had taken a bet on me, given my willingness to learn. I had to prove to them that was actually the case. So I worked hard,” he recalled.
See the viral LinkedIn post:
Warikoo then went on to describe how he marked the beginning of a transformative chapter in his life when he saw his colleagues with an MBA degree had a much sharper understanding of the job. “I thought an MBA could be a good way to pivot from Physics to Management. As luck would have it, I came across ISB (Indian School of Business). A 1 year MBA,” he wrote.
However, the degree came with an expense. Warikoo went ahead and took a loan the EMI of which was Rs 20,000. “I asked myself, ‘Would I be able to get a job out of ISB that would pay 35K per month: 20K for the loan and 15K I was already earning?’ The data suggested yes,” he said. It was the first loan for his family.
While at ISB, Warikoo discovered his interest in consulting and soon made it to the top 15% of his batch. His academic performance translated into job offers. “I got shortlisted for 2 consulting firms: BCG and ATKearney. I bombed the BCG interview in the 1st round. Cleared ATK’s first round. In the 2nd round, I fumbled. But maybe they took a bet on me,” he wrote.
That offer came with an annual salary of Rs 12 lakh, which was one of the best placements on campus, he said. “Within 1.5 yrs I was promoted – fastest ever in the firm. My salary doubled,” Warikoo revealed. By the time he left ATKearney in 2009, his annual package had reached Rs 33 lakh, something he calls “wild”.
Reflecting on the journey, he said that the only thing he did was being grateful to the people who trusted him the opportunities and his hard work.
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