At 45, Ankur Warikoo is ‘just getting started’: After 5 career changes in two decades, he shares advice for 20-year-olds

At a time when many young professionals feel pressured to have their lives figured out by 25, one entrepreneur’s journey is quietly challenging that timeline. A recent reflection by Ankur Warikoo is resonating widely, not because it offers a perfect roadmap, but because it dismantles the idea that careers must follow one. His story stretches across decades, detours, and decisions, reminding people that uncertainty isn’t failure, it’s often the beginning of something far more meaningful and deeply personal.

Sharing insights from his two-decade-long professional life, Ankur Warikoo laid out a path that has been anything but linear. He began with the ambition of becoming a space scientist, a goal he eventually walked away from. What followed was a series of bold pivots, moving into consulting, then leaving that to build a startup with friends.

That phase, too, didn’t define him for long. He transitioned into a corporate leadership role at a global firm, only to step away again to raise funds and build his own company. Even that wasn’t the final destination. Warikoo eventually moved on from a funded startup to bootstrap a new venture, while simultaneously carving out a space for himself as a content creator.



Looking back, he acknowledges how distant his present self feels from the 20-year-old version of him who once had a singular dream. But instead of viewing that shift as a loss of direction, he frames it as growth shaped by exploration. What stood out most in his reflection was his observation about young people today. Through his interactions, he has noticed a recurring anxiety among those in their 20s, a feeling of being late, lost, or behind simply because they haven’t “settled” yet or haven’t discovered a clear sense of purpose.


Warikoo challenges that narrative by turning the spotlight on his own age. At 45, he describes life not as something that has reached stability, but as something that still feels open and full of possibility. Rather than slowing down, he sees himself at the beginning of another phase of discovery, with much left to explore and experience.


He contrasts this with the pressure younger individuals place on themselves, urging them to recognise the vastness of time and opportunity ahead. For him, the idea isn’t to rush toward certainty, but to remain open to change, even when it feels uncomfortable or uncertain. His journey, marked by five distinct career shifts, becomes less about frequent change and more about a mindset that resists stagnation. Instead of chasing permanence, he advocates for curiosity, for the willingness to try, fail, restart, and evolve.

Through his reflection, Ankur Warikoo reframes the idea of “being settled” as something optional rather than essential, suggesting that a life driven by exploration can be just as fulfilling, if not more.