Rs 14,750 monthly salary became Rs 33 lakh income: Ankur Warikoo shares the one career lesson that changed his life

For many young professionals, the early years of a career are filled with confusion, low salaries and uncertainty about the future. Entrepreneur and content creator Ankur Warikoo has spoken about going through a similar phase in his own life. In an Instagram post, Warikoo revealed how he went from earning ₹14,750 a month at the age of 24 to making ₹33 lakh a year within five years.

Sharing the story behind that rise, he explained that the biggest lesson he learnt was to keep working hard when opportunities came his way, even if those chances initially arrived because someone else trusted him.

“I was earning ₹14,750 a month when I was 24. In 5 years, I was earning ₹33 lakh a year,” Warikoo wrote in his post while asking people to save the post for difficult days when they begin losing hope.

Returning to India after dropping out

Warikoo shared that he had dropped out of his studies in the US and returned to India feeling completely unsure about what to do next. According to him, the period after coming back was not easy because he had no clear direction in mind.

“I had just dropped out of my studies in the US and came back to India. I was completely confused,” he wrote.

He revealed that after nearly 45 days of job hunting through newspaper advertisements and walk-in interviews, he finally reached the last round of interviews at NIS Sparta. At that point, he was expecting a salary of around ₹10,000 a month, but the company offered him ₹15,000 instead.

The decision that changed his career path

Warikoo said joining a team filled with highly skilled people made him think seriously about pursuing an MBA. Around the same time, ISB introduced its one-year MBA programme. However, taking admission there meant he would have to take the biggest loan his family had ever seen.

“So I asked myself: can I get a job paying ₹35,000 after ISB? ₹15,000 which I already earned and ₹20,000 which is the EMI,” he explained.

According to Warikoo, the answer to that question was yes, and that gave him the confidence to join ISB despite the financial pressure attached to the decision.

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A post shared by Ankur Warikoo (@ankurwarikoo)

Learning quietly and observing others

During his time at ISB, Warikoo said he found himself surrounded by distinguished and accomplished people. Instead of trying to prove himself, he focused on learning from those around him. “There, I found many distinguished people. I didn’t have anything to share, I just had to absorb,” he wrote.

He eventually realised consulting was the career path he wanted to pursue and started preparing for it seriously. Warikoo recalled going through three interview rounds for a consulting role and believing after the first two rounds that he would not get selected.

“3 rounds of interviews. 2 were fine. I knew I wouldn’t get selected. The third round was with the MD, and he somehow liked me,” he shared.

That interview eventually helped him secure one of the best jobs on campus with a salary package of ₹12 lakh annually.

The lesson he says matters the most

Warikoo said he received a promotion within one and a half years and by the time he resigned after three years, he was earning ₹33 lakh a year. But according to him, the journey was not about being the smartest person in the room.

“I am not the most intelligent person. But when someone trusted me, I worked hard to deserve it,” he wrote.

Ending the post with a message on effort and accountability, he added, “Opportunities may come because of others. What you do after that is on you. Never stop working hard.”