COO reveals why he opted for Rs 7,000/month job over an MBA degree

"I chose Rs 7,000/month over an MBA degree. And I have 0 regrets," Jatin Gulati, Chief Operating Officer at Praper Media wrote on LinkedIn.

He revealed the reason behind his decision as well.

Gulati revealed that in 2020, he had two options: "Take the "safe" path everyone expected - do an MBA, get a corporate job, climb the ladder slowly. Or take ?7k/month to edit videos for a friend's startup."


He picked the job much to the worry of his parents.

But his decision proved correct. "And 5 years later, I'm COO of an 8-figure agency, leading 90 people and earning 15x that salary."

Reflecting on his decision, Gulati said that "No classroom can teach what to do when your best editor quits mid-project. How to calm down an angry client at 11 PM. How to convince someone not to resign."

"I learnt people management from dealing with 90 different personalities daily. Operations from figuring out why systems stopped working and fixing them. Leadership from being the person everyone turned to when things went wrong."

In a classroom, he says, you have time to think, analyse, and discuss. "In a startup, you have to decide now - because your team is waiting, your client is calling, and the deadline isn't moving. That pressure taught me more in 2 years than most people learn in a decade," Gulati wrote in the post.

He, however, clarified that MBAs have value. "But for me, Praper became my MBA. And honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The real-world experience, the failures, the wins, the sleepless nights - that became my education."

He suggested others who are starting their career not to play safe.

"Because sometimes the non-obvious choice teaches you faster than the “safe” one. What one unconventional place that taught you the most?"