"Too low for me!" Student rejects internship offer, cites being from 'Tier 1' college

A recent conversation between a startup founder and a college student has sparked a heated debate on social media about whether the prestige of a college should affect salary expectations. The drama began when Vinayak Sarawagi, a former software engineer and entrepreneur, shared a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation with a student from a "Tier 1" college who turned down an internship offer from his startup. The reason? The student said Rs 10,000 per month was "too low" for someone from a prestigious college. "Being from a Tier 1 college, this is too low for me. Hope you understand," the student wrote.


Sarawagi responded simply with "Okay cool." However, he later shared the conversation online, captioning it with, "I thought this mindset was going away, but sadly it's not." In the comments, he revealed that the internship stipend was indeed Rs 10,000 per month.


The post quickly gained attention, with many social media users criticizing the founder for offering such a low stipend. One user commented, "Founder gets sad when someone from a tier-1 college refuses to join at Rs 10,000 per month. Zamindaari nahi jaayegi is desh se (Feudal mindset won't leave this country)." Sarawagi responded, explaining that the low stipend was because he’s funding the open-source project using his own savings. "I know the stipend is low, hence I try to offer other comforts like flexible hours," he explained. "There are many other people paying much more than I am. So calling me a zamindar without knowing it all is not cool."

Sarawagi clarified that the student reached out to him after he posted the job in a group. During their call, he had explained the job role, stipend, and benefits like remote work and flexible hours. After declining, Sarawagi admitted, "The candidate is not wrong here, and I wish him the best of luck! I just posted this screenshot because I could see that the 'Tier 1' debate is still not over yet."

Sarawagi also mentioned that other candidates had rejected the offer in a similar way, which shows how salary, prestige, and expectations are still a big issue in the job market.

In the comments, one person questioned why any graduate would accept Rs 10,000 a month, pointing out that drivers in Delhi earn Rs 25,000 a month. Another user said, "To be able to choose a job that values one's worth is a huge advantage the new generation has. Something many of us didn’t have when we started." They added, "I just hope this person works really hard when they get it and prove their worth."

A third user suggested, "Maybe you should hire lower, the higher the social pedigree, the higher the entitlement."