A recent exchange between a startup founder and a college student has sparked a debate on social media on whether the prestige of one’s college should determine one’s salary at a job. It all started after entrepreneur and former software engineer Vinayak Sarawagi shared a screenshot of his conversation with a student who declined an internship offer at his startup due to low pay. The student from a “Tier 1” college turned down the offer of Rs 10,000 per month, saying, “I am sorry it won’t work for me. Being from a Tier 1 college, this is too low for me. Hope you understand.” To this, Mr Sarawagi replied with a brief “Okay cool” response.
The entrepreneur shared the screenshot of the WhatsApp conversation with the caption, “I thought this mindset was going away, but sadly it’s not.” In the comments section, he also revealed that the salary offered to the student was Rs 10,000.
Take a look below:
I thought this mindset was going away, but sadly it’s not pic.twitter.com/AaOHVh8vhv
— Vinayak Sarawagi (@vinayak2506) November 30, 2024
Mr Sarawagi’s post quickly caught the attention of social media users, who slammed the entrepreneur for the amount he offered a potential intern. “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),” one user wrote.
Mr Sarawagi responded to the post explaining his rationale behind the salary offer. He said that the stipend is low because he is using his savings to fund the open-source framework he is building. “I know the stipend is low. hence I try to offer other comforts like flexible hours. There are many other people paying much more than I am. So calling me a zamindar without knowing it all is not cool,” Mr Sarawagi said.
He explained that the candidate reached out to him after he posted the job opening in a group. Following this, Mr Sarawagi had a call with the student during which he outlined the expectation, revealing the monthly stipend, job role and benefits which included remote work and flexible working hours.
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After the student declined, Mr Sarawagi noted, “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.” The entrepreneur added that other candidates had also bluntly declined the job offer, highlighting the ongoing debate about pay, prestige and expectations in the job market.
Meanwhile, in the comments section of the post, one user wrote, “All said and done why would a graduate accept 10k/ month? Drivers charge 25k/ month in Delhi. Isn’t this just exploitation for ‘experience’?”
“To be able to choose a job that values one’s worth is a huge enabler and advantage the new generation has. Something many of us didn’t have when we started. I just hope this person works really hard when they get it and prove their worth. It’s a fair deal,” expressed another.
“Maybe you should hire lower, the higher the social pedigree the higher the entitlement,” suggested a third user.
