A Delhi-based founder has recalled turning down a ₹36 lakh job offer in Dubai 7 years ago, despite being unable to find an equivalent-paying job in India at the time. Looking back, he said he does not regret the decision and believes the career he built in India has been more lucrative.
Taking to X, Kanan Bahl, founder of Fingrowth Media, shared his career journey, saying that the Dubai offer came with a tax-free salary and was the highest ICAI campus placement offer at the time.
"7 yrs back, I rejected a ₹36 Lakh job offer in Dubai. It was a tax-free salary and it was the highest ICAI campus placement offer at that time," Bahl wrote in the X post.
The founder estimated that, after expenses, he could have saved nearly ₹20 lakh if he had accepted the offer. At the time, he said that he could not find a job in India offering more than ₹12 lakh a year.
Despite the significant difference in pay, Bahl chose to stay in India. "I still rejected it. Staying close to my family and culture mattered more," he wrote.
7 years later, Bahl said that he is happy with the decision. "And today - I don't regret it a bit," he wrote, adding that the career he built in India has turned out to be "far more lucrative" than the opportunities he could have had in Dubai.
{{/usCountry}}7 years later, Bahl said that he is happy with the decision. "And today - I don't regret it a bit," he wrote, adding that the career he built in India has turned out to be "far more lucrative" than the opportunities he could have had in Dubai.
{{/usCountry}}In the post, Bahl also reflected on his connection with India and the country's future. "India may not be perfect, but we need to make it perfect," he wrote.
He also spoke about his family's history, saying India had provided shelter to his forefathers after they were persecuted and forced from their homes in 1947.
"We all owe a lot to our freedom fighters and motherland, India," Bahl wrote, ending his post with, "Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind!"
(Also Read: Woman quits corporate job after 4.5 years to find her purpose: ‘Happy Independence Day to me’)
Social media reactions
The post drew reactions from users, with several praising Bahl for choosing to stay in India despite the financial advantage of the Dubai offer.
Reacting to the post, one user wrote, "Very nice though. I have no doubt about the rise of India. When we have youth like you will make it happen. Kudos to your parents too. Have a happy Independence day."
"Correct : India may not be perfect, but we need to make it perfect. I see you making efforts to do it," commented another.
"Well done. 19 years back i rejected a 60 lakh plus incentives job offer in Dubai. It happens. No big deal. Even if things go wrong, don't regret it, because u did it for the right reasons. Remember that," wrote a third user.
"not everyone is a patriot like you i do not disrespect other who go abroad for better salary for their families but i do respect you more for having putting your country even above yourself," said another.
"Money is Not Everything in Life; small happy moments with Parents & Family are more VALUABLE than a 2nd-class citizen life in a Foreign Country," wrote one user.