These days, it’s common to see people on the internet say things like, “Degrees don’t matter,” or “You don’t need a fancy college to succeed.” And honestly, in many cases, that’s true. People have built successful careers through skills, hustle, and passion, without ever stepping into an IIT or IIM. But every once in a while, a story comes along that makes you stop and think: maybe, just maybe, a degree from a top institute still holds a kind of power.
A Mumbai-based entrepreneur, Sakshi Jain, shared a post on X and LinkedIn that left many people stunned. She spoke about meeting a friend who’s currently a student at IIM Calcutta and is in Mumbai for her summer internship. This friend is earning Rs 3.5 lakh per month during her internship.
Met a friend from IIM Calcutta yesterday. She’s interning in Mumbai.
Getting paid 3.5L per month🫠And it kinda hit me- 7 lakhs in 2 months?
Maybe degrees do hold some weight after all😳— Sakshi Jain • LinkedIn Strategist (@thecontentedge) April 20, 2025
Sakshi went on to reflect on LinkedIn on how this made her rethink the “degrees don’t matter” narrative.
“Maybe degrees don’t matter everywhere. But sometimes, they open doors you never knew existed. And they still hold power, especially in places that value them.”
Her post struck a chord online. Because while we’ve all cheered for college dropouts who made it big, this story was a strong reminder that elite degrees still open doors that many people don’t even know exist.
Here’s what people had to say about her post:
Met some IIT students recently. One of them got a 2 month internship for 25 lacs. INR 12.5 lac per month for an internship. 🔥
— Arjun Tandon (@iarjuntandon) April 20, 2025
Most of the iim folks after 10 years of experience are earning more than 1.5 to 2 crores.
— Avijeet | Personal Branding Strategist (@avijeet_writes) April 20, 2025
I am from IIM C too and an avg IIM C student is not even getting 3.5 lakhs for 2 months combined btw 😂.
She is definitely an outlier as 3.5 LPM puts her in top 5 out of batch of 480 in terms of stipend amount.
— Pritish Poswal (@pritishposwal) April 20, 2025
This is the truth at the end of the day, people can make noise and be part of the “MBA doesn’t matter” bandwagon but IIM A/B/C are in a league of their own and that tag stays with you for life – gives you a serious headstart.
— Vayam Lahoti (@VayamLahoti) April 20, 2025
It’s a matter of pride that the IIT/IIM league exists in India ,and stands among the world’s best!
— SONI🌞 (@MagneticSoni) April 20, 2025
Degrees do hold some weight and some rightfully should.
The IITs are tougher than a “Harvard” to crack. Same with IIMs. Tougher than any B school in the world to get there. These are the institutes where the real India is formed.
They absolutely deserve this kind of pay 🙌
— CA Nitin Kaushik (@Finance_Bareek) April 21, 2025
Mumbai so probably Citibank or Private Equity firms. IB/PEs (Investment Banks, Private Equity) are an outlier in terms of the skills needed. The types of workaholic and laser focused people that go to such places are one in a million. They deserve that much.
Few of my…
— DesiBurger (@desiburgerjoint) April 21, 2025
Moral of the story? Success doesn’t have a single formula.