What if the job you worked hard to get ends up pushing you towards an entirely different career? For bestselling author Chetan Bhagat, that turning point came after a promotion he believed he deserved went to someone else.
In a recent Instagram video, Bhagat responded to a follower who asked about the biggest disadvantages of having a salaried job. He highlighted three major concerns: limited income growth, reduced control over personal time and office politics.
According to Bhagat, a regular salary can provide stability and a comfortable lifestyle, but it rarely leads to extraordinary wealth. “To be very straightforward, income growth is very limited,” he said.
He acknowledged that there are exceptions, pointing to Google CEO Sundar Pichai as an example of someone who earns an enormous income while technically remaining an employee. Bhagat, however, noted that such cases are extremely rare.
He also mentioned investment bankers, hedge fund managers and top lawyers who can command exceptionally high salaries. For the majority of professionals, though, he believes a salaried job is primarily a means to live comfortably rather than a route to becoming extremely wealthy.
Bhagat also spoke about another trade-off: freedom. According to him, employees have to organise their lives around office timings, meetings, deadlines and priorities set by others. While a regular job offers financial security, it can also limit how much control people have over their time.
However, his strongest criticism was reserved for office politics, something he experienced firsthand during his corporate career.
Before becoming a bestselling author, Bhagat worked at a global investment bank. Although the job offered good pay and exposed him to talented colleagues, he said workplace politics eventually made him unhappy.
“I hated it,” Bhagat recalled.
He said the situation became particularly frustrating when a promotion he believed he had earned was given to someone else. Rather than simply accepting the setback, the experience made him question whether corporate life was what he really wanted.
“That’s one of the reasons I started writing,” he revealed.
Bhagat eventually began working on Five Point Someone, a novel inspired by his experiences at IIT. What initially became an outlet from his dissatisfaction with corporate life ultimately marked the beginning of his writing career.
Bhagat shared the video with the caption, “Think a high-paying job is the fastest path to wealth? Think again.”
The post sparked a discussion among social media users, with several people relating to his comments about workplace politics and promotions. One user claimed they had not received a promotion in four years, while another said deserving employees are often overlooked despite consistently delivering results.
For many commenters, Bhagat’s experience appeared to resonate because it reflected frustrations that employees often face but rarely discuss openly.