Passion

Passion

THE PURSUIT OF EARNING A ‘DECENT SALARY’ IN INDIA

A committee headed by the reputed economist Bibek Debroy prepared a report called the State of Inequality in India; using the data collected by different governmental agencies and
found that people earning more than ₹25000 were among the top 10 percent of India
wage earners. So anyone earning more than 25000₹ should ideally consider themselves
lucky in this country. But since idealism is not a luxury most of us can afford, we have to ask
– is ₹ 25000 a decent salary?
A decent salary is one that takes care of all day-to-day expenses while still leaving enough
money to save for future expenses. This is hence a variable concept. 25000₹ is a decent
salary for villages and small towns because the expenses incurred by the inhabitants here
are less because of the reduced cost of living, better health due to a non-polluting and non-
stressful environment, and because most of the vegetables and groceries needed are
available in their own farms.
But for a metropolitan city, 25000 is not a decent salary. The monthly expenses in buying
gas cylinders, groceries and vegetables, school uniforms and clothes, school fees, travelling
expenses, building maintenance fees, electricity and water bills and so on add very well up
to 25000 minimum. Add to that the cost of paying the premiums for medical insurance,
unforeseen expenses of illnesses, or spending for eating out or going to a movie, then the
monthly expense is 30000 in these places. So to maintain ample savings, as well as to deal
with unexpected expenses, a monthly salary of ₹40,000 would be a decent salary in a
metropolitan city.
There is hence a pursuit of earning ‘decent salaries’, especially in metropolitan cities
whereby it is conventionally held that being able to earn more would only happen if one
studies more. Likewise, the highest yardstick of education, viz. The pursuit of a doctorate or
PhD in any field is deemed to be the getaway of earning a ‘decent salary’. However, is it
really worth it?
This article will help us to answer the question of whether pursuing a doctorate in any field is
worth its trouble. In an academic sense, it is of course justified since it adds to ones store of
knowledge while generating new knowledge for others. But what about a career option?
A PhD, pursued from the right institution, does indeed add to ones value as an academician,
and such people earn well to the tune of a hundred thousand per month, which is an
excellent salary in India. But it should be taken into consideration here that only a PhD
pursued from a reputed institution garners such a salary, and that such posts are now
becoming reduced in numbers due to the gradual privatisation of education in the state.
One of the big errors that students pursuing doctorates do is to devote the years of their
study solely to their thesis. Now, this is a viable option if the student has secured the Junior
Research Fellowship which provides a monthly stipend for the researcher to undertake his
research. But otherwise, it is just three empty years on their CV in which they could have
earned further work experience, and hence worked their way towards a decent salary, which
would positively influence their increments and promotions. Merely pursuing only ones

doctoral dissertation means that the store of ones knowledge remains limited only to one
particular field, and also that one does not get a practical experience in the field (be it
teaching or working in a research capacity) which one would then have to acquire separately
after securing their PhD, that is if they do complete it. Because, many doctoral students
languish in their efforts to secure a PhD and fail, thus wasting years of their academia as
well as their professional life, an outcome which could have been avoided if they had been
doing a job along with working on their doctorate.
Therefore, taking into consideration the decent salary of 40-50000 required to thrive in an
urban setting of India, a doctorate is a good career option. But the risks of pursuing it can be
effectively minimised if the researcher works part-time while pursuing his/her research.
Moreover, keeping this option aside, a person can be successful even at the age of 20, by
acquiring practical real-life advanced skill sets through professional and relevant courses,
and consequently devoting themselves to the journey of gaining work experience early on in
their career path. Hence, it can be said that associating the notion of a ‘decent salary’ with a
particular age or dignified degree is merely a myth, all that is actually required on the path of
success is passion, relevant skill set and hardwork.