From MBBS to IAS to building a 14,000 crore unicorn; changing careers is obviously not 'bad'!

People in general usually spend their entire lives searching for the perfect opportunity to make their dreams come true. They keep up the search for one great opportunity for their entire life, and that usually means getting into the premier schools, finding a good job, settling down as soon as they get it, and saving up. But what happens if you don't find that perfect job? What happens if you have to retire from your first career?  Some people like Roman Saini believe that the only way out is to create your own opportunity! He took a leap of faith by quitting his job as an IAS officer first and then starting up Unacademny for his own entrepreneurial journey. 

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From MBBS...

Gaining a medical degree from AIIMS is no easy feat. Not everyone has the intelligence and determination to achieve such results at a young age. For Roman Saini, similar success came too early to him. He cracked the AIIMS admission exam at the age of 16 years. In two years, he already wrote a research paper in a reputed medical publication. 

He completed his medical degree (MBBS) and then worked at the National Drug Dependence Treatment Center (NDDTC) in AIIMS as a doctor. However, even this did not make Roman happy in the long run. He soon realised his interest lay in administration, so after only 6 months working as a doctor, he decided to become an IAS officer instead. Thus, he kickstarted his journey to clear his UPSC Civil Services Exam.

... to an IAS officer 

At the age of 22, Roman Saini was posted to Madhya Pradesh as an IAS Officer (Indian Administrative Service). He was one of the youngest people to make it through UPSC - one of the toughest examinations of India. He opted to become a civil servant after he came across many people who were deprived of basic facilities whilst he was stationed in Dayalpur village in Haryana, India, where he decided to make it his mission to serve the nation.

But his career soon took an interesting turn when he joined his friend Gaurav Munjal in founding Unacademy. Saini left his coveted job as an IAS officer and began his entrepreneurial journey of Unacademy. The idea behind the platform was to provide quality courses and coaching classes taught by experienced tutors on UPSC exams at a very minimal price. The end goal of the platform was to help young people realize their dreams and not be deterred by roadblocks like cost and time.

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The trio behind the USD 2 billion unicorn

Unacademy is said to have begun life as a YouTube channel Unacademy created by Gaurav Munjal in 2010. This was the same year that Munjal, Rohit Saini, and their co-founder Hemesh Singh started working on this project. Six years down the line, the company has evolved from being an online educator into one of India’s largest education technology platforms.

It comprises a network of 18,000 expert educators in fields ranging from business to languages and everything in between. Unacademy has garnered a very impressive valuation of USD 2 billion (around INR 14,830 crores). The platform boasts of having taken on more than 50 million active users through its comprehensive marketplace. Unacademy is rated as one of the most promising tech startups in India - connecting students to educators who are experts in their respective fields. 

Setting a new benchmark for success

Roman's advice for why you should not give up on your dreams of success is that you must first learn to learn. Practicing how to be resourceful and flexible in all situations is the secret to lifelong success. You don't need to be a genius, because everyone possesses the knowledge, talent, and character needed to achieve their goals. One thing that might hold people back from achieving their potential is fear! Fear of going against their parents' or society's wishes as well as fear of pushing your limits.

It's important to remember that no one is born with knowledge, talent, or character. Successful people have worked hard to achieve what they want out of life. One of the first steps to success is learning how to take on a challenge without experiencing fear or anxiety, and how to make decisions that defeat your subconscious mind. Roman Saini believed in this method for achieving success because conscious control allows a person to push their limits and fight their fears, instead of allowing free will and unintentional actions to rule their decision-making process.

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