‘Quit ₹30 LPA Oracle job to travel’: Chennai woman’s Instagram post spurs debate on hustle culture

A social media post by a Chennai woman detailing her decision to walk away from a high-paying corporate career has struck a chord with thousands online, after she announced that she had quit her ₹30 lakh-per-annum job to pursue a life aligned with her passion for travel.

In a video shared on her Instagram account, the creator described the move as the “biggest decision” of her life, while clarifying that her story was not meant to encourage others to quit their jobs impulsively. “This video is not an inspiration for anyone to quit their job and follow their dreams,” she wrote, adding that she had been contemplating the decision for nearly five years before finally acting on it.

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The woman said she had followed every conventional milestone expected by society, completing her education, securing a stable job, getting married, caring for her parents and building a home. Despite outward stability, she said something felt missing. Her true passion lay in travel and trekking, she said, which she pursued on weekends while working a demanding 9-to-5 job during the week.

Over time, the corporate routine began to feel repetitive and draining. “But slowly, I lost interest in climbing the corporate ladder. The same meetings, the same sprints, the same code… it all started to feel like a loop I couldn’t escape,” she said.

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The creator said she continued pushing herself for years because of the emphasis placed on stability and gratitude. “But the burnout was real. I was tired of living two separate lives: one that paid my bills, and another that actually made me feel alive,” she wrote.

Her decision to resign was not driven by ease or glamour, but by the desire to stop excelling at something she no longer loved, she added. “I wanted to give myself a chance, just once, to choose a life that felt true to me,” she concluded.

See her post here:

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The post has since sparked widespread discussion around career burnout, societal expectations and the increasing number of professionals reassessing traditional career paths, particularly women choosing personal fulfilment over conventional definitions of professional success.

“More power to you! Super happy that you chose “YOU”” a user wrote in reply.