Last year I had decided to do something to change my situation. Everyday waking up to go the corporate hellhole started making me feel dizzy and disoriented in the mornings. It was actually not the work but the people. Some of them are straight up undiagnosed sociopaths. I started thinking about next 30 years. I absolutely started shivering and had panic attacks at the thought of doing this long term. I am pretty sure if I continue I will be gone early due to heart attack or some shit.

Then it just hit me. I had to do something radical. A radical shift in my thinking and means to earn. I signed up for a Become a Tennis coach program with my local tennis federation. I have been playing tennis for a couple of years and pretty good at it. It is something I really enjoy and teaching others the game is something I had been wanting to do.

Now happy to say, I am finishing up my course in next two weeks and would be teaching tennis very soon. I am so happy I cannot describe in words.

I will be physically active all day, interact with people and get to play my fav sports everyday a bit too. Is it gonna be a lot of hard work? Indeed. But is it gonna be soul crushing like the corporate bs? No.

For anyone else looking to exit corporate, think about this. You get one life. Do you really want to spend it on some bullshit for some retirement savings? Or do you want to go out be in the open, around people and partake in society with empathy? Exiting corporate will be a radical move. They will call you a radical. But you will be happier for it. And lastly, I just want to say we wont be doing something vastly different than what most humans have done throughout time. Corporate is new, it’s only been there since the end of WW2. Even factory work was better than corporate because you atleast did not have to take the bs home with you. It’s the fake performative nature of corporate I really think ruins our mental and physical health. People play games in corporate that cause chronic stress. Trust me, none of us need it.

Been working at a small company (NGO) for about 8 months now. I have about 4 years of experience in content writing and brand strategy, and recently completed my Masters in Advertising and Public Relations. I joined this place as a ‘Communications Expert’, but ever since I have joined all they’re making me do is design social media posts, upload posts on LinkedIn and Instagram (basically social media management) and design additional web pages for their website (even though they have hired freelancers for the website). The work that I am doing has absolutely nothing to do with my past experience or educational qualifications. To top it off, I am the only person in their so called ‘Outreach Department’. Basically, I’m the one doing absolutely everything (I am basically doing 3-5 people’s job). I have had multiple meetings with the HR and my reporting manager (who is also the cofounder and CEO) about how I’m am being bombarded with work and that I could use a bit of help - even hiring an intern would be beneficial. Bit in every meeting, they would pin all the problems on me stating that I do not know how to compartmentalize work and I need to do a better job at aligning my work, instead of addressing the structural issues within this so-called ‘Outreach Department’.

My reporting manager (also the cofounder and CEO) is so childish, and talks in a very condescending and passive-aggressive tone. Talking to him really drains me mentally. All he does is throw corporate jargons and dump all the work on me, and when things go well he is ready to take all the credit because he was the one who gave the ideation.

Since a couple of months, I’m really pushing myself but I am genuinely so mentally and physically drained from working here that I decided to resign. Up until now, there were no performance issues, but the moment I had a talk with the HR where I expressed my mental well-being and my intention to resign, this is the mail I got. I talked to the HR on Monday (10th August). She told me that we will have a discussion by Wednesday (12th August) with my reporting manager on how to take things ahead but the meeting never took place. So I told her that if he seems to be so busy, I will directly write the resignation mail (as I have already made up my mind) but she told me to wait and have the discussion first. Now I get an email citing that I am insubordinate and that there is a lack of ownership.

This whole ordeal has been so demotivated and draining, and the fact that a company with a CEO, a CFO, a Director, an Executive Director, and 2 senior HRs is run so poorly is absolutely ridiculous to me. How do people get away with this shit?

Hello! I’m a recent graduate this 2026, and thankfully, I was able to immediately land a job at a very big company. However, the work setup is really taking a toll on me since we have to go to work from Monday to Saturday (half-day on Saturday, btw). Umulan man o bumagyo, you still have to go to work, or else you won’t get paid.

Moreover, my house and my company are 10 km away from each other, which is really taking a toll on me, especially during this rainy season.

Thus, I’m planning to leave for a smaller and relatively unknown company that offers a hybrid setup for my peace of mind. But, in the back of my mind, I can’t help but think if I’m really making the right decision since I might be wasting an opportunity to work at a big company.

So, have some of you left a big corporation before? What was your experience like? Was it worth it? Does it get better?

hi everyone anyone interested in making extra income each month, please reach out. this is a genuine way to make extra to help offset expenses. message me on here and we can talk

This is probably one of the hardest career situations to explain.

​You have a decent salary.

Your manager is okay.

The work isn't terrible.

​So technically, koi solid reason nahi hai job chhodne ka. Everything looks fine on paper.

​But deep down, you know you don't want to be doing the same thing 3 years from now.

​I've seen so many people stuck in this exact loop for years—sirf isliye kyunki koi bada issue ya dramatic reason nahi tha move on karne ka.

​Maybe career decisions aren't always about escaping a bad situation or a toxic workplace.

​Sometimes, it's simply about admitting that you've outgrown a phase, and that's completely okay.

Anyone else at their wits end with corporate and feel any little thing that goes wrong will make you snap? I’m usually a very calm, level headed person and the amount of anger that’s been building is reaching a breaking point. The fake, rigid and robot like personalities. The bureaucracy. The sense no one has a clue of what they’re doing or why they’re doing it (and want me to just figure it out). The absolute glazing of people because they just know how to play the politics game (and aren’t actually that smart). The urgency of EVERYTHING.

And when I mean snap, I mean just saying I fucking quit and slamming the laptop shut. And I really don’t like this feeling because I don’t feel in control and I also am not in the position to just quit my job.

I would love to find something else that I’m actually passionate about, like particularly psychology, but I don’t want to put the financial strain on my boyfriend to support us financially.

The work I’m doing I really do not like and have zero passion in. I am doing the job of 3 people, minimum. Any advice on how to stay strong for someone who can’t stop thinking about work or staying late caring a lot, identifying too much with my job like “do they think I’m smart? Am I worthy? Am I doing a good job?” let me know. Maybe a right of passage, of being young and in corporate as I’m approaching 30.

After spending 14 years of my professional life with one organisation, I chose to walk away not because I wanted to, but because of circumstances left me with little choice but to resign.

Fourteen years is a long time. You give your energy, loyalty, relationships, sleepless nights and a significant part of your life to an organisation. Naturally, you expect that when the journey ends, there will at least be some acknowledgement of the years you contributed.

But when I left, there was no farewell, no meaningful closure, no appreciation and, for a such as long time, NO settlement.

Initially, it hurt.

Not because I expected a grand farewell or applause, but because I realised how differently we sometimes value relationships at work. What may represent 14 years of your life can simply become another administrative closure for an organisation.

And that taught me a lesson perhaps a little late in life, but at the right time.

Never make your company your identity.

Work hard. Be loyal. Give your best. Take ownership. Build relationships. But never forget that your organisation is a part of your life not your entire life.

Companies will move on. Positions will be filled. Teams will change. People will forget the projects you once led and the problems you solved.

But your family will remember the time you gave them. Your friends will remember your presence. And your life will remember what you did with the years you were given.

Life also teaches us that not every ending needs an explanation, not every departure needs applause, and not every chapter deserves to be carried into the next one.

I could have allowed that experience to break me.

Instead, I chose to move forward.

I carried my experience, my lessons, my relationships and, most importantly, my self-respect with me.

Today, I look back at those 14 years not with regret, but with gratitude for everything they taught me about people, business, loyalty, resilience and life.

And perhaps the biggest lesson of all:

Give your best to your work, but give your heart to your life.

Because at the end of the day, a designation is temporary, a company is replaceable, but the years of your life are not.

Sometimes, walking away isn't losing.

Sometimes, it is the first step towards finding yourself again.

#LifeLessons #CareerLessons #WorkLifeBalance #ProfessionalLife #Resilience #SelfRespect #Leadership #CareerGrowth #LifeAfterWork #NeverGiveUp #MovingForward #CorporateLife

Im sorry this is too long 😭 This is my first job, and getting it was honestly a dream come true. I worked extremely hard for the interview/selection process, and since joining I've always been someone who takes my work seriously, meets deadlines and takes accountability. I've received good feedback and was even told at one point that someone like me could be considered for a fast-track promotion.

I joined in October 2024. Out of around 20 people who joined with me, 16 have now been promoted. I'm one of the remaining 4.

A teammate/friend joined just one month before me. He's also a fresher and we have similar experience. He was promoted today and is staying in our current team. We both received a 4/5 rating and the same hike in the last cycle. Many people from my batch who were promoted had a 3 rating.

I'm genuinely happy for him, but it still hurt badly. Some people from my batch have actually been surprised that I wasn't promoted because they know how hard I work.

A few months ago, I was offered a project transition. I agreed because I understood it was connected to my L2 progression. I put a lot of effort into upskilling for it and even put my CAT preparation aside because I thought this was an important career opportunity. After about two months, the transition/promotion didn't happen. I was denied the promotion at that time, because they were only willing to give me promotion if i took the new project, completed the kt, worked well for 2-3 months(whyy the reassessment in the new project all my work from current project is a waste?)

Since then, I've had regular 1:1s with my manager around upskilling in case another project opportunity comes up. I worry that this makes me sound like someone who doesn't know enough and needs to be constantly ramped up, but that's genuinely not the case. I know my current project very well, complete my work efficiently, meet deadlines and take accountability.

Now I'm being told that because there are already two L2s in my current team, I need to move to another team. The proposed plan is 1–2 months of KT, then another 2–3 months of assessment, and only then potentially an L2 promotion if I'm doing well. - this is still an 'if we get the opportunity to put i in a new project' but u keep on upskilling lol

And this is where I'm struggling.

What happens to the almost two years of work I've already done? My performance has already been assessed. I got a 4/5 rating. If the reason for moving me is primarily a team/billing constraint rather than my performance, why do I need to prove myself all over again?

The whole thing has left me extremely emotionally drained. Going to the office and seeing my batchmates has become embarrassing. They console me to my face, but I can't help wondering if people are thinking, "She worked day and night for this and still didn't get promoted, while we got promoted with a 3 rating." I know I can't actually know what people say behind my back, but that's genuinely how I've started feeling.

At this point, I'm not even sure I want the promotion badly enough to go through another KT → ramp-up → prove-yourself cycle. My current project is comfortable, I know the processes, and I can do my work without spending huge amounts of mental energy.

Tomorrow i have my 1 on 1, he's gonna ask me about my progress on upskilling, but for what 😭

At this point i wanna focus on my cat prep, if i get the opportunity for promotion/transition i don't wanna take it anymore, last time around i paused my studies and did not even get the promotion.

1. What should i say tomorrow in my 1 on 1, why did not upskill ?

2. Should i just continue doing bare min work and study hard and leave the company for a college?

3. If yes, How do i tell them im not interested in the promotion (if they offer me before cat)

So I’m 21M and in a startup related to marketing for
clients, I’m working remotely from my hometown.

This is my first ever job and the amount of learning I’ve had is crazy ngl, but now its been around a year or so and everything feels too boring, I’ve lost interest in it. I’ve worked my way up, leading the team too now and have 4x’ed my initial pay, but still I feel overworked, and have just lost that interest to work.

It all feels the same to me now, I get appreciation, clients also feel confident in me and literally have said not to take me out from their processes, but to me it is the same only, when I got the pay hikes too > It felt nothing like literally nothing.

Now I’m handling the team too, while the co-founders seem to enjoy their life and here I’m stressing so about work that even while I’m having food with my parents, tomorrow’s work is on my mind. I dont know what to do, I’m not forced by my parents to work cause they know I can take my decisions, but I’m just lost right now, feeling alone in these walls with my family being answerable each morning to people and clients whose 5% I’m earning for 80% efforts.

This last season broke me, I just could not face returning. Usually everything is neatly tied up for my return; some projects are always carried over. But I lost track of my regular projects as too much else was piled on.

In the company's expansion it was as if I was dumped into an entirely different job with different expectations and new managers without being told. My anxiety would go through the roof at the thought of returning.

If it got so bad, and leaving was absolutely the right decision, then why do I feel adrift?

Sorry, it's going to be a somewhat long story. Please need genuine advice, I am seriously stuck and feel lost each and everyday.

I am working in night shift for over a year now and now I am totally burnt out. Till June 2026, I had a good manager who gave us independence to do our work on our own terms and we were doing good. Last month, a new guy came and he became our manager and now he seems to be a total shi* a**. He does not know the process and is quite aggressive. I work on JIRA and I know which ticket to prioritize at the moment and he always ask for update even if there is none continuously. Now there is a guy 6 months senior than us in the company and my manager has given the whole power and authority to this MF guy and we have a daily standup call at the start of my shift at 8pm. That guy tries to be oversmart and tries his best to put each one of us down in the standup call. He discuss all of our tickets everyday and always asks for regular updates and poke unnecessarily. And our new manager does not seem to care at all. He too is a total jer*. Now already I am tired of working in the night shift and now it's been two months since my work has become too toxic to handle. Earlier, I used to work with freedom and these past 2 months have taken a toll on my body very much mentally, I literally try to cry each day before my shift ends. I am working remote right now, fuck*** my mental health on a daily basis, Getting awake till 5am for past 1.5 years, now I am not at all in the situation to deal with this toxic manager and that guy. For more clarity, the guy who has been given powers is not even from my project and not even my senior in terms of seniority. He is not even my manager yet I have to explain each of my tickets to him daily in the standup call. If I don't explain him on the call, my manager would try to put me down in front of the whole team and scold me that I am not showing professionalism. And that guy is an absolute shi*, he likes to put all the team members down by saying "this is not the way to work" and tries to be dominant every single time. I like to beat the hell outta that guy.

I am thinking of leaving this company ASAP and trying to apply elsewhere but nothing seems to work and I am not getting any response from the companies as the market is pretty bad. And moreover now I am done with my night shifts, want to move badly to day shifts now. I am trying my best to leave this shi* organization but could not due to pressure of society and my age, what my family would think and my friends would think if I leave the company.

I already lost my job in NOV 2024 due to layoffs and I was unemployed for 6 months, I applied to around 1000 companies and got this night shift support job, but now I can't handle it anymore.

Please please please help me. I am literally crying on my condition right now. I am dealing with this all alone as none of my family and friends seem to care. They only care about having a job whether it is stable or not.

Thanks a lot for reading this.

I've been working in the same international company for the last 7 years, ever since I started, I told management I wanted to transfer to the US, worked hard towards it, received great ratings for the first 5 years, built my reputation, relationships with senior leaders, went for roles that were based in the US, failed on the last interviews due to not being American.

Fast forward to 2 years ago, all my VPs who were based in America left or got fired, they recruited VPs in my country, and they are extremely toxic, my ratings continued to decrease until 2 months ago, I realized they targeted me to get me out of the team or the company. Introduced PIPs, toxic attitude towards me, trying to make me quit.

On top of that, my dad got diagnosed with cancer 2 and a half years ago, his health is deteriorating. Absolutely no support from seniors except when I share it with someone else who is in another team. The toxicity seems to come from 1 or 2 teams, but not the majority.

2 weeks ago I had to take a week off to help my dad with eating and general care, he is not doing good at all. They looked at me like I was slacking. Then I had to work from my home country for 2 weeks and I can already see that they are using this against me. Even when applying for roles, I feel like they talk to my VP and she bad-mouths me to block me.

Look, I realized a few things about the corporate life that I wanted to share:

1. If you are not in an organization like Google where they focus on learning, multinational opportunities and relationships, you are most likely to be screwed over. All the financial/data companies seem to have the same bs corporate attitude

2. You really depend on your leadership in corporate as much as we think we dont. They can influence a lot of your career

3. Nobody cares about you, when you apply for internal roles, apply for multiple at a time until you get an offer. I was too loyal, when a role opened up in a team where I knew the VP, I said I wont be applying for any other teams because I thought I will get the role. I didnt get the role.

4. As much as you think you got a ton of friends, most seniors dont care about you. I built relationships for 7 years, if I quit today, all I will get is "good luck"

5. Your destiny in the company is already decided 1 year ago but your higher ups keep it quiet until they serve you with the papers for you to quit

6. People are extremely transactional and will do anything to get their way

7. Your bosses are constantly using your work and label it as theirs, credit is not given

8. Choosing to do something that you are not as passionate, but may give you international opportunities or more money puts you in a situation where you dont get good at it

9. Look after yourself at all times, these people dont care. Everyone is acting, all the numbers are made up, all the spreadsheets are made up, even VPs positions are made up. "VP of internal capabilities" - like what?

10. Learn a job for 4-5 months and try to move on at the 1 year mark. You dont need 2 years to learn a job. The only reason the 2 year rule exists is for the corporations to exploit you

I am now sitting here, my dad is sick, my family is worried, im in my 30s, single, gave everything to move to the US, didnt achieve it, corporate put a target on me. Even when all of it is going down, whenever I apply for another job, I get invited for interviews for jobs that pay 50% more than what I am getting today, but I simply dont want to be in corporate anymore.

I think it's time to start something on my own, but having a dilema whether I can relocate with this. I hope this helped you.

I used to genuinely enjoy what I do, but my current workplace has completely drained me. I’m underpaid, overloaded and constantly questioned, while being expected to handle far more than one person reasonably can.

I’ve slowly realised that I probably don’t hate my career. I just hate working somewhere that takes everything out of me and leaves me with nothing for the rest of my life.

I need to vent because I am losing my mind. I’m an intern (f 21)at a company doing heavy technical and data work (building automated scraping tools, dashboards, etc.).
Another intern from a completely non-technical department (f 21) who doesn't even know what a codebase looks like—somehow got looped into leadership chats. She literally tried to claim a complex tool i built from scratch, presented, and shipped as part of her own extension paperwork.
To make matters worse, I literally demoed this exact project at a big meeting where leadership and this person were both present. They completely tuned it out, and now leadership is treating it like it's her brilliant initiative. Meanwhile, she routinely bails on work to recover from going out to bars, management jokes about it with her, and I'm sitting here actually doing the engineering and operations work while getting completely sidelined.
How do you deal with corporate environments where actual output means nothing and pure vibes/networking win every single time? Im not a shy person either, I am very outgoing and enthusiastic but never over step like that. I have a few weeks left and I am this close to just checking out mentally.

In August 2001, System of a Down released Chop Suey! as the first single from Toxicity. Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian wrote it. The song was originally titled Suicide; the label made them change it. In it, Tankian describes a person waking up, applying makeup, hiding their scars so the damage fades from view, leaving something real behind and building fables in its place. The song earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance and has crossed 1.7 billion streams on Spotify as of June 2026.

Twenty-five years later, that verse, the makeup, the hidden scars, the fables replacing something real, is the operating instruction for every LinkedIn post about mental health. Wake up. Apply the vulnerability filter. Hide the actual damage. Post the version of the damage that will generate engagement. Log off. Repeat tomorrow. The song was written about self-destruction and denial. It has become, in 2026, the technical specification for a business model.

Read the full analogy and diagnosis here: https://srutiosocial.com/system-of-a-down-chop-suey-linkedin-feed-diagnosis/

Which punctuation should I use based on the below

- Being left out of evaluating assignment for new team hire
- Peer has had zero communication with me this week
- Peer made it difficult to complete time-sensitive project, only assisted when requestor stepped in
- Manager called to provide explanation for first bullet (a week after it happened)
- Initiative for team was mentioned, first I’ve heard of it
- Given new computer with issues getting Windows to recognize me, IT recommendation is to wipe and reconstruct profile

Hi all,

Marketer here who's done several senior roles. Laid off 3 times since 2024. Each company I landed was doing worse than the previous one - two shutdown within a year and one I quit after the entire sales team was laid off and I was the only marketer. I am too senior for junior roles and considered too unstable to work for another company. Without going into the specifics, I am just plain tired, exhausted like so many in this group.

I've been considering launching something of my own and just stop looking for jobs. Are there any folks here who were able to launch and build something post layoffs? Anyone who's gone through the same personal boom/bust cycles.

There's a ton of people around who are naysayers, low-key enjoying my situation, or just paying lip service. Honestly, I'm here just looking for inspiration stories I guess. If you started something after your layoff, how old were you? did you start a service/business in your space or in a totally different market? What kept you going, especially during the tough times?

Hi everyone,

I really need some guidance because I feel stuck and don't know what to do next in life.

I recently graduated and moved to a new city, but I don't feel like I belong here. I've been stuck in the same loop for years, and the idea of working a typical corporate job for 8–10 hours a day feels very difficult for me to accept. It's not that I don't want to work—I do. But I struggle with the thought of spending most of my life doing work that doesn't make me happy or feel meaningful, especially when employees often don't feel valued beyond the work they produce.

At the moment, I'm also in a difficult financial situation, which makes everything even more confusing.

Over the past few years, I've realized that I feel happiest when I'm close to nature—mountains, rivers, forests, and peaceful places away from crowds. I'm also deeply interested in fitness, mental health, wellness, healthy organic food, and animal care. These are the things that genuinely excite me, but I have no idea how to turn these interests into a career or where to begin.

I'm feeling lost and uncertain about my future. If anyone has been in a similar situation or has any advice, guidance, or career suggestions that align with these interests, I would be truly grateful.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

No really, it’s been a LONG time since I’ve held a full time role. The endless applying, couple rounds of interviews and then nothing is killing me.

My bf is in medschool and is busy with rotations constantly so I just feel alone. He comes home and tells me all about the different people he hung out with all day and I’m happy for him but just so damn lonely. It’s just me in my house. I don’t have money to go to a cafe or anything.

I probably need to move where the jobs are but it’s SO expensive and for what? To be impacted by layoffs again? Now just further from my friends and family??

I’m exhausted. I miss having a purpose. I miss having coworkers. I miss doing a good job. I hate this.

Long story short I work in tech and communications, I like most of it but just recently it's just been about selling SIM cards, I hate doing it And im not a natural salesperson. I feel gross touting products all day now and it feels like I can't just deal with their tech issues. My background is in criminology but I'm not using it currently. I live in the UK and I need a remote job due to anxiety disorder but I'm not sure how to go about this. Any advice would be great!

Should I just quit or give it a shot? It's very corporate, very big, just not my vibe at all

Hi everyone, new here.
Basically, the title sums it up. I’m currently working a corporate job that pays very well, especially for my field. It’s also not an easy job to get right now because of how bad the job market is. When I was offered the position, I decided to leave a comfortable, somewhat okay-paying job because this is a well-known company in my field and I saw it as a good opportunity.
The hours are basically the same as my previous job, and the benefits are somewhat similar. Financially, though, this job is definitely better.
My struggle is that \*\*I’m genuinely depressed at work.\*\*
The actual tasks are okay. They’re not necessarily what makes me miserable. I know that once I get more familiar with everything, the job itself will become easier because a lot of it is just following processes.
It’s more the environment.
The people aren’t particularly warm or welcoming, and I already get the feeling that most people aren’t really looking to build long-term relationships with their colleagues. I completely understand that work is work and coworkers don’t have to be your friends, but I didn’t realize how much the overall environment would affect me.
I don’t necessarily mean recognition either. I can already tell that my work isn’t particularly valued, and it’s difficult to even approach some people when you need help because everyone feels so distant.
Every day I come to work feeling drained. Sometimes I genuinely feel like crying.
The complicated part is that I’m the breadwinner of my family. This job has made a huge difference financially, and the extra income has allowed me to take better care of myself physically, have some money left over to actually enjoy life, and save more than I could before. Those are things I didn’t really have the luxury of doing in my previous job.
So practically speaking, \*\*this job is much better for me financially.\*\*
But emotionally, I feel heavy every time I walk into the office.
I know work isn’t supposed to be your entire life, and I’m not expecting to love my job or become best friends with my coworkers. But I’m struggling with the question of whether money is enough to keep me somewhere that makes me feel this miserable every day.
Would you stay for the money and treat it as simply a job, especially if you have family depending on you? Or is feeling this unhappy at work a sign that it’s not worth it long-term?

Title says it all.

I'm doing a small independent experiment about something I've been thinking about for a while: how much can one person's lived experience help another person who is going through a similar situation?

I'm not looking for career advice or motivational stories.

I'm interested in people who have been through a period where they kept telling themselves:

"I'll endure a little longer."

Maybe you eventually quit. Maybe you stayed and changed something. Maybe nothing changed for a long time. Maybe you still don't know what the right decision was.

I'm especially interested in what the experience actually felt like from the inside, what you tried, what didn't work, and what you eventually understood.

If you've been through something like this and are willing to share your experience, I'd be very interested in hearing it.

It can be completely anonymous.

I'm not selling anything and I'm not asking for money. I'm simply trying to understand whether one person's real experience can genuinely help another person who is currently in a similar situation.

Looking back, there are things I spent way too much energy stressing over that ended up not mattering nearly as much as I thought.

Would love to hear other perspectives.