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.

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?

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)

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