Stories Of 6 Indians Who Quit Stable Jobs To Pursue Their Passions
Was born, started to walk and talk, went to school, then college, worked, got married, had kids, paid a lot of bills, grew old— died! That is pretty much what life looks like for many people. The college singer, teenage guitarist, young stand-up comedian, and the athletic ‘lad’ all went into the closet. That place, we have financial analysts, software engineers, doctors, and chartered accountants living a life behind the facade of normalcy. And, behind each of those work suits, there is an “I wish…”
Sadly, this is not uncommon. Look around and you will see the number of people out there who are dying to make it from one day to the next. Amid such a scenario, there are a bunch of youngsters who left their stable jobs to pursue their passion. Of that, we bring to you the story of 6 such people who broke the norms of society and stood out of the crowd.
1. Sonia Thiyam
The story that started with a ‘Dr.’ beside her name, Sonia realized that she did not belong where she was in her career. With a deep passion and interest in the world of fashion and beauty, Sonia dropped her job and went on to make something of herself. Today, she is a blogger and her page is a digital tribute to the style and aesthetic world.
Hailing from Manipur, Sonia recollects how her family struggled to ensure she received the best of education possible, and she draws life inspiration from them.
Her move began when she started noticing the Korean fashion trends. And after that, she realized that it was where she belonged — fashion. After that, she began to see inspiration everywhere around her. As much as her family supported her in becoming a doctor, she became the odd one out when she stepped out of the medical world. She was the only one to not be a doctor in the family.
Being a generally shy person, Sonia realized that talking about fashion opened up her in ways she never imagined. Several YouTube tutorials later, she started posting her videos and now, she owns her own life.
2. Shreya Thakkar
There are several people out there giving in their everything to get a break into the world of finance. However, when Shreya made it into that world with an MBA, Shreya realized that she was not built for that place within just a year. Without any prior formal education in the field, she went on to start a firm that is specialized in handcrafted bags. Starting with merely a Facebook page, Shreya went on to have an offline store in Mumbai and now working on expanding the same.
What caused the change? She believed that the bank balance and the monthly paychecks were not sufficient motivation. Dealing with unknowns proved to be her biggest challenge in the fight with change. But, she came out victorious in the end.
3. Nayantara Kochhar
With two of the largest corporate companies in her resume, Nayantara still wasn’t satisfied. As a result, she decided to step into entrepreneurial shoes. In these lines, she set up a design studio that focused predominantly on designing and manufacturing furniture for almost any kind of enclosure.
After years of running the 9 hours work-life, Nayantara realized that she needed a creative outlet. As a child, Nayantara was very interested in making things by herself and even revamping existing furniture and clothes. Putting her creative gift to use, Nayantara created her firm — Auraz Design.
Apart from her family and friends who stood to support to her, she owes a major part of her success to her puppy who helped make dull days better. And her biggest regret? She wishes she had started earlier.
4. Nayan Gupta
Take a look around. Everything is computers and everyone is on computers. Around the time when computer engineering had the highest traction, Nayan Gupta came out of a reputable engineering college in flying colors. While working for a big firm, she would wait for the weekends to bake something. While she excelled at her work, she soon realized that she was not built for that place. Deciding to wear a chef cap for good, Nayan went on to start Sugar Deli. After training in a reputed baking academy in France, she went on to get a Diploma in Pastry Making.
Today, Nayan is happy that she went after her dream and not money. Her mantra is to be confident and knowing one’s own self-worth.
5. Harini Iyer
A graduate in Electronic Communications supported by a master’s in management, Harini worked in the USA at an IT firm. Over time, she realized she wanted more. Quitting her job, she studied at the Berklee School of music and gave it her all. As a kid, Harini was trained in Carnatic music. However, as she grew and started her career, she realized that comfort was not what she really wanted. After working a 9-5 job, she went back to music in the evening, performing in collaboration with other musicians.
After a student tour at the Berklee School of Music, she quit her job and went in pursuit of her calling — music. She believes in living the experience and being in the moment, and today, she is living a dream.
6. Pragya Bhatt
Techie by education, Pragya worked in the software industry for over 8 years. Finally, she realized that she wanted to give it up to touch people’s lives through yoga. Having been a lifelong practitioner of yoga, she quit her job and went on to establish The Yoga Practice.
Working with tech giants in the industry, she realized that coding did not make her tick. Sitting for hours behind a laptop, she went on to the gym to transform herself. Despite getting back in shape, she realized that her idea of life was not a laptop life. She believes that the key to making your dream come true is by planning the finances in advance.
So that is the story of women who decided that what the world offered them was not good enough. Instead, they went on to create what they wanted from life. And, see how that turned out. So, what do you think? Share your comments below.
