Techie quits Rs 30 LPA Oracle job to create travel content: ‘Most rewarding decision’

Vanathi S said she had been working a regular 9-5 job, travelling and content creation for over a decade before deciding to quit. (Image credit: @theuntoldtrails/Instagram)

A software developer in Chennai quit her high-paying job at Oracle to take up content creation full-time time and a year on, she said it was the "most rewarding decision". Vanathi S had been juggling a regular 9-5 job along with creating content for social media for a decade before she felt burned out. Last year, she quit the Rs 30 LPA (lakh per annum) job, and ever since, she has not looked back.

"I spent over a decade chasing deadlines and promotions as a developer," Vanathi said. "I ticked all the boxes: graduated, landed a good job, got married, took care of my parents, saved money, bought land and built a house. But somewhere along the line, I realised that I was living a life that others expected of me and not the one that made me feel happy."

That's when she decided to quit her job and become a full-time content creator.

"When I finally did it (quit), I felt a mix of relief, fear, and a strange sense of calm I never expected. For years, I juggled a hectic 9–5 on weekdays and travelled or trekked every weekend... squeezing in edits late at night, shooting before scrums, travelling every weekend, and pretending I wasn’t exhausted. 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. Vanathi added that living a dual life had left her exhausted and had begun to affect her health as well.

Now, she creates content on travel and has more than 1.6 lakh followers on Instagram. The former Oracle employee, however, also has a plan if things do not work out for her a few years down the line, but for now, she wants to focus on fulfilling her dreams.

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A post shared by Vanathi S | Travel (@theuntoldtrails)

"It is scary. I don't know what the future holds, but what I know is that I can always get a job in another five years, but what I can't get back is this moment, the energy, the youth, and the fire in me to explore the world," she said.

Several social media users found Vanathi's journey inspiring and lauded her courage for being able to break away from the corporate world and do what she feels passionate about," said one Instagram user. "Welcome to the club! I miss working for corporate, but after quitting... it's been the best decision of my life. You are going to have amazing fun," added another user.