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After years of panic attacks and dissatisfaction at a Rs 26 LPA corporate job, a former Citi employee chose a very different path to rebuild her life.
She now teaches yoga and dance, and has no plans to return to corporate life. (Image: Instagram / @mukulita.moves
Mukulita Ganguly)
Leaving a high-paying corporate job is not an easy decision, especially when it offers financial security and career growth. But for Mukulita Ganguly, staying in a role that affected her mental well-being became harder than walking away from it.
The former Citi employee quit her Bengaluru-based job in 2022, where she was earning Rs 26 lakh annually, to pursue yoga and dance full-time. Today, although she earns much less than before, she says her life feels more meaningful and fulfilling.
She Says Work Pressure Affected Her Health
In an interview with Moneycontrol, Ganguly spoke about the anxiety and panic attacks she experienced during her years in the corporate sector. “I used to have anxiety attacks,” she said. “Things got so bad that I had to consult a doctor and take pills for it.”
Ganguly had joined Citi after being selected through campus placements. While the job brought financial independence, she gradually became uncomfortable with the nature of her work, which involved encouraging credit card users in the US to spend more.
“It was no secret that people in the US have a massive problem repaying debt and at the same time, I was urging them to buy more using credit card schemes… It didn’t feel right,” she said.
Yoga Helped Her Change Direction
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ganguly began practising yoga after a doctor recommended it to help manage her panic attacks. “When I consulted a doctor for my panic attacks, he prescribed medicines and suggested I do yoga. I took it up seriously and the effect has been life altering,” she said.
The experience pushed her to rethink what she wanted from life. “I realised then that this was not the life I wanted for myself. I had to quit the job,” she told the publication.
She Built A New Career Around Her Passions
Before resigning, Ganguly focused on saving money and learning new skills. She trained in yoga, returned to dance, and slowly began creating opportunities for herself.
After quitting Citi in 2022, she started teaching yoga and dance in places such as Goa, Sri Lanka and Ladakh, while also conducting online sessions.
Speaking to Moneycontrol, she said she now earns around Rs 50,000 a month but finds greater satisfaction in the work she does.
She Urges People To Have A Backup Plan
Ganguly said that following one’s passion should be backed by practical planning. According to her, having savings and developing skills that can generate income made the transition easier.
“I think it’s very important for people to develop skills that they can use to earn money,” she said.
When asked whether she would consider returning to a corporate job offering an even higher salary, she replied without hesitation: “Absolutely not!”
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