Bengaluru techie left high paying job and Rs 30,000 rent to shift back to Hugli. Now he is eearning less, but living better, shares life lesson: 'Company brand doesn't matter if...'

Sometimes, the dream job may not turn out to be the right fit for you. Taking to the subreddit Hubli Dharwad, a Reddit user revealed how he once left a peaceful life in Dharwad and moved to Bengaluru for what appeared to be the dream, high-paying job. On paper, everything looked picture perfect – work-life balance, substantial salary hike, etc. However, the fantasy slowly ended. According to the user, the workplace slowly became increasingly stressful and unpleasant. He described his reporting manager as highly demanding and said the manager had limited understanding of how the global team operated. Every week, he was expected to prepare between 10 and 16 business cases. Despite working extended hours and creating comprehensive PowerPoint presentations, he was frequently met with questions that he felt were unrelated or lacked relevance to the work he had submitted.

The situation was reportedly not limited to his immediate manager, as the manager’s superior followed a similar approach. The Reddit user also claimed that there was noticeable favouritism toward employees belonging to the manager’s own community, which further contributed to his frustration with the workplace.

As the pressure continued, the experience began taking a serious toll on his confidence. He started questioning his professional abilities and became increasingly doubtful of his own skills. The persistent stress eventually became difficult to manage, prompting him to resign from the position even though he had not secured another job offer beforehand.

Return To Home

15 days later, he had an opportunity to return to Hubli and took it without hesitation. In Bengaluru, he was paying Rs 30,000 to live in a 1BHK flat. In his hometown, he pays Rs 10,000 for a 2BHK home. His kid’s nursery fee was a staggering Rs 70,000 in Bengaluru. In Hubli, all of his groceries are bought for Rs 30,000 and all other daily expenses are much lower.

“No Bangalore traffic, no landlord issues. I’m closer to my parents, native place, and friends My monthly tax in Bangalore was almost ₹45–48k, and after all that, my in-hand wasn’t really improving..” he said.

While he is earning less, he is also saving more money and having a better quality of life. His mental health has also improved. His biggest lesson from his experience with the dream job is that a company brand is not important if the manager is toxic. “If the hiring manager is a micromanager, no salary or city is worth it – they slowly kill your confidence and skills…” he said.

Redditors React

One commenter said that he did not return to Bengaluru after Covid-19 despite having a potential salary hike. Another comment read: “Kudos to your courage. Not a lot of people have the balls to do what you did. Prioritise peace over money. Thank you for posting. You absolutely did the right thing as far as I am concerned. I was born in Hubli, stuck in Bangalore. You are an inspiration. Keep it up!”