Rs 45 LPA package MNC job rejected for UPSC preparation. Right choice or not? Internet can't seem to agree

High-paying corporate jobs are often seen as the dream destination for engineering graduates in India. Yet every year, some professionals leave those careers behind to chase something they believe will bring greater purpose, satisfaction or fulfil a long-held ambition. One such story has now gone viral on X after a post claimed that a woman resigned from Microsoft despite a reported Rs 45 lakh annual package to prepare for the UPSC civil services examination, leaving the internet divided over whether it was the right decision.

The discussion began after X user @VikasAlwys shared the story of his school friend, saying she had always been academically bright. According to the post, she cleared JEE Main after Class 12, secured admission to NIT Warangal in the Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) branch, graduated in 2023 and received a reported Rs 45 LPA package at Microsoft. She has now quit the company to prepare for UPSC.

Sharing the story, the X user wrote, "There is one school friend of mine. After +2, she cleared JEE Main and got a seat in NIT Warangal in the ECE branch. She graduated with a B.Tech in 2023 and received a ₹45 LPA package. She has always been very good academically."


He further added, "Recently, she resigned from Microsoft and started preparing for UPSC. It made me wonder.....if a ₹45 LPA package and a company like Microsoft still aren't enough to make someone stay, what truly gives people peace and fulfillment? What do you think?"

Internet offers different reasons behind the move

The post soon attracted a flood of comments, with users offering different views on why someone would leave a high-paying corporate role for one of India's toughest competitive examinations.

Many believed the decision came down to personal ambition rather than money. One user commented, "Upsc may be her passion." Another wrote, "Microsoft and the package she can get later also. But the regret of not trying for UPSC will remain if that's been their dream."

Another user said, "I think it depends from person to person." Responding to the comment, the original poster wrote, "That I agree man....but the courage is so high."

Others argued that the appeal of civil services goes beyond salary. One user wrote, "It's not about passion and money. It's about the environment you grow up in, if you see, from childhood to adulthood, our parents and relatives are always hyping these civil service jobs. So it becomes a mindset that even though I achieve these private jobs, I need to step up in gov service."

Some questioned the decision, others debated the salary

Not everyone felt leaving the corporate sector was the right choice. A user claiming to have appeared for civil services examinations and now working in the technology industry wrote, "She won't get fulfilment, in all likelihood, even in IAS... Some folks are not happy anywhere."

Some comments suggested the attraction could be job security, power and social status. One user wrote, "Job safety, work-life balance and on top of that, an opportunity to create generational wealth and access to power circles." Another simply commented, "Power and corruption."

The discussion also sparked a debate over the reported salary package. One user claimed, "Microsoft doesn’t offer 45LPA to freshers. That offer includes stocks of 4 years to make it look big, so it’s not 'LPA'. Freshers get 20-22 lpa at max. I guess people need to understand how tech salary works!"