Is ₹80 lakh enough to retire? 31-year-old woman wants to quit govt job for 'peace'

A 31-year-old employee of a public sector undertaking (PSU) has gone viral on Reddit after saying she is considering resigning from her government job despite having built a corpus of ₹80 lakh. In a post titled, "31F govt job, 80L corpus - want to quit for peace. Reckless or realistic?", she explained that years of mounting work pressure had left her mentally and emotionally drained.

The woman said she has been employed at a PSU for the past seven years and is in a comfortable financial position. According to her post, she has no outstanding debt, follows a modest lifestyle and has accumulated significant savings over time.

'I'm completely burnt out'

She said her situation worsened after being transferred to a different department, where the workload became increasingly difficult to manage.

"The problem is that I'm completely burnt out," she wrote.

Describing her routine, the woman said she has regularly been expected to work on weekends, public holidays and beyond office hours, sometimes until midnight. She also alleged that she was asked to report to work while on sick leave and was questioned for taking even a single day off.

"Ever since I was shifted to a new department, I've been working weekends, holidays, after office hours, and sometimes even at midnight. I've been called to the office during sick leave, questioned for taking even a single day off," she wrote.

She added that her efforts often went unrecognised despite putting in long working hours.

"Despite putting in 9-10 hour workdays, I'm constantly told I'm 'not doing enough.' I honestly can't remember the last time I had a proper break," she said.

Plans to leave job and return to a tier-3 city

The woman said she no longer sees herself spending the rest of her career in such a demanding environment.

"I don't think I can continue living like this. I feel emotionally exhausted, and the thought of spending another 25-30 years in this environment terrifies me," she wrote.

She added that her financial security has given her the confidence to consider a different path. According to her post, she plans to resign, relocate to a tier-3 city and lead a simpler life by relying on long-term investments, disciplined trading and interest earned from a portion of her savings.

Seeking advice from the online community, she clarified that she was looking for practical guidance rather than encouragement.

"I'm not looking for validation or unrealistic encouragement. I genuinely want honest advice from people who have been in a similar situation," she added, asking whether quitting would be a sensible decision or one clouded by burnout.

Reddit users advise caution before resigning

The post attracted numerous responses, with many users urging her not to make a hasty decision while experiencing burnout.

One user wrote, “Don't quit. Take medical leave based on non refutable reason. Take a break. If possible apply for transfer. Set boundaries and ask for written orders for work after office hours-dont work if orders are verbal. Technically they can't call you for work after office hours given it's a safety issue for ladies. Collect proofs of all such mental harrasment and reach to HR/concerned department or women's commission. Reporting to national bodies will keep superiors in check. Find a way out and don't quit.”

Another commented, "I do understand where you are coming from, and i have been in your situation, but running away isnt the solution, not even the decent one. You could move to another dept, or Id rather set boundaries..."

A third user suggested, "Burnout is real, but take a long break or explore an internal transfer before resigning. Once you're mentally rested, it'll be much easier to decide whether you want to leave for good."

Echoing similar advice, another wrote, "Before leaving take a 2 weeks or 1 month leave travel or just relax or a mix of both, see if your burnout is still gone or not. Most probably it'll go, i did the same 3 years back, still feels good."

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)