'No job, no backup plan': Bengaluru man goes viral after quitting corporate job over 6% hike

A Bengaluru man's decision to resign from his corporate job without another offer in hand has struck a chord on social media after he opened up about burnout, long working hours and the toll they took on his mental health.

In a video shared by Humans of Bombay, Pramod Paul announced that he had decided to walk away from his job despite not having a backup plan.

"You see the glow on my face? The day has come. I am resigning. No job offers in hand, no backup plans, nothing," he said.

Paul said he had been handling responsibilities well beyond his designation but felt his salary failed to reflect the work he was doing.

"After working day in and day out, the line between day and night was blurred. At this point, I've been given the work of a senior analyst, the position of an analyst, and the salary of an intern," he said.

He also expressed disappointment over his annual appraisal.

"So much anxiety, depression, all for what? 6% hike? 6%! Effective ₹2,600 per month," he added, referring to the increase in his monthly salary.

'Therapy Cost More Than My Annual Hike'

Paul also spoke about seeking professional help to deal with the stress.

Using humour to describe the situation, he said, “After so much anxiety, I went and saw a psychiatrist. That consultation fee was ₹2,000. She referred me to stress management therapy. That was ₹3,000 per session. If the therapy session cost is more than your annual hike, then you're definitely cooked.”

Growing Up With Financial Responsibilities

According to Humans of Bombay, Paul grew up in Kolar, near Bengaluru, in a family struggling with debt.

"My reality was shaped by my family's sacrifices. Dad was a pastor and Mom a homemaker, so they had to take out heavy loans to educate my brother and me, and the weight of that responsibility fell squarely on my shoulders," he said.

After graduating, Paul said he began working as a wealth manager while also taking an ₹8 lakh loan to help repay his family's debts.

He later joined a major financial firm, where he spent nearly four years. According to Paul, things changed after the company underwent a corporate acquisition.

"For nearly four years, I gave it everything. But after a corporate acquisition, management changed, the greed grew, and the promotions dried up," he said.

Describing his frustration, he added, “I watched local tea vendors make ₹2 lakhs a month while I was stuck with a salary that was basically peanuts.”

Finding An Outlet Through Content Creation

As work pressure continued to mount, Paul said he turned to content creation as a creative outlet.

"I began joking about the corporate grind and filming videos with my mom. As my videos blew up, I gained around 100K followers," he said, adding that creating content helped him stay afloat both financially and mentally.

Despite building an online following, he said his workload at the office continued to increase.

"At one point, I was doing the full workload of a senior analyst, yet during appraisals, I was given a bare ₹2,000 hike. That's when I knew I had to quit," he said.

'I'm Completely Lost'

Paul said his final working day will be August 15. While he admitted he does not yet know what comes next, he said he felt leaving the job was the right decision.

"I still have ₹3 lakhs of that loan left to clear. If you ask me what my exact plan is now, I'll be honest: I am completely lost. But until I figure it out, I am choosing the uncertainty of my talent over the certainty of corporate exploitation," he said.