For decades, government jobs have been seen as the hallmark of security and prestige in India. But for 29-year-old Vani, a probationary officer with Punjab National Bank (PNB), the reality was very different. In a viral Instagram video, she revealed that the “stability” of her job came at the cost of her mental peace.
Vani took to Instagram to share a video titled “Not all heroes wear capes, some just quit toxic jobs”, where she revealed that she had decided to end her journey as a probationary officer in a public sector bank, closing a chapter that no longer brought her peace.
Vani, who cleared the banking exam in 2022 and trained for a year before being posted in Meerut as a Scale-I Officer, said the role left her drained and dissatisfied. “Even though this job made me financially independent and improved my standard of living, my mind never felt at ease. It is a mentally draining and thankless job,” she explained in the video.
Sharing how the experience altered her personality, she admitted to becoming irritable and unhappy. “I used to be such a happy-go-lucky person, but in the past three years, I’ve turned grumpy and easily annoyed,” she said.
Calling her decision a step toward prioritising “peace over pay,” Vani clarified that she did not intend to discourage aspirants but to highlight her personal journey. “The happiness and mental peace you get after leaving a place where you don’t belong is far superior to any regret you might have," she concluded.
The video has gone viral on Instagram, garnering over 5.3 million views and 129k likes so far.
Netizens Reactions:
One user commented, “Cheers to new beginnings.” Another wrote, “Nowadays, everyone is resigning from their jobs to become a travel vlogger.”
A third user said, “It requires guts to do what you did, especially in this highly competitive era. Kudos to new beginnings.” Another remarked, “We are struggling for a government job, and here you are quitting one. As the saying goes, those who get it rarely value it.”
