Govt jobs are Gold, but this 29-year-old banker chose her inner peace instead of toxic work culture

They call it a ‘Final Destination’ — the job so many people spend years chasing, sacrificing sleep, youth, and joy for. From that very place, a 29-year-old banker, Vani from Bihar, chose a different kind of exit.

Vani was a Probationary Officer with Punjab National Bank. On paper, her life looked perfect. A government job. A steady salary. Respect in society. The kind of achievement that makes families proud and neighbours envious. In cities like Patna and across Bihar, such a position is often treated as the ultimate reward — proof that life is ‘set’.

Growing Exhaustion

But behind the designation and the security was a quiet, growing exhaustion.

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The daily pressure never paused. The workload never eased. Long hours, relentless targets, and an unspoken expectation to endure everything in silence slowly began to erode her peace of mind. In a system where burnout is brushed aside and exhaustion is mistaken for incompetence, Vani found herself losing something far more valuable than a title — she was losing herself.

No Plan B

She didn’t dramatise her decision. She explained it with clarity and honesty: “There was no Plan B. But there was also no plan to keep losing myself.”

In a society that glorifies suffering as sacrifice and stability as success, her choice was not an easy one. Walking away from a government job is often seen as failure. For Vani, it was survival. It was self-respect. It was choosing mental health over medals of approval.

This wasn’t just about resigning from a job. It was about standing up to deeply rooted expectations. About saying that peace matters. That success without well-being is hollow. And that sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is step away — even when the world tells you to stay.

Vani’s story is a reminder we all need: no designation is worth losing yourself.