Woman quit Google on a Friday, regretted it on Monday

WHEN Bengaluru woman Nupur Dave quit Google in 2022, she was 40. She was secure about her finances after having worked in the US for 11 years and wanted an early retirement. She was earning about Rs 82 lakh a year when she left her job in San Francisco. Two days later, however, she regretted it.

"I quit my job on a Friday," Dave told Business Insider. "By Monday evening, I was just bawling," she continued. "I was crying my eyes out because I realized that I need to be with people."

She explained that she had planned to spend her retired life writing her third book, hanging out with her old colleagues and networking with founders and artists at coworking spaces. The reality, however, turned out quite different especially when Dave realised she would no longer have the same relationship with her former colleagues.

Speaking about her first day as a retiree, the 42-year-old told Business Insider, "The loneliness of the co-working space actually hit me when I physically went in there and sat down -- it was completely empty."

The next few weeks were spent hopping from one co-working place to another. While some were sold out, there were hardly any people in others because they were used as placeholders for companies that were largely remote, Dave said. "I was not making friends, and I didn't feel inspired by the physical surroundings of the coworking space," she said.

Dave then moved to India and became a part of the FIRE -- financial independence, retire early -- community.

"The whole idea of FIREing was possible because I'm in India," she told the publication. "There's no way I could have FIREd in the US. Everything is much more doable in India, and you can still maintain a life of luxury." Dave added she had a house help coming in to help with cooking and cleaning, which cost from Rs 8,000 to Rs 16,000 a month.

But in four months, she was no longer a member of the FIRE community because she took up a role as the head of special projects at an electric vehicle infrastructure firm in Bengaluru. "I am in corporate right now, but my goals are different," Dave said.

"It is not to build a career or make wealth out of this, but to see people every day and make sort of a predictable routine for myself."