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IITian turns down ₹32 LPA Gurgaon job to stay in Bengaluru: ‘This city feels like home’
An IIT-educated data scientist has explained why she chose to turn down a high-paying job in Gurgaon and accept a lower salary to stay on in Bengaluru.
An IIT-educated data scientist has explained why she chose to turn down a high-paying job in Gurgaon to stay on in Bengaluru. At 25 — an age where most employees are chasing bigger paychecks — Sneha Priya made the tough decision to reject a competitive salary because she did not want to move out of Bengaluru.
Sneha spoke to Hindustantimes.com about why she chose Bengaluru over Gurgaon, even at a lower salary.
“I feel a sense of safety in Bengaluru. A sense of home. No amount of money can buy that,” she said.
Three years in Bengaluru
Sneha Priya is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, where she completed a BTech in Computer Science in 2023. After that, she moved to Bengaluru for her first job and quickly fell in love with the city.
“I love the weather. The people are very nice, and there is so much to do,” she told Hindustantimes.com.
However, there was one thing that the techie disliked, and that was her job itself.
“I really enjoyed my four years of college life. But when you move to the corporate world, things suddenly change,” she said.
At her first job in Bengaluru, Sneha had a tough time. The work environment was not good, and she soon began to feel the strain.
The decision to switch
In January this year, Sneha Priya decided that she had had enough. She began applying to other companies.
“My whole goal was to get into a good company where I get a good environment. I wanted a good, safe environment, a stable place where I could grow and learn and do my other things as well,” said the 25-year-old, who is a trained singer and likes to focus on singing after her 9-to-5 job.
In April, her dream came true when she received an offer from a “very good” company with a very respectable package of ₹32 LPA. The only problem? This company was based in Gurgaon.
“The compensation was great. The joining bonus, the relocation bonus, everything was great. It was a perfect, perfect job,” she said.
And yet, Sneha chose to turn it down. The IITian techie explained why.
The comfort factor
Sneha explained that her brother and his wife live in Bengaluru, so she has family around. In three years, she built a life in the city that she did not want to give up.
“Along with family, I also have my friends here as well – college friends and two school friends,” she added. “So it's like Bangalore is a safe space for me.”
“I have family friends a place I love and a city that has seen your highs and lows… And no amount of money can replace that. Obviously naye city me bhi sab build kiya ja sakta hai, but it’s not the time yet. There’s much more of this city you are yet to figure out before moving on, if and when the time comes,” she explained.
“There’s much more to this city you are yet to figure out before moving on, if and when the time comes.”
Sneha is originally from Patna in Bihar, but grew up all over India because of her father’s transferable job with LIC.
(Also read: Tech CEO argues Gurgaon is better than Bengaluru for start-ups, lists 5 reasons)
“So I am from the North, but I have always been in Bangalore after college. It's been 3 years. I just love this city. Other than the traffic thing, it's fine. Traffic problem is everywhere, I would say,” she explained.
Accepting a job with the Gurgaon-based multinational would also involve packing and moving, and starting from scratch in a fairly new city.
She is also wary of the temperature extremes in Delhi NCR. “The weather in Bengaluru is so nice. In the North, it’s always in extremes. It’s either too hot or too cold,” she added.
The safety factor
Another major reason behind her decision to not move to Gurgaon was the safety factor — Sneha said that she had faced unpleasant experiences in Delhi NCR in the past.
“One of the main reasons why I couldn't leave Bengaluru was that people here are really very sweet," she explained.
(Also read: Gurgaon vs Bengaluru: Reddit user shares why one city is safer, cleaner and more liveable)
“I have been to Delhi a few times because I was in Roorkee, right? And I’ve never had a good experience there.”
Sneha told Hindustantimes.com about the time she was scammed out of nearly ₹2,000 at the Delhi Railway Station by a man pretending to fix a non-existent problem with her suitcase. Another time, her brother was told off rudely by a shopkeeper when he complained about being overcharged for a bottle of water.
Staying on in Bengaluru
Sneha Priya was supposed to start her new job in Gurgaon on June 30. However, only a few days before her date of joining, she decided to turn down the offer.
Instead, she chose to stay on in Bengaluru and accepted a job with a less-established company at a pay lower than the ₹32 LPA she would have received with the Gurgaon multinational.
“I had full plans to move to Gurgaon. It was the ideal offer, but as the days passed, I started thinking about the practical life I would lead in Gurgaon,” she said.
“It's not always about money,” the IITian added.
On the day she was supposed to have started with her job in Gurgaon, Sneha, sitting in Bengaluru, saw a double rainbow in the sky. She is taking that as a divine sign that she made the right decision.
“Today, I was meant to be in Gurgaon… starting a new chapter and leaving Bangalore behind. But I chose to stay. And Bangalore said goodbye to my doubts with twin rainbows,” she wrote on Instagram. “Sometimes the best career decision isn’t the highest offer.. Accepted peace!”
