Kanpur girl leaves ₹4 LPA job at TCS to make nearly ₹14 LPA on her own terms: ‘Couldn’t afford expensive education’

Leaving a stable corporate job to build an independent career takes immense courage, but for this 25-year-old, it was a necessary step. In a candid conversation with HT.com, Shreya Tiwari shared how she walked away from her TCS job in 2025 to pursue her passion.Shreya Tiwari left her stable job at TCS to start something of her own. (Shreya Tiwari)Born in UP’s Kanpur, she overcame severe financial constraints to fund her own education teaching. Today, she balances content creation, freelancing, and a profitable clothing business, earning nearly ₹14 lakh annually, a huge jump from her ₹4 LPA TCS job. Her emotional journey highlights the power of resilience.Also Read: 24-year-old quits job, builds ₹1 crore startup in 4 months: ‘We’re not stopping here’Shreya Tiwari, who now lives in Delhi, was born to a farmer father and a hardworking mother who always prioritised her daughter’s education.What did she study?Tiwari told HT.com, “I completed my BCA from PSIT Kanpur and pursued my MBA from AKTU.” While studying, she paid for her own tuition teaching others.“I come from a middle-class family where financial struggles were a constant reality. My father is a farmer and my mother is a homemaker. We are five siblings, and my mother always believed that her daughters should be educated and independent, even when society didn’t support that thought. She worked day and night doing stitching work to pay for our education,” Tiwari recalled.She continued, “From a young age, I saw the challenges closely, and I decided that I wanted to build a life where I could create both identity and financial independence. Since we couldn’t afford expensive education, I chose BCA and supported myself teaching students alongside my studies. I would attend college for long hours and then teach for several hours just to manage my fees. Despite all challenges, I became a college topper.”She thought that she would get placed after completing her bachelor’s degree. However, she wasn’t allowed placement due to attendance criteria. Though she was disheartened, she didn’t give up and joined TCS. Not just that, she continued her higher education and pursued an MBA.“I didn’t give up and managed to secure multiple job opportunities on my own. I later joined TCS to fulfill my mother’s dream and pursued my MBA alongside working night shifts.”Why did she leave her job?Tiwari said, “After completing my MBA, I realised that my growth was limited in the corporate setup. That’s when I made the difficult decision to leave a stable job and follow my passion for social media, freelancing, and entrepreneurship. Today, I am building my own path, creating content, guiding students, and running my own business.”Hurdles and emotional challenges:“The biggest hurdle in my life was financial limitation. I had the passion and dedication to study, but not the resources. At a young age, I started earning taking tuitions, beginning with just ₹600. My days were extremely demanding, balancing college, teaching, and self-study,” said Tiwari.She explained, “I also faced emotional challenges—people I trusted left during difficult times, and I learned that one often has to fight their battles alone. Despite being a topper, I was denied placement opportunities my college, which was a major setback. Even after completing my MBA while working, I faced limitations in my corporate growth.”She continued, “Eventually, I realised I needed to choose my own path. Starting my business wasn’t easy—I managed everything on my own, from social media to operations. At one point, I even lost my Instagram account after months of hard work. But I started again from scratch.”Tiwari said that these hurdles were hard to cross at the time, but they taught her lessons that had shaped her.“These challenges shaped me into who I am today. They taught me resilience, self-belief, and the courage to keep going no matter how many times I fall.”What does she do now?She works as a freelance social media manager and also creates content on social media platforms. Tiwari told HT.com, “I currently work as a freelance social media manager for multiple clients, create content on YouTube and Instagram, collaborate with edtech brands, and run my own customised clothing business through Instagram and Amazon. I have also guided 10,000+ students through free webinars, Telegram, and Instagram helping them with career opportunities and direction.”How much does she earn?When she started at TCS, Shreya Tiwari earned an annual salary of about ₹4 lakh. Driven dedication and hard work, she has since multiplied her income across multiple ventures. When asked to break down her current earnings, she explained, “From freelancing: approximately ₹4,80,000 annually. From social media: approximately ₹5,00,000 annually. From business (last 6 months): approximately ₹4 LPA profit.”What are her monthly expenses?The 25-year-old said, “My average monthly expenses are around ₹20,000, and I invest the remaining amount into growing my business.”When asked if she wanted to share anything else, she told HT.com, “I would like to say that even today, true equality is still a work in progress. Society often decides limits for women, and when a woman tries to break those limits, she is often questioned or pulled back.”Also Read: