Bengaluru techie quits Google after 2 years to explore life beyond ‘rat race’: ‘This bot is taking a detour’

A Bengaluru-based techie has caught the internet’s attention after announcing that he quit his job at Google to take a year off and “experiment” with life beyond the conventional corporate path.Harshit Sharma worked at Google for 2 years. (LinkedIn/Harshit Sharma )Harshit Sharma, who worked at Google for 2 years, shared a detailed post on LinkedIn explaining his decision. Calling it a “bittersweet” move, he wrote about leaving behind not just a job, but the people and moments that made it special.“Bitter because: I will miss my people. The table tennis, the card games, the fun fridays. The (frequent) coffee breaks. The shenanigans in the office space. The post-6PM hangouts. Some of the kindest and most fun humans I’ve ever known,” Sharma wrote.At the same time, Sharma described a sense of relief and freedom. “Sweet because: Now I am free!” he wrote, reflecting on how he had followed a predictable path. “All my life I’ve been following the script: Do the Math. Study Engineering. Get that Tech job. Make money. Earn validation. And like a robot following a line, I played my part to perfection. But every good story needs a tw. And this bot is taking a detour,” Sharma said.Sharma revealed that he had been saving money for the past 4 years, allowing him to sustain himself during this break. After discussions with his parents, he agreed on a “1 year of experimentation”. “That is, if in 1 year I can’t turn one of my curiosities into a vocation, I must go back to a tech job,” he explained.During this time, Sharma said that he plans to travel, learn art forms like music and dance, mentor students, and reconnect with people. “If I fail? I come back to tech with a lifetime of memories,” he said, adding that discovering something meaningful would be “a dream come true.”(Also Read: Techie shares detailed experience of cracking Google interview rounds: ‘In 2024 I got rejected’)Social media reactionsThe post struck a chord online, with many users praising his decision to step away from the so-called “rat race”.One user wrote, “It takes lot of courage to take this step so hats off to you. Wishing you all the luck in journey ahead.”“Whoever has the luxury for such breaks, honestly take it and explore life. Lot of these experiments don’t end up in finding anything significant but even if you are one of those rare few who happen to find themselves in this detour, it’s worth a shot,” commented another.“That takes courage—walking away from something secure to explore the unknown isn’t easy. Really respect the clarity and the way you’ve structured this as an experiment. Curious to see where this journey leads,” wrote a third user.“This is a massive win. As someone who also moved from the corporate tech ‘script’ to building my own systems in fitness and nutrition. I can tell you- the ‘experiment’ is the only way to find what makes you feel most alive,” commented another.