Why This IIT Graduate Quit Her High-paying Job To Become A Fitness Coach

After graduating from IIT Kanpur, Bengaluru-based Priyanka Gupta worked at Byju’s and Walmart before realising that while she was making a lot of money, she wasn’t fully passionate about her job. Now, she has a fulfilling life as a fitness trainer.

Sharing her journey on LinkedIn and X, Gupta said that she left “a large multinational and my IIT pedigree” to help working professionals stay fit and live longer.

The 2005 IIT Kanpur graduate said that like many of her “IIT peers,” she started striving for financial stability right after college. “I was responsible for supporting my family and that was the most obvious path. When I took my first break from work after five years, entrepreneurship grabbed me. I don’t know how. I wanted to start a home-cooked food delivery service,” Gupta wrote. The venture, however, was not successful, and she had to close shop and return to a nine-to-five corporate job.

“The convenience of corporate life was cool and all, but there was that itch, you know? That makes you want more, something you can really call your own,” she said. In 2012, Gupta launched her first startup, IndiaBookStore.

“That was damn scary, but it was worth it,” she wrote. “As it turns out, passion is always better than a paycheck. Sure, money is all well and good, but there’s nothing like building something from the ground up that you really believe in.”

Even though she had to give up the venture after a while, Gupta said she learned some valuable lessons from it and that it’s a major factor in her success as a fitness instructor today.

“Passion is what drives you towards a goal. Sure, financial rewards are important, but true fulfilment comes when you pursue something that ignites the soul,” she said, adding that entrepreneurship has its ups and downs and she has learnt that it is important to learn from setbacks, celebrate successes and enjoy the ride.

Priyanka Gupta also pointed out that professionals should prioritise health. “It’s not just about physical fitness. A healthy body and mind are essential for a fulfilling life,” she said. “Yes, maybe my journey is not the typical story of an IIT graduate, but it is mine. And I have only just started,” she added.

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