A Dubai-based woman has said she has no intention of returning to corporate employment, even if offered significantly higher pay, outlining a series of personal and professional changes that followed her decision to leave her job.
Rocio Falagan, a Spanish national who shares content under the name Rochi on Instagram, said she left her corporate role at the age of 30 despite earning what she described as a strong salary.
Reflecting on her previous circumstances, she wrote: “Exactly one year ago I had a job with a very good salary. One that allowed me a lifestyle I never thought I’d have access to (because the version of me living in Spain could have never dreamed of earning that kind of money).”
She said that she is now earning “significantly less” and is “mostly living off savings”, but maintains that returning to corporate work is not an option.
In a recent video shared on Instagram, she addressed questions about whether she would reconsider if offered higher pay, stating: “People keep asking me ‘but what if they offered you double?’ As if money was the reason I left. It wasn’t.”
She then outlined five reasons behind her decision.
Change in daily routine
Falagan said her mornings have changed substantially since leaving her job. “I used to wake up with dread. Alarm, anxiety, autopilot,” she wrote. “Now I wake up and my first thought isn’t about someone else’s deadline. That feeling alone is worth more than any zero they could add to a contract.”
Shift in personal identity
She also described feeling as though she had adopted a different persona while working in a corporate setting. “The corporate version of me smiled differently, spoke differently, even laughed differently. I was exhausting myself being someone I wasn’t and I didn’t even notice until I stopped. I will never act again for a paycheck,” she said.
Different relationship with failure
Falagan said her understanding of failure has evolved. “In corporate, failure meant someone else’s project didn’t hit a KPI. Now when I fail, it’s mine. It hurts more, but it teaches more,” she wrote. She added: “Every single failure has moved me closer to something real. In corporate, failure just moved me closer to burnout.”
Control over environment
She also cited greater autonomy over her working relationships. “No more toxic managers. No more colleagues who drain you by 10am. No more forced team bonding with people you’d never choose to have lunch with,” she wrote. “My energy is limited and I finally get to protect it.”
Cost of independence
Falagan acknowledged that her current lifestyle comes with financial uncertainty but said the trade-off is worthwhile. “The scary months. The empty bank account. The doubt at 3am. I paid for my freedom with everything I had,” she wrote.
She added that returning to her previous role would undermine that decision. “Going back now wouldn’t just be a bad deal, it would be an insult to everything I survived to get here.”
Concluding her remarks, she said: “Double my salary? You couldn’t double what I’d have to give up.”