Amid layoffs and hiring slowdowns in the tech sector, a Reddit post by a former IT employee has gone viral after the user revealed how quitting a “toxic” job for mental peace led to severe financial struggles within months.
In the post, the individual said they resigned from their IT job on February 27, 2026, believing that “mental peace salary.” However, nearly two months later, they remained unemployed despite attending several interviews.
“2 months later still unemployed. Gave multiple interviews. Some went really well, but then complete silence. No rejection mail, no callback, nothing. Just ghosted,” the user wrote.
The prolonged job search reportedly drained the person’s savings and Provident Fund (PF) money, leaving them dependent on family support to survive.
Describing how drastically life had changed, the Redditor wrote, “There was a time I used to shop groceries from Dmart without thinking much. Today I stand in line at government ration shops just to manage food expenses.”
The user also shared that they own a car but currently cannot afford petrol for it.
“I have a car parked outside, but no money to fill petrol,” the post read.
Unable to secure another IT role, the former tech worker said they eventually started working as a supervisor at a construction site for a salary of Rs 25,000 per month.
“Never thought life would flip this hard after working in IT,” the individual added.
The post also highlighted the emotional impact of repeated rejection and silence from recruiters. The user said common advice such as “upskill,” “keep trying,” and “market will recover” had started to feel discouraging after months without success.
“People keep saying ‘upskill’, ‘keep trying’, ‘market will recover’ but after months of rejection and silence, you start losing confidence in yourself,” the Redditor wrote.
The user concluded the post by expressing frustration over the state of the industry in 2026.
“Maybe IT isn’t dead, but for people like us trying to break in or survive in 2026, it definitely feels doomed,” the post stated.
The story triggered widespread discussion online, with several users sharing similar experiences of layoffs, unemployment, and financial stress. One commenter wrote, “Same boat. laid off, jobless since 6 months, driving Swiggy Instamart to survive, all savings dried up in 6 months whatever I had in the past 6 years.”
Others, however, questioned the decision to resign without a stronger financial backup plan.