Career Break: Do you really know “why” you are making money?

Like any kid, I imagined life would open up beautifully, getting paid to do what you love, spending that hard-earned cash on whatever caught your eye, no more pinching pennies like back in the hostel days. That thrill of finally having your own money to manage. But it took me almost three years to wake up to reality. 99.99% of people get a degree to land a job, and then work to make money. And money, well, it seems to pull the strings for everyone. Those who have it want more, and those without are even hungrier for it. But why are they so obsessed with making it? I used to think: they have families to feed, kids to send to school, loans to pay off. That made sense, of course, you’d work yourself to the bone to solve your problems. You have to. And yet, here we are, some of us still mulling over the idea of taking a career break from it all.

Life has no meaning anyhow

Neuroscience quietly became my obsession, revealing more than I ever expected. Along the way, I discovered something strange, almost disorienting: everything we see, touch, hear, taste, and smell is nothing but an illusion crafted by the mind. This “world” we perceive? It’s just a story our mind spins for us, a movie where we’re the sole audience.

After a few years in the so-called real world, I began to see that people aren’t really solving problems, they’re just chasing something better than what they already have. Even if their kids are in good schools, there are no debts, and life seems stable, they’ll still want more: better schools, bigger houses, nicer cars. And to keep up, they chase higher salaries, bigger loans, and endless EMIs.

Do I agree with it? Not exactly. But I don’t judge anyone for their choices either. Life doesn’t come with any built-in meaning, so if that’s what keeps them going, who am I to say otherwise? Sometimes, it’s in that same spirit that some of us decide to step away for a while—taking a break, not just to escape but to grow.

Why did I take a break?

I took a break because I couldn’t keep myself busy just chasing money. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to buy a sports car someday, maybe even a ridiculously expensive watch. But those are my wants, not my needs. Thanks to my privileged education, I can do the bare minimum to meet my needs. The tricky part is that I don’t want to spend my whole life running after those dreams, losing myself in the process.

Stepping away, taking that breather, gave me the space to think about what I truly want to achieve, and more importantly, why I want to achieve it. This career break let me pause and reflect. I haven’t landed on all the answers yet, and I doubt I ever will. But things are clearer now, more thought out, and for the first time, they’re starting to make a little more sense.

Never listen to anyone

The one thing that’s worked best for me? Never, ever listen to anyone else’s version of how life should be lived. People experience their own reality, shaped by a mind that’s nothing like yours. So why waste your time living someone else’s life or chasing someone else’s goals?

Compared to people stuck in war zone, I know I’m privileged, there’s no denying that. But I’m not so privileged that I can follow every whim without a struggle. Most of the battle is internal, and I’m sure many of you know exactly what that feels like. So, do what you want to do. It might not be the perfect move, but at least it’ll be yours. And sometimes, the best move is stepping back, taking a career break, and figuring out who you really are, and know why you really making money, or even find why you are living altogether!

Thanks for reading! 🙂