Woman Quits Job At KPMG Singapore, Moves To India To Become A Poet: "Corporate Life Did Not Feel Right"

In 2025, Namrata Yadav, a 28-year-old former consultant, made a bold move - she left her corporate job at KPMG Singapore to pursue her passion for poetry in Mumbai. In a chat with Business Insider, she opened up about trading a high-pressure career for a life centred around writing, proving it's never too late to chase your dreams

Yadav shared that she had taken several career pivots over the years. After completing her bachelor's degree in law in India, she pursued a master's in international relations at the National University of Singapore between 2019 and 2021. She then worked there as a research analyst for six months before moving into the corporate world.

She explained that, having never worked in a corporate setting before, she joined KPMG in 2022 to explore consulting and gain experience at a large organisation. While she found the work culture decent and earned a stable annual salary of around 57,000 Singapore dollars, she noted that living in Singapore was expensive, with monthly expenses reaching up to SG$3,200, including rent. Despite this, she said she did not feel financially strained.

However, she soon realised that the role did not align with her personality. She described herself as more creatively inclined and said the long, demanding hours made corporate life feel unsustainable. She added that she did not want her weekends to feel like an escape from a 40-hour workweek.

Namrata said she had started writing regularly after moving to Singapore, primarily in Hindi, which she attributed partly to the anxiety of living in a new country. Her writing focused on relationships, family, friendships, love, and everyday experiences. During her time at KPMG, she felt unable to dedicate enough time to writing, which led her to believe that creative work was her true calling.

A turning point came in December 2024, when she was selected to perform spoken word poetry at a literature festival in Lucknow. She recalled that watching other performers on stage made her realise she no longer wanted to simply admire them, she wanted to be one of them.

Following this, she decided to leave Singapore and return to India.

In September, she moved to Mumbai with a plan to find a job that could sustain her financially without being overly demanding, allowing her to focus on writing. However, after attending several interviews, she realised she did not want to return to a conventional desk job.

She described Mumbai as an expensive city but said her living costs were still lower than in Singapore. She currently lives in a shared apartment in Andheri West with two other creatives and pays around Rs 34,000 in rent. Despite reduced expenses, she admitted that giving up a steady paycheck and going months without income had tested her resilience. She said she was relying on her savings from her corporate job to sustain herself in the short term.

In January, she decided to work toward a solo debut show scheduled for March 28 and dedicated three months entirely to developing it. She shared that she spends over two hours writing every morning after coffee and continues working in the afternoons. She has also been documenting her creative process on social media to build an audience.

"I want to test if I have what it takes to become a storyteller and to become a memorable one at that. Do I have it in me to keep doing it over and over again? The biggest lesson learned since going into poetry full time has been unlearning the corporate mindset of expecting a tangible outcome at the end of the day," she said. 

Namrata said she wanted to test whether she had what it takes to become a storyteller and, more importantly, a memorable one. She questioned whether she could sustain the discipline required to continue creating consistently.

Reflecting on her journey, she said one of the biggest lessons had been unlearning the corporate mindset of expecting tangible results every day. She acknowledged that while some days produce work she is proud of, other days do not. 

She admitted that she does not yet have a clear long-term plan and expects she may eventually need a job to support her artistic pursuits. However, she emphasised that she does not regret choosing to pursue writing full-time at this stage.

Namrata also shared that her parents were initially unsupportive of her decision but have since come around. She said they now trust her judgment and efforts, and while she reassured them that she was not afraid and would figure out the financial aspects, they expressed relief that she had found something she was passionate about.