As repeated layoffs continue to shake the technology sector, an Indian professional living in the United States has sparked a wider discussion about career burnout, financial security and the growing attraction of returning to India.
In a Reddit post, a 32-year-old Indian technology worker said he was on the verge of losing his job after spending more than a decade in America.
The professional, who has worked at a leading technology company for the past five years, said he was feeling burned out, disconnected from his colleagues and increasingly uncertain about his future in the US.
“I moved to the USA about 11 years ago. I had a pretty smooth career journey so far and joined a top-tier technology company around five years ago,” he wrote.
However, he admitted that remote work and career complacency had affected his involvement at work.
“Remote work has not helped me build a bond with my team either. I am now on the verge of being laid off,” he said.
Unlike many employees affected by the current wave of technology layoffs, the worker said he was in a relatively secure financial position.
He owns two houses in India, including one that is fully paid off, and has built considerable retirement and investment savings during his years in the United States.
However, his financial stability has not reduced his anxiety.
The tech worker said he had been actively applying and interviewing for new jobs in the US but described the current employment market as “brutal.”
He also admitted that stress and exhaustion were making it difficult for him to prepare for interviews.
“I have zero motivation to study right now and am burned out because of all the stress and anxiety,” he wrote.
Instead of immediately taking up another job in America, he is considering returning to India, taking a three-month break and restarting his job search from there.
His dilemma is whether to continue dealing with job insecurity, visa concerns and the pressure of life in the US or return home and give priority to his mental well-being.
“The reason I was thinking of staying for two more years was to repay the loan I have in India,” he explained.
The post connected with many users because it highlighted a larger issue faced by Indian professionals abroad.
Although the United States continues to offer higher salaries and global career opportunities, many immigrants face visa uncertainty, intense competition at work and constant pressure to outperform their colleagues. Frequent layoffs over the past year have added to these concerns.
The Reddit user also reflected on how living in the San Francisco Bay Area had changed his attitude towards money and success.
“I feel like I have become money-minded and am constantly running after money after looking at my social circle,” he wrote. “Everyone is extremely talented or rich. It pushes me to do better, but I am never satisfied with what I have.”
He asked fellow Reddit users whether he should continue struggling in the United States for a few more years or return to India and focus on a better quality of life.
For many Indian professionals living abroad, his post reflects a question that is becoming increasingly common amid technology layoffs and changing career priorities: when is enough truly enough?
