Ex-Microsoft employee lists 5 things that went wrong after quitting Rs 1.9 crore job
Christian Harms described the 5 major setbacks he faced after leaving his Microsoft job in Switzerland for content creation in Australia.
A Rs 1.9 crore salary at Microsoft, a dream job and a secure future; Christian Harms walked away from all of it at 26 to chase entrepreneurship. A year later, he says the reality of starting over was nothing like he had imagined.
Harms, who worked at Microsoft in Switzerland, left the company at the age of 26 and relocated to Australia to pursue content creation and entrepreneurship. In a candid video titled My Museum of Failures as a 27-year-old who quit his dream job, he reflected on the highs, lows and self-doubt that followed his decision.
Looking back, Harms admitted that leaving Microsoft often feels like "the dumbest thing" he has ever done.
"Because the salary, the stability, the identity, you don't just quit a job, you quit the version of yourself that everyone respects," he said, adding that corporate life is designed in a way that makes leaving feel irrational.
Even so, Harms said he has no regrets about taking the leap.
"I know I'm doing the right thing. But some days the self-doubt is suffocating," he admitted.
According to Harms, the biggest challenge wasn't simply giving up a lucrative salary but walking away from the sense of identity and security that came with it.
"I left a $200,000 job at Microsoft at 26 to make videos for brands on the internet. None of it went according to plan," he said.
He revealed that he moved to Australia without a concrete plan, giving himself five months to figure out his next step. During that time, he focused on creating content, reaching out to brands and experimenting with different online opportunities. But despite months of work, the breakthrough he had imagined never came.
Harms said he earned his first dollar online only a week before he was due to fly back home.
"The deadline achieved what months of planning couldn't," he said. "Apparently, I only act when my back is against the wall. I hate that about myself."
Watch the video here:
He also reflected on another lesson from the experience.
"I spent months building a business before asking whether I should build it at all. I called it due diligence. It was really fear with a to-do list," he said, adding that the process left him with months of directionless work and little to show for it.
Now documenting his entrepreneurial journey on Instagram, Harms said he wants to show the unfiltered reality of leaving a stable corporate career rather than just the success stories that often dominate social media.
His honesty struck a chord with many online. Several users praised him for sharing the less glamorous side of entrepreneurship, while others encouraged him to stay the course, saying setbacks are often part of building something meaningful.
A Rs 1.9 crore salary at Microsoft, a dream job and a secure future; Christian Harms walked away from all of it at 26 to chase entrepreneurship. A year later, he says the reality of starting over was nothing like he had imagined.
Harms, who worked at Microsoft in Switzerland, left the company at the age of 26 and relocated to Australia to pursue content creation and entrepreneurship. In a candid video titled My Museum of Failures as a 27-year-old who quit his dream job, he reflected on the highs, lows and self-doubt that followed his decision.
Looking back, Harms admitted that leaving Microsoft often feels like "the dumbest thing" he has ever done.
"Because the salary, the stability, the identity, you don't just quit a job, you quit the version of yourself that everyone respects," he said, adding that corporate life is designed in a way that makes leaving feel irrational.
Even so, Harms said he has no regrets about taking the leap.
"I know I'm doing the right thing. But some days the self-doubt is suffocating," he admitted.
According to Harms, the biggest challenge wasn't simply giving up a lucrative salary but walking away from the sense of identity and security that came with it.
"I left a $200,000 job at Microsoft at 26 to make videos for brands on the internet. None of it went according to plan," he said.
He revealed that he moved to Australia without a concrete plan, giving himself five months to figure out his next step. During that time, he focused on creating content, reaching out to brands and experimenting with different online opportunities. But despite months of work, the breakthrough he had imagined never came.
Harms said he earned his first dollar online only a week before he was due to fly back home.
"The deadline achieved what months of planning couldn't," he said. "Apparently, I only act when my back is against the wall. I hate that about myself."
Watch the video here:
He also reflected on another lesson from the experience.
"I spent months building a business before asking whether I should build it at all. I called it due diligence. It was really fear with a to-do list," he said, adding that the process left him with months of directionless work and little to show for it.
Now documenting his entrepreneurial journey on Instagram, Harms said he wants to show the unfiltered reality of leaving a stable corporate career rather than just the success stories that often dominate social media.
His honesty struck a chord with many online. Several users praised him for sharing the less glamorous side of entrepreneurship, while others encouraged him to stay the course, saying setbacks are often part of building something meaningful.
