Meet Aakriti Goel: The BITS Pilani Graduate Who Quit a ₹30 LPA Job, Cracked NEET and Became a Doctor at 30

In the year 2021, when most professionals her age were focused on promotions, salaries and career growth, Aakriti Goel took a decision that shocked many around her.He gave up a corporate career, gave up a salary of nearly ₹30 lakh per annum and started preparing for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET).At that time, I was 30 years old.A year later, he secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 1118 in NEET-UG 2021 with a score of 676 out of 720.Today, the BITS Pilani graduate is in the final stages of her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) journey from North DMC Medical College, Delhi, according to her LinkedIn profile.His story is not just about clearing a competitive exam. It’s about questioning what success means and whether it’s ever too late to start over.

When success stopped making sense

Goel completed his engineering degree from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani in 2015.Unlike many of his peers, he was not interested in a conventional corporate career. He chose to work with startups, experimenting with different roles and projects. Over the years, he built a successful career in the Bangalore startup ecosystem and eventually rose to a leadership position.By most measures, he had achieved what many young professionals aspire to. Still, it felt like something was missing.According to the interviews he gave in 2021, the work no longer made sense. The pay, authority, and career growth didn’t provide the sense of purpose I was looking for.“I’m not a 9-5 person,” Goel said, explaining why he had often preferred smaller companies and unconventional roles to traditional corporate jobs.The turning point came after years of hard work.

A health crisis and a difficult question

For nearly two years, Goel put in more than 14 hours a day at a health tech startup he once considered his dream job.The workload eventually took its toll.She suffered from a hormonal imbalance linked to extreme stress and quit her job shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic began.What followed was a period of recovery. She spent time at home, practiced yoga, painted, and slowly regained her health. But once he recovered, another question arose.what nextHe could have returned to the world of startups. With his experience, that path remained open. Instead, he began to rethink what he wanted from the next phase of his life.

Rediscovering an old dream

The answer came from an unexpected place.Goel turned to the Ikigai exercise, a Japanese framework often used to identify purpose and motivation. The process brought back a childish ambition.“I wanted to be a doctor as a child. I liked biology at school,” he recalled.Years earlier, he had chosen engineering over medicine. At the time, he did not regret this decision.But after spending almost a decade in the professional world, he realized that medicine was still the field that most excited him.“After being an engineer for over 10 years, I now know how passionately I want to be a doctor,” she said.The decision was clear, but the challenge was much more difficult.

Returning to the classroom after a decade

By 2020, Goel had spent years away from academic studies.Although physics and chemistry were familiar, biology was no longer part of his daily life. He started almost from scratch, watching free online classes and reconstructing concepts he had last studied in school.Preparation required discipline.He studied 10-12 hours a day and wrote more than 100 mock tests. Initially, the scores were far from where I wanted them to be.“In the beginning, I was getting about 590, but towards the end I broke the 700 mark,” he said. Ten months later, the effort paid off. His score of 676 secured an AIR of 1118 in NEET-UG 2021.Many people found the result hard to believe.Even his parents were initially surprised by the decision to leave a stable career and return to student life.

The question of age

One of the most common reactions to Goel’s story has little to do with NEET. It’s about age.By the time he finishes his medical training, graduate studies, and residency, he will be much older than many of his peers.That doesn’t worry her. “Age should not be a barrier to achieving anything in life,” he said.“We have more faith in the stereotypical belief that ‘what’s done is done’ and that ‘we can’t start our careers over.’ Or ‘we’re too old.’ It’s not true.”For Goel, the question is not how long the journey takes. Is the destination worth it?

More than a career change

Stories about career changes often focus on risk. Money left behind, uncertainty ahead and the possibility of failure.Goel’s story highlights something else.It raises a question that many professionals silently ask themselves at some point: What happens when external success no longer matches internal satisfaction?For her, the answer wasn’t another promotion or a new company.It was a return to the classroom, a return to biology. And finally, a return to a dream she had first imagined as a child.Today, as she continues her MBBS journey, her path is a reminder that careers don’t always move in a straight line.Sometimes the most important step forward seems to be starting over.