In 2021, when most professionals her age were focusing on promotions, salary and career growth, Aakriti Goel took a decision that surprised many around her.She gave up her corporate career and her annual salary of nearly Rs 30 lakh and started preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).At that time, she was 30 years old.A year later, she secured All India Rank (AIR) 1118 marks in NEET-UG 2021, scoring 676 out of 720 marks.Today, the BITS Pilani graduate is in the final stage of her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) journey from DMC Medical College, North Delhi, according to her LinkedIn profile.Her story is not just about passing competitive exams. It’s about questioning what success means and whether it’s too late to start over.
When success no longer means anything
Goel received his engineering degree from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani in 2015.Unlike many of her peers, she was not interested in the traditional corporate path. She chose to work with startups, trying out different roles and projects. Over the years, she built a successful career in Bengaluru’s startup ecosystem, eventually rising to leadership positions.By most measures, she has achieved what many young professionals aspire to. But it still feels like something is missing.According to interviews she gave in 2021, she felt the job no longer made sense. Salary, power and career advancement did not provide the sense of purpose she was seeking.“I’m not a 9-to-5 person,” Goel said, explaining why she prefers small companies and unconventional positions to traditional corporate jobs.After years of intense work, a turning point came.
health crises and problems
For nearly two years, Goel has been working more than 14 hours a day on what was once her dream job at a health technology startup.The workload eventually took its toll.She developed a hormonal imbalance due to extreme stress and quit her job shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic began.What follows is a period of recovery. She stayed at home, practiced yoga, painted, and slowly recovered her health. But when she recovered, another problem arose.What to do next?She could have returned to the entrepreneurial world. In her experience, the road remains open. Instead, she began to rethink what she wanted for the next phase of her life.
Looking for old dreams again
The answer came from an unexpected place.Goel turned to the Ikigai exercise, a Japanese framework often used to identify purpose and motivation. This process brings back childhood ambitions.“When I was a kid I wanted to be a doctor. I was good at biology in school,” she recalls.A few years ago, she chose engineering over medicine. At the time, she didn’t regret the decision.But nearly a decade into her career, she realized medicine was still the field she was most excited about.“After working as an engineer for more than a decade, I now know how much I long to be a doctor,” she said.The decision was clear, but the challenge was much more difficult.
Returning to class after ten years
By 2020, Goel had been away from academic research for several years.While physics and chemistry were familiar, biology was no longer part of her daily routine. She started almost from scratch, watching free online courses and reconstructing concepts she last learned in school.Preparation requires discipline.She studied 10 to 12 hours a day and wrote more than 100 mock tests. Initially, the scores were far from where she wanted them to be.“In the beginning, I scored around 590 points, but by the end, I crossed the 700-point mark,” she said. Ten months later, the hard work paid off. She secured AIR 1118 marks in NEET-UG 2021 with 676 marks.Many people find this result unbelievable.Even her parents were initially surprised by her decision to leave a stable career and return to student life.
age issue
One of the most common reactions to Goel’s story had little to do with NEET. This is related to age.By the time she completes her medical training, graduate studies, and specialization, she will be significantly older than many of her peers.This has nothing to do with her. “Age should not be a barrier to achievement in life,” she said.“We tend to believe more in stereotypes like ‘the done deal’, ‘we can’t start our careers over’. Or ‘we’re too old’. That’s not true.”For Goel, the question is not how long the journey will take. It’s about whether the destination is worth it.
More than just a career change
Stories about career changes often focus on risk. The salary left behind, the uncertainty ahead, and the possibility of failure.Goel’s story highlights something else.It raises a question that many professionals have quietly asked 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’s a return to the classroom, a return to biology. Eventually, she returns to the dream she first imagined as a child.Today, as she continues her journey toward a Bachelor of Medicine in Internal Medicine, her path is a reminder that careers don’t always follow a straight line.Sometimes the most important step looks like starting over.
