Why I Chose Tattooing Over Corporate Life

Not everyone who changes their career is running from something they hate. Some are walking toward something that finally feels right. Arjun Sood wasn’t lost. He had everything a “successful” life promised, a stable job, an MBA, 13 years of growth in the corporate world, and a family that was proud.

But over time, a quiet restlessness began to grow, the kind you can’t ignore forever. Even with a secure career and achievements on paper, Arjun felt a growing need to do something that spoke to him more deeply. 

Eventually, he chose to listen to it.

When "Success" Doesn’t Feel Successful

Arjun never hated his corporate job. In fact, for over 13 years, he thrived in it. With a strong academic background including an MBA in HR, he climbed the professional ladder, working with respected companies like IBM, Convergys, and Policy Bazaar. His career was stable, his growth steady, and his family proud.

But what looks right on paper doesn’t always feel right in your heart. Arjun followed the path most people take study hard, get a good job, and build a stable future. He wasn’t unhappy. The corporate structure gave him purpose, and the achievements were real. Yet, something always felt a little off. Like he was checking boxes in a life that wasn’t fully his.

A Quiet Nudge That Changed Everything

Sometimes, the shift begins long before you act on it. For Arjun, that shift was internal, a growing sense that he was meant to create. Even while working in corporate, he would often find himself sketching during downtime, his mind wandering to lines, shapes, and ideas that had nothing to do with HR.

His wife, posted in Kabul for work, unknowingly added fuel to that fire. In her free time, she began painting again a hobby she hadn’t touched in years. When she shared her work with Arjun, it stirred something deep within him. He replied with his own old sketches , simple, instinctive strokes that had lived quietly in his notebooks for years. She saw them and said, “You’ve still got it. Maybe it’s time you did something with it.”

And just like that, something shifted. Not overnight. But enough to start looking at his life and his art differently.

A Taboo Career Change in His 30s

Inspired and supported by his wife, Arjun decided to explore tattooing a field that had quietly fascinated him for years. It wasn’t an impulsive move. It was a slow, considered step toward something that felt more aligned with who he was. In 2018, he enrolled in a basic three-month tattoo course at a Delhi-based studio. It wasn’t glamorous or easy. He walked in as a beginner, uncertain and nervous. But it felt right.

One of Arjun’s first realizations was how little people understand about tattooing. It’s not just drawing on skin. Tattooing is a blend of technique, biology, and empathy. Artists work with living skin. They need to understand how to maintain hygiene, how to prevent infections, how to choose the right inks and needles. They care for their clients not just creatively, but medically.

As Arjun puts it, “A tattoo artist is not just an artist. He’s also kind of a doctor.”

Early Days as a Tattoo Artist

After completing his first course, Arjun began working with the same studio where he trained. The learning curve was steep but so was his commitment.

Then, just a year in, the pandemic returned. Tattoo studios shut down. Work dried up. But Arjun had already made his choice. He wasn’t going back to corporate.

He decided to double down.

Joining Aliens Tattoo School

Looking for more structured, professional training, Arjun discovered Aliens Tattoo School. The brand’s precision, artistry, and reputation appealed to him.

So he moved to Mumbai and enrolled in their complete tattooing course.

Right from day one, he noticed the difference. There was structure. Mentorship. A learning environment designed not just to improve your art but to change the way you see the world.

Learning to See Differently

Before Aliens, Arjun looked at a reference image and saw a face. After training with mentors at Aliens, he saw shades, textures, angles, shadows. He learned how tattoos sit on muscle, how light interacts with ink, how to translate emotion into every line. Tattooing stopped being a technique. It became a language.

The biggest difference? Human connection. In corporate life, Arjun worked behind processes. He rarely saw the end impact of his efforts. But as a tattoo artist, he sits with people in some of their most emotional moments. He hears their stories, understands their fears, and creates something they’ll carry for life. It’s intimate. It’s powerful. It’s real.

And for the first time, his work feels personal.

A New Chapter at 36

Arjun isn’t just a tattoo artist anymore. He’s a mentor, a leader, and someone who found unexpected purpose beyond the needle. What began as a leap into the unknown turned into a journey of rediscovering himself.

After mastering the craft, he naturally grew into the role of a mentor, helping aspiring artists find their feet. What surprised him was how much he enjoyed the business side of tattooing the systems, the operations, the strategy. It reminded him of his corporate past, but this time, the work felt personal.

Today, Arjun manages the entire North cluster at Aliens Tattoo leading with both artistic vision and sharp business insight. If you’re standing at a crossroads, unsure of what’s next, let Arjun’s journey be your reminder: starting over isn’t a step back, it’s often the step forward you didn’t know you needed.

Final Words

Today, Arjun continues with his craft. He’s not just surviving he’s thriving. And he’s doing it on his own terms. At Aliens Tattoo School, we’re proud to be a part of his journey. Because stories like Arjun’s are exactly why we do what we do to help people rediscover their power, their purpose, and their passion.

If you’re standing at a similar crossroads, maybe this is your sign. The path isn’t easy. But it’s real. And it’s worth it.

Explore tattooing. Explore yourself.