Cambridge student who graduated with triple first turns down investment banking job to be a yoga teacher

Rosie Sargeant turned down a job with one of the top four investment firms

(Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

A former Cambridge student who graduated from the prestigious university with a triple first has explained why she left a £40,000 salary and a position at a prominent investment firm to become a yoga teacher.

Rosie Sargeant accepted an offer from a major investment banking firm, which she declined to name, while studying Modern and Medieval Languages at Churchill College.

The 23-year-old told The Tab she accepted the job because it was “sensible” and appeared to be the right thing to do. However, Sargeant had also qualified as a yoga instructor in her final year, and was confronted with the opportunity of working as an assistant manager and teacher for a yoga studio.

“I was looking at the light on the horizon and I started to think 'actually, I love yoga,’” she explained.

 

A photo posted by Rosie Sargeant (@sargeypie) on Oct 30, 2015 at 5:42am PDT

“I decided to take the nature of the job – yoga and fitness – and take it out the equation and think about my own personal development.

“My responsibilities are from the ground up and can be very broad.

“From cleaning the mats after a class, to negotiating potential invest and teaching classes – a little bit of everything."

Sargeant said the prospect of taking a huge pay cut was irrelevant to her decision and after serious deliberation, her choice came down to one simple point. ”Financing is not something I am hugely passionate about, but yoga is.

“If you’re lucky enough to know what your passion is then you should pursue it.

“For graduates, now is the time to take a risk and do something which is a bit out there."

 

A photo posted by Rosie Sargeant (@sargeypie) on Sep 25, 2015 at 11:59am PDT

Sargeant believes her academic success is partly due to being able to relieve stress with yoga.