All articles tagged with #career change
A 26-year-old quits a Chicago mechanical-design job to sew uniforms at Yellowstone’s Xanterra, earning $19.25/hour while living in a dorm with a $96 monthly lodging deduction and a $359 monthly meal stipend. She loves the creative work and the access to nature, has built about $11,000 in savings, and plans to move to Los Angeles or New York City to further her sewing career when her seasonal contract ends in September.
Four former Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Intel employees discuss the shock of being laid off, the difficult job search, and the financial and emotional fallout, offering lessons on resilience and how to rethink a six-figure tech career after a major layoff.
Mo Zohourian moved from Iran to Canada and, after months of unsuccessful job hunting, started AI training work at about $15/hour. Through passing assessments (English literature, reasoning, mathematics) and leveraging his sales background, he climbed to $30–$70/hour on various projects. When expert, sales-focused opportunities emerged, he secured higher-paying, consistent work and has earned around $100/hour as an AI evaluation and sales-management specialist for the past 10 months. He also founded Annotation Academy and an AI consulting firm for small businesses, works 20–40 hours weekly with flexible hours, reinvests earnings into his ventures, and enjoys time with his son—the result of a booming demand for domain expertise in AI.
On a podcast, Jenna Fischer explains that the gruelling 65–70 hour weeks of lead TV roles and having young kids pushed her to leave major acting, later pivoting to hosting Office Ladies with Angela Kinsey and embracing more time for family and school events.
A 26-year-old quits her Chicago corporate job to pursue sewing, lands a seasonal seamstress role in Yellowstone’s uniform department, earns about $19.25/hour with subsidized housing and meals, and hopes to move to New York City to work in Broadway and film wardrobe.
A journalist quits his job to travel with his father after his mother’s death, but his plans are upended when his dad falls ill and dies of pancreatic cancer within 10 days; a year of grieving, settling affairs, and managing finances and health coverage follows, and he now intends to return to work and redirect his energy back into journalism.
Aashna Doshi, 23, left Google to pursue an AI startup called Bounty after launching the side project podcast “0 to 1,” which helped her network with senior leaders and validate a creative, distribution-focused business idea. The move is pre-revenue, with a founder salary as she builds the company.
After years of applying to 100+ entry-level jobs and juggling multiple gigs, the author pivots from journalism to public policy, deciding to pursue a master’s degree abroad in France with a scholarship to boost competitiveness and focus on women’s health, while continuing to network and volunteer with nonprofits.
Kun Chen, a former Microsoft engineer, used a simple monthly self-check—'What did I do this month that I couldn't last month?'—to gauge whether he was still growing. After six years at Microsoft, he realized he wasn’t, prompting a move to Meta to seek new challenges and growth, before returning to Microsoft on a fresh project; he argues ongoing growth matters more than promotions, especially amid rapid AI-driven changes in software engineering.
A 36-year-old American who moved to Shenzhen in 2016 lives with his wife and two kids in a three-bedroom about $1,000/month rent, roughly $100/month groceries for a family of four, plus $29 internet, $100 electricity and $90 healthcare—roughly a quarter of his U.S. costs. He initially earned about $4,000/month teaching English, then pivoted to a marketing role paying around $3,500/month plus about $1,200/month from side gigs; Shenzhen’s tech-forward, safe, family-friendly environment with cheap transit and multilingual schooling has made the move feel like a successful, future-ready life in China.
In The Hollywood Reporter’s Life After Hollywood feature, veteran writer/producer Nick Morton details his pivot from a decades-long Hollywood career to a hands-on construction life after industry strikes and layoffs upend his work. Starting with a gut renovation overseen for his brother-in-law, he confronts a steep learning curve, language barriers, and grueling early days at Home Depot and on site, eventually earning a promotion and finding real value and respect in the tangible work. After six months, he’s slimmer, sleeps better, and isn’t sure he’ll ever return to Hollywood, feeling more fulfilled by a life built with his own hands.
The DOGE-driven downsizing purged hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors, shrinking the federal workforce by about 10% since January 2025 and leaving many with financial hardship, health challenges, and emotional strain. OthersPivoted to new careers, moved across the country (with significant cross‑state moves), joined local or state government roles, started volunteer work, or pursued advocacy, signaling a sweeping talent redistribution even as public service persists in new forms.
A woman about to be fired from her job at a London listings magazine is invited to a decadent 90s bar launch by a colleague, which leads to her discovering a vibrant social scene and ultimately finding her true career as a journalist, thanks to the memorable night and the people she met.
A 31-year-old former tech executive takes a part-time ice cream scooping job to make ends meet amid a tough job market, finding community and grounding in the experience despite missing full-time benefits and stability.
Former chefs share their reasons for leaving the culinary industry, citing low pay, lack of benefits, physical and mental health issues, burnout, and the desire for a better work-life balance, with many expressing frustration over industry practices and toxic work environments.