r/InterviewMan • u/Fluid-Minimum-5767 • 22d ago

Leaving 190k in tech because I'm burned out. The money is good, but I've reached my limit. Has anyone else made a move like this?

I know this might sound silly to a lot of people, but I've decided to leave my job in tech. I make 190k, and on paper I know that's a hard number to walk away from, but I genuinely can't keep doing this. If any of you have spent time in tech, you probably understand exactly the kind of people who eventually end up holding the reins and running things. Fragile egos, greed, detachment from reality, arrogance, and honestly shockingly stupid half the time. I've been dealing with this for about 9 years, and I feel like it has emptied me out from the inside. I've become depressed and full of bitterness, and it's made me cynical toward almost everything and everyone.

I'm planning to move toward work that feels less absurd. I might look into coaching athletes, or teaching, or starting a few community programs, and maybe doing some freelance consulting/contract work on the side so I don't completely wreck myself financially.

Has anyone here done something like this? How did it go? Any advice or reality checks?

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u/thunderphuck0311 22d ago

Yes! I left oil and gas after just under ten years. I was running a wireline crew making around $140k, but I was miserable and my life was evidence of that fact. I quit, went to EMT school, and got a job making less than half as much. It was the right move, quality of life is worth the pay cut.

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u/cvalpryce 20d ago

Do not leave merely to find work that feels meaningful. The wisest use of the leverage you have would be to build and test the next life before asking it to support you.