“What is it like to work in tech?”

This is a question I no longer get asked. The world knows, or at least they’ve heard stories about what it is like. Back in 2002, when I first moved to San Francisco, I was asked this question all the time. My answer was always to talk about the travel I did, the cool people from all over the world I got to meet, and the steady, reliable, great paycheck that came with it all. “But what do you DO in tech?” “Oh, I’m in Sales, Account Management. Demanding clients can be stressful, but everything else makes it worth it.” Being in tech sales wasn’t my life’s calling, but the environment and the perks made it a perfectly acceptable career choice. 

In the early 2000s, my career choice allowed me to live in San Francisco, travel the world, and even purchase a small one-bedroom condo in the Inner Richmond. So what if the work itself didn’t interest me? My parents struggled their whole lives; they would have killed for a situation like mine. Who was I to complain? So I stayed on the wrong train headed in the wrong direction.

Once the idea that I deserved a career that made me happy took root, the thought wouldn’t give me any peace. In the early years, when tech was still stable and jobs were plentiful, it was just a small, intrusive thought. But by 2023, it was a piercing scream that I was unable to ignore. However, I needed a solid escape plan. 

Looking for roles at other tech companies didn’t interest me. I wanted to be a coach for other women, and I wanted to coach them on personal finance and investing. It was a subject that had interested me for years, and I loved sharing my learnings with colleagues and friends. It was common at my company for people to ask me out to lunch so they could pick my brain about purchasing a rental property or how to get started with investing. I was happy to spend hours researching what I didn’t know, and even used myself as a guinea pig to test out roboadvisors or call Vanguard to ask questions for friends. Around 2023, I made the decision that I would go back to school, at night, to earn a certification in personal finance. It wasn’t easy juggling a full-time job and 20 hours of classes a week, but I realized that because it was a subject I enjoyed, it didn’t feel like work. It was my first taste of what freedom from tech could feel like. 

At the time, I had no idea how I was going to make the switch, but I could at least start working on how I was going to afford it. I had doubts. I was the breadwinner of my family; wasn’t it indulgent to make this switch when others counted on my salary? Was it too late for me at my age (pushing 50) to not just change roles but entire industries? I would essentially be starting over, from the bottom. If I made this leap into Personal Finance, would I recommend it to my future potential clients who may want to do the same?

Armed with my newly gained personal finance knowledge, I decided to sit down and figure out the numbers. Once I saw that it was doable, I knew I had to make this switch. Even if it meant saying goodbye to the tech salary. Even if it meant using savings for an extended period. If I had been successful and made a high income in a career I never really cared for, what could I do in a career that I can’t stop talking about?

Once I made the decision to leave and had a plan for my expenses, things started to move fast. Once I had my financial plan in order, it was like looking at a roadmap. I knew how to get there. It’s like I had already made the jump. Suddenly, once I saw the path, opportunities that weren’t there before presented themselves. 

I quit my job in September of 2024 and graduated with my certification in December that same year. By February 2025, I was the new Financial Planning Resident at Ballast Point Financial Planning (now Tessara Wealth), reporting to the CEO and supporting and learning from the incredible team there. 

Here’s what I realize now: Even though I am brand new to the profession, I see how firms like Tessara Wealth help clients. I see the established processes and the best practices that are implemented. While I had always prided myself on being a DIY investor, there is no doubt in my mind that had I worked with a financial advisor myself back in 2020, I would have been able to quit tech much earlier. Here I thought I had been doing the responsible thing by saving my money and learning everything myself, but if I’d had a financial planner by my side, they could have been objective when I was emotional. They could have coached me through the hard times at work and celebrated with me when I hit a milestone. I made it here, thankfully, but I’ve got some scrapes and bruises. 

To those out there who are considering blowing up your life because of what tech has become, it’s possible! Even if you don’t yet know your calling or what you’re meant to do. My advice is to talk to a planner and get your finances in order first. Knowing how you’re going to leave financially is just as important as knowing what you’re going to do once you’re out. That will allow the transition to be much smoother and one less thing to worry about. It's worth it. 

If you are wondering if you can make the jump like I did, feel free to reach out to me or anyone else on my wonderful team here at Tessara Wealth.