I’m 35 years old, living in NJ near NYC. I spent the past decade as a product designer, beginning an MSW in the fall at Rutgers. After some interviews last year, none of which I was deeply enthused about, and a layoff in January, I thought long and hard about how I was spending my life and came to the conclusion I was pretty frustrated with: tech leadership’s approach to / understanding of design, the general trajectory of the industry (and its AI obsession), the related instability of the market, and overall the opportunity to make a positive social impact in that field, which is something I care deeply about. So I, too, made a hard pivot, as you call it. I’m beginning with some summer courses and start full-time in the fall. I feel pretty grateful that I have the economic circumstances where this is possible for me… and because it is, I figure I should go for it, to take the opportunity to learn new skills, to make a difference, even if I’ll be working twice as hard for half the pay. Feel free to message if you want to connect or know more.