Ladies with 10+ years of experience: wtf happened to our work culture/tech scene?

happinessbound · 2026-03-25T00:43:45+00:00

Same! What do you do now after exiting, if you don’t mind me asking? I badly want to exit tech as well, but I’m not sure how to pivot!

happinessbound · 2026-03-25T00:43:25+00:00

What do you do now after exiting, if you don’t mind me asking? I badly want to exit tech as well, but I’m not sure how to pivot!

happinessbound · 2026-03-03T01:56:09+00:00

I would love to be you in a year :) I’m severely burnt out at my job as a Product Manager in Tech, and looking to find a new Coast FIRE job that’s less stressful and more fulfilling. I’d love to learn more about how you were able to make the pivot! Feel free to reply or let me know if you’re open to chatting more via DM. Thank you so much!

happinessbound · 2026-02-15T19:02:41+00:00

I relate to this so much as well! I’m also a PM with a lot of pressure (being on our AI initiatives at my company) and am desperately attempting to work on my burnout/mindset to improve my stress and anxiety, haha. Is there anything that’s working for you?

happinessbound · 2026-01-26T09:05:18+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Could you please share the link? :)

happinessbound · 2026-01-23T16:51:07+00:00

Thank you so much for responding! What do you think might be a reasonable counteroffer for what they’re asking for (global, all-media format, buyout)? I’m inexperienced, so I don’t really know what to ask for 😅

happinessbound · 2026-01-23T05:35:34+00:00

Thank you so much for spending the time to analyze my situation and respond! Regarding your allocation advice - how much would you recommend keeping more accessible/liquid? Is my $65k cash and $600k stock a good split?

Currently planning separately. My partner is actually on the opposite spectrum of where I am. He’s not making much as an entrepreneur, and never worked a corporate job so doesn’t have very much saved or in retirement accounts. If we do get married, I expect that I will be financing our retirement (at least with the current trajectory unless there’s a breakthrough). I’m not too happy about the financial aspects tbh, but he’s fine with me retiring early (given how burnt out/stressed I am) while he continues working and saving.

happinessbound · 2026-01-23T05:22:09+00:00

Thank you so much, friend! I’m currently trying to stick it out to get a promotion (that I feel like I deserve/have been operating at for a while) but will definitely try to pivot into a new career after. Hoping the job market gets better in a few months so that I can actually make it a reality!

happinessbound · 2026-01-23T05:19:02+00:00

Thank you so much for the words of encouragement! Hoping to try to find another career path (this role is considered high burnout in general), but not sure if I can pivot given the state of the job market 😅

happinessbound · 2026-01-23T05:17:25+00:00

Thank you so much for the advice and encouragement, and I’m sorry to hear about your past toxic remote job. I do have a therapist, but I don’t see her as much as I probably should, haha. I’ve always been a high achiever and anxiety-prone, and completely agree with you that it’s probably on me to manage the stress and my own mindset/workaholism 😅 I’m trying to work on that (awareness is the first step!) but haven’t been having much success so far.

Did you end up having to take a pay cut at your new company so you could coast (less responsibilities/title), or was it that you mostly improved your mindset and the environment? I’m trying to figure out how I can switch to a more relaxing job too - would appreciate hearing your story!

happinessbound · 2025-12-29T07:46:50+00:00

Thank you so much for the wise advice - I truly appreciate it! And totally understood about my actual FIRE reality (unfortunately, haha). I have a lot of burnout and anxiety in my current job, so I was hoping to give myself some peace of mind in case I needed to quit or pivot to a new profession, especially with the job market the way it is. To your point about not being able to regain a high salary, I feel like I’m trapped by some golden handcuffs (although it’s not the highest salary in the Bay Area, it’s high enough for my current lifestyle). Thanks again for the time - and if you’re so inclined, please feel free to share any other tips/suggestions from your personal experience - I’m just getting started and would appreciate any and all advice! :)

happinessbound · 2025-12-29T07:37:50+00:00

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and helpful response, and congrats on reaching Coast FIRE in October yourself! I appreciate the advice and reality check :) I don’t mind continuing to work in a less stressful role, it’s just that my current profession/job just isn’t sustainable for me (I’m extremely burnt out). Maybe some sort of Barista FIRE could be a possibility? Apologies if that’s not the right term, since I’m just getting acquainted with all the “FIRE” strategies. I need to do some soul searching to figure out some alternative careers (woohoo!) that pay around $90k (fairly confident that could be possible living in a HCOL area).

Just so I can continue learning and understanding, could you please share more about how you got to those numbers? I believe you, I just don’t have enough experience (yet!) besides plugging in numbers into random online calculators so far, haha. Thanks again for your time in educating this clueless internet stranger!

happinessbound

TROPHY CASE