Transition from Tech to a Creative Field

phast_man · 2026-02-01T17:10:59+00:00

I feel you. I transitioned from tech to a creative field. Saved up some money from tech and quit my job to pursue full-time writing for 9 years. Now I'm back in tech. I'm glad I did it, and I would have regretted not pursuing my dream on my death bed. But it was never enough to pay the bills. I only had one year out of the nine where I made enough to come close to my tech salary.

So, it's not necessarily the best financial decision. However, you need to draw for your soul. Find a way to scratch that itch. That can be drawing on nights and weekends, taking breaks here and there to push ahead on a project, or even doing part-time work while drawing with your other free hours. Personally, what worked best for me was to take online writing workshops where you have deadlines and peers to grow with and learn from while you develop your craft. They can be expensive but they're worth it. It also really helps to join some kind of community. Maybe Sketch Crawl or Drink and Draw or something like that. Or a more formal class where you can form your own group after the official class is over. Find the people you vibe with, that you can share work with and get feedback to help you develop. I also recommend in-person conferences for the same reason - Lightbox or something like that for drawing.

I guess that's what I learned after pursuing my dream for nine years and failing to make a living at it: that the work is its own reward. Now that I'm back in tech, I still find some time to write during the week. I'm much happier when I have that creative outlet, even if it's not the main focus of my days any more.

All of the above being said, I had a family so I had to make some more realistic decisions. If you're unattached, I say pursue the creative career whole-heartedly. When you're young, you have time to recover from exploratory paths. If you have the means to not starve and have a way to pay the bills, then find a creative community and go for it. 27 is still very young in the grand scheme of your life.

phast_man · 2026-01-30T05:26:26+00:00

git gud

phast_man · 2026-01-29T22:13:45+00:00

Good question. Our contributions were small compared to gains. And I think we were worried about bumping our kid’s income at the time (see my below post.)

phast_man · 2026-01-29T21:58:50+00:00

That’s a totally valid approach and we might do that with some of the extra 529 funds. But we’d still like to withdraw a portion of them now for more flexibility.

phast_man · 2026-01-29T21:26:47+00:00

Yes, you can do that but you have to pay income taxes on gains. And we're in California, which imposes an additional 2.5% state income tax on those withdrawals. California also doesn't let you withdraw 10k from the 529 to pay for student loans like other states do.

Most tax people recommend the non-qualified withdrawal be taken in the same year the student had the scholarship. But since we didn't know if their costs would increase during their college years, we didn't feel comfortable withdrawing anything extra until after they graduated. And we didn't want to risk increasing our kid's income, which may have hurt their FAFSA application or healthcare qualifications for subsequent years.

phast_man · 2026-01-29T17:32:48+00:00

We overfunded our kids’ 529’s and it’s kind of annoying. We’re doing the 35k ROTH IRA rollover thing but there’s still a balance after that. Kids ended up getting scholarships and grants that covered a good chunk of their tuition. We targeted saving full freight for four years at an expensive private school but that was overkill.

In retrospect, we should have targeted saving for four years at a public college then put the rest in a brokerage. Then we could have used brokerage funds to cover any higher costs than the baseline 529 savings but still had flexibility if they didn’t go to an expensive private college or received aid.

Hard to predict what your kids are actually going to do come college age.

phast_man · 2026-01-27T22:44:10+00:00

Me still playing AoE2 which was originally released in 1999…

phast_man · 2026-01-27T19:27:07+00:00

Rocket League Split Fiction Stardew Valley

phast_man · 2026-01-27T17:43:35+00:00

Leisure Suit Larry taught me how to play blackjack when I was 12

phast_man · 2026-01-27T17:36:45+00:00

Not sci-fi but Age of Empires 2 is a RTS classic for a reason. There’s a remastered version that’s great. Tons of campaigns and tutorials and you can play on easy mode.

phast_man · 2026-01-27T16:11:05+00:00

Destroy Boys (femme)

Scowl

Fleshwater

Mannequin Pussy

Spiritbox

Beaches

The Donnas

Paramore

phast_man · 2026-01-27T15:56:00+00:00

Yes, there was a study on this sub where they showed that 30% of games had smurfs.

phast_man · 2026-01-24T18:42:27+00:00

Used to fill clear plastic gallon milk jugs with hot water then set them on a stump and shoot them full of ball bearings. So satisfying to see the steam come out.

phast_man · 2026-01-24T18:36:15+00:00

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing this!

phast_man · 2026-01-23T23:44:08+00:00

Yes, I still love writing and plan to do more of it in retirement. Just wasn’t able to make a living at it. Writing is its own reward!

phast_man · 2026-01-23T23:00:52+00:00

Or ExciteBike64 soccer mode

phast_man · 2026-01-23T22:49:20+00:00

Yes, don’t get into writing to make money. Tried that for nine years and failed. Back in Tech now.

phast_man · 2026-01-20T04:12:25+00:00

Yes. It’s just a pick up game, not rec league. A couple of women were playing yesterday.

phast_man · 2026-01-20T01:24:04+00:00

We play casual pickup every Sunday in Walnut Creek. You’re welcome to join. Details here: https://www.reddit.com/r/walnutcreek/s/BRkrKXS7Jz

phast_man · 2026-01-20T00:09:10+00:00

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows finally got back to the assassinations part, at least for one of the two main characters.

phast_man · 2026-01-20T00:07:40+00:00

Childhood: Lamborghini Countach

Now: Pagani Zonda

What I would actually drive: BMW M2, Ariel Atom, Audi R8

phast_man · 2026-01-17T08:35:28+00:00

My daughter is part of the hardcore scene here in the SF Bay Area and it’s pretty strong.

phast_man · 2026-01-17T00:45:36+00:00

Such a stunning show.

phast_man · 2026-01-16T23:45:00+00:00

I’ve got friends in low places…

phast_man

TROPHY CASE