I worked in the food industry for a while before returning back to school to get a degree in tech thinking it would be my path to a better life. While at first I thought where my career was taking me provided exactly that, I’m absolutely miserable working a corporate job in tech. I’ve seen several layoffs, AI is taking over, and the perpetual culture of playing several roles is killing me. I’m tired of being overworked, stressed, and given more and more responsibility for such trivial matters as selling more of X thing. This is not what I want to do for the rest of my life and I would way rather put in this type of effort for something worthwhile even if it means making less money.
The problem is I am so overwhelmed that it is hard to think of a way to change this. I keep saying I want to bring my experience to a non-profit or charitable cause, but I am unsure on how I can bring my tech/project management background to such a cause or how to sell myself in that way. I’m also debating going to get my masters to be more aligned with this change in career, but it’s a similar case of not knowing the best route. For anyone out there who has made this type of career change regardless if it was in tech, I would appreciate any wisdom shared.
Do you like tech? If you actually do, you might bank on those existing skills and look for another workplace. IT is everywhere and there are places where it’s fun. You could ask yourself what’s a mission you would care about and start looking for workplaces that are connected and that give the right vibe. Personally I build web stuff for education and I’m a happy camper.