👀 Have you ever thought of leaving Tech? Why? Feel free to share more in the comments!

Honestly yes, I would love to not be sitting on the computer all day. Ideally, I would want to own a small business that allows me to stand up, walk around, and talk to customers constantly. Not to mention, I’d be the owner of my own time.

Yes everyday. I’m very good at what I do but the environment sucks and pay is getting worse. No longer happy even though I love tech.

Yes, my main reasons are:
- ageism, companies here in the Americas US and Canada are low key ageism.
- I’ve been trying to switch from QA automation to SE but it seems it’s just hard to do it now in my 40s.

Now I’m trying my luck to switch in Networking realm.
If this doesn’t work I’ll most likely will end up assisting my parents with their spa business to become an accountant specialist none cpa or become an electrician. Good luck all!

I'm looking for a job in Tech more then 1 year. Parallel I'm searching for a job opportunities in other fields temporary or permanent.

Not necessarily existing all the tech industry but I want to move to management or self employment, software is getting automated and outsourced and paying is declining

I've thought about it at times but its hard to start everything over to do something else. Like if I wanted to do a job outside I would have to get training and credentials and work my way up most likely over a long period of time just to make the money I'm making now.

These are all things that dissuade me from going down that road not even knowing if it will even make me a happier person.

I have tried SO many times. Sadly, the longer you wait, the less marketable you are OUTSIDE of tech. You get older, the competition gets steeper and cheaper and the jobs fewer, lower paying and higher expectations. After 25yrs, I would not suggest this industry to anyone not in it already.

Definitely. With the continued advancements in AI, unsustainable growth goals and irritable clients, I want to exit and apply my career skills to the things that actually matter in this world such as working for a non-profit that is active in conserving our rapidly declining ecosystems.

All the time, but not so much because of the job market. I’m just bored of the same thing. No matter the company I go to, it’s just about positioning your product against your 20 competitors that do the exact same thing but somehow you’re different. And we all know you aren’t different, really. Wash, rinse, repeat. It’s a snooze fest.

I'm getting less hopeful by the day.

The long tail of software is actually getting longer. The top dogs are staying at the top for decades now. I thought about learning game dev but that's pointless as the same old games dominate year in year out.

With AI, there is gonna be a glut of trash software which makes standing out even more difficult. Steam had 14000+ games released in 2024 alone. So being a solo dev isn't an easy path either.

I have thought about leaving Cybersecurity. Although its my passion and I have a lot of experience building cyber programs. I got laid off from two companies because they couldnt afford me. Finding a job is ridiculously hard and businesses continue to get hacked. Its a pathetic situation.

No more "On Call."

Yes, I’ve thought about it often, especially after being let go and spending two years struggling to re-enter the industry. Despite my experience, companies seem to think I’m either outdated, too expensive, or just plain cursed. I’ve tried everything—building optimized resumes with tools like TEAL and AiApply, crafting tailored applications, and leveraging AI to sharpen my approach—but I still can’t seem to land interviews.

So now, I’m heading back to school for my third career change. It’s a humbling and challenging journey, but I’m hopeful this will be the last time I have to start over.

If you’ve been through something similar, know that you’re not alone. Sometimes it’s less about giving up and more about pivoting to where your value is recognized and appreciated. Here’s to new beginnings.

Well the good news is that soon the Tech Oligarchs will take over the US government and get rid of all of that America-Last outsourcing and put Americans back to work with great salaries. Boo yah! Sending out a 100 resumes next week!

**update**

Uh, my husband just told me that Trump and Musk both giggled like school girls about laying off American workers right before the election and Trump claims he loves H1B Visas and that they work on his golf courses - I had no idea Tech people from India did that kind of work as H1Bs. (Weird you need a PhD to shovel manure at Mar-de-lago.) And he says this Vivek guy that Trump has appointed has said all Americans STEM are dumb as dirt and he supports massive outsourcing.

So, never mind? I need to pay more attention to the MAGAsphere - who knew that making America Great meant laying off all of its white collar workers. Did NOT see that coming....

After 20 years in tech, degrees, all the top certifications, great experience, and a love for what I do, I want out. But perhaps not for all the reasons you might think. Firstly, IT is a meat grinder. Companies are happy to work you like a dog while getting little to no appreciation for your efforts. I've also seen the ruthless side of the business where you are treated like a meat sack and as soon as the company thinks they can replace you with cheaper, offshore/onshore labor - they will do it!

In the corporate world it’s very dog-eat-dog ripe with backstabbing, pettiness, even a lot of superficial judgement. I found no matter how skilled you are, if you can play the game by kissing up to the right people, lying, cheating, and stealing by taking credit for work you didn’t do or even literally getting kickbacks from vendors for “deals” you will get ahead. It’s the worst blood sport I’ve ever seen. This might sound shocking to the younger tech workers but as you rise up and get closer to the top you see all of this and it’s not pretty.

I also saw most of this behavior early in my career. I saw waves of H1B visa workers getting hired and fired like a meat grinder. Managers doing whatever they could to get a promotion and getting their competition fired or discredited. However, because I saw this and was able to identify what was happening, I knew I better treat this as a very temporary career and save and invest wisely. I made good money - really good and I always lived well below my means. I never had new cars or a big house, I live a very frugal lifestyle.

I did this because it gave me peace of mind and a mental leverage and edge I needed to survive and not feel as if I ever needed to compromise myself – I never had to sell out and I was able to maintain “truth to power”.

All of this brings me to current times, in 2025. I want to make something very clear – I love tech! I love it! It’s all I ever wanted to do even from the time I was young, and I had a natural affinity towards technology. I love to take things apart, break them, fix them, and put them back together. I love engineering things, planning things, and watching my vision of great solutions work, or even sometimes not work the way I wanted.

However, I felt like shortly after COVID I woke up in a world I didn’t recognize. Everyone all of a sudden was an expert. All of a sudden, my skills and background weren’t enough, they were no longer desirable/marketable for some reason. It saddens me and is painful knowing there are still low talent people out there making great money “playing the game” and I am unemployed. Lucky for me, I did save and invest wisely. I don’t need to work at this stage, but I sure as heck want to!

The fire is still there, the love of what I do is still there, but the opportunities aren’t there currently. I wish all of you luck and I think (hope) the takeaway from this is – always be prepared, love what you do, and save your money! Good luck everyone!

I don’t want to leave tech but I do want to change the industry in which I have my tech role… IT is everywhere so my thought is to get another tech job but outside the mortgage industry at some point

Never

Does doing IT work for HR count? I did it a few months ago after lifelong career in IT. It’s all perspective on how you can provide value. They hired me for my tech and PM skills - and I’m able to increase my pay by 18% I wish I had done this sooner. I am also learning about the world outside of Tech - what Companies are hiring for, what positions are hard to fill, which positions pay well.

Leaving has never really seemed to me a wise option... but changing focus has constantly been in sight. Since I originally started in "Tech" 30+ years ago, I have had to re-invent myself and update my vision of "what is Tech" ten times or more!

But "leaving Tech" entirely? Never!

Yes, I'm tired of office work. I'd like to do something more impactful to the real world.

Im going to say yes after my lay off in November and seeing thousands/ten thousands/a hundred thousands of layoffs every week for the last 3 months. Only 1 company out of a 100 or so actually wanted to have an interview. So I'm currently looking into options to start over with a career change

I love sitting with my computer writing code, keeping my head down and doing a good job but tech now involves so much politics and you can't just be anymore.