[michepriest]

I’ve had 7 careers (art teacher, financial advisor, owned an insurance brokerage, marketing director, intrapreneur, product manager, and a venture lead/interim CEO at an AI venture studio).

After my last job I wanted to quit tech. I spent 18 months trying a bunch of different things (no-code, podcasting, illustrating, creating info products and courses, E-commerce, and micro-coaching). I now do a variety of things including co-founder for hire where I not only advise but roll up my sleeves to get first customers and put together a data backed go-to-market strategy. The beauty of the co-founder for hire gig is it’s 10 hours a week. I get to focus on the things in tech that I love without the mad hours, politics, and stress.

The thing is, you can always go back to tech. Taking a mid-career gap year/sabbatical is an amazing experience. You’re sure to learn a lot about yourself. Tech isn’t going anywhere.