tl;dr:
- Net worth: $3.1 M
- Household income: $1.05 M (Me $700 k, spouse $350 k)
- Annual spend: $240k in a VHCOL city
- Age / family: 42, married, 2 kids (1 in private school)
- Goal: Leave big tech to pursue foreign policy work (likely $150-$200 k tops) without nuking long-term FI
Full story:
I'm 42 and have worked in "corporate strategy" for twenty years. I know, it's a slightly bs-y sounding profession. Some of it is, some of it isn't. For better or worse I ended up here and I'm good at it. I lead a team at a FAANG company, and I'm in an executive training program, on track for VP in ~2 years.
The reality is that I'm totally burned out on this career.
I never really had a passion for it. My real interests are in history, international relations, and geopolitics. I went to undergrad for history and grad school for foreign affairs, hoping to serve in the State Department, work at a think tank, or perhaps teach. Working a corporate strategy gig was always intended as a means to pay my student loans back.
Life came at me fast. I'm working 60 hour weeks, hypertensive, perpetually anxious, and sleep around 5 hours a night. I feel my health deteriorating and my relationships straining. I do not feel happy.
Most days I fervently want to read, write, and engage with the broader community of foreign policy professionals in my network from grad school, not to mention spend time with my kids and wonderful wife. Instead, I spend the time optimizing workflows for my corporate masters.
On the other hand, I earn $700K a year (~$400K post-tax) and have top tier health benefits. Every day I feel tremendously fortunate for being able to generate that kind of income for the benefit of my kids and partner. I come from a blue collar family in a LCOL, and I'm very conscious of how fortunate I am to have found myself in this position. I know these numbers pale in comparison to many folks in this sub, but still, for me, it feels like a lot, and I feel tremendously grateful for all of the lucky rolls of dice that have gotten me to this point.
| Account | Balance |
|---|---|
| 401(k) | $500 k |
| Roth IRAs | $200 k |
| 529s | $200 k |
| HSA | $40 k |
| Startup RSU value (illiquid) | $900 k |
| Cash | $150 k |
| Home equity | $1.1 M |
| Net worth | $3.09 M |
| Debt | $0 |
Other factors:
- Expected inheritance: $4M to us, $1.5M to kids in ~10-15 years
- Health insurance currently top tier via employer. Losing it = +$28 k / yr COBRA or ACA.
- Current savings rate: ~650K post-tax - $240K spend = $410K/year
I value freedom, health, ideas, travel, and time with my kids over maximizing net worth. I just want enough to sustain our current lifestyle, send the kids to college, and not have to stress about a modest retirement.
So the questions I'm grappling with are:
- Am I crazy for considering a career shift that would come with a significant cut in this absurdly high income? Please tell me frankly if I am. My parents, in-laws, and peers in tech certainly think so!
- Given our numbers, are we already at “lean FI” or close enough that a $500-$550 k pay cut is reasonable?
- If not, what milestones or guardrails would you target before pulling the ripcord?
- Anyone here pivoted from high-pay/low-passion to lower-pay/high-purpose work: what surprised you?
Thanks for reading and and any thoughts you can share.
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