I quit my Big Tech dream job to work for myself. I loved the perks and the 6-figure salary, but the hustle culture wasn't worth it.

• Jean Kang left a successful career in Big Tech to pursue entrepreneurship full-time in February.
• Kang enjoyed the perks of the industry but felt overwhelmed by the hustle culture and mental strain.
• Now she enjoys the freedom of setting her own schedule as a content creator and career coach.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jean Kang, a 31-year-old senior programmer who's worked at Meta, Pinterest, Intuit, LinkedIn, and Figma in San Francisco. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I always wanted to work in Big Tech, and when I graduated from college, I made it happen.