I quit my career at 40 when a diagnosis stopped me in my tracks. Prioritizing my health was scary, but it helped me redefine success.

Tech Insider : Business, Sports
Woman sitting on a wooden railing in a forest, smiling at the camera, wearing a sports top, shorts, and slip-on shoes.
Melissa Hoeppner quit her job last October to reevaluate her priorities and take care of her health.

Courtesy of Melissa Hoeppner

I designed a custom GPT that helped me land 7 interviews and a job offer from PayPal — here's how

Tech Insider : Business, Style, Travel
Amar Saurabh
Amar Saurabh says building a custom GPT for his job search only took about an hour and a half.

Amar Saurabh

I live near 14 data centers. The noise and smell are terrible, but I refuse to leave my dream home.

Tech Insider : Business
data centers behind homes in Northern Virginia
Kay Richards says she will continue to fight back as more data centers are planned for her neighborhood. The houses pictured are located in Northern Virginia and are not part of Richards' property.

Nathan Howard/Getty Images

I'm an 82-year-old real-estate broker and forklift driver. I have no plans to retire — they'll have to drag me out.

Tech Insider : Economy, Business, Travel
Bill Miller
Bill Miller still works as a real estate broker and forklift driver.

Katie Linsky Shaw for BI

I dreamed of working at Goldman Sachs until I interned there. Now I'm living my new dream — running a Y Combinator AI startup.

Tech Insider : Business
Raymond Zhao headshot
Raymond Zhao is the CEO and cofounder of Structured AI.

Courtesy of Raymond Zhao

I quit a stable job at Microsoft at age 45 to try something new. I'm happy I took the risk and left on good terms.

Tech Insider : Business
headshot of a man with a white background
Joseph Landes.

Courtesy of Joseph Landes

I was an Apple employee named Sam Sung. After I went viral, I took a new name, but I wish I'd enjoyed the moment more.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
A person stands indoors holding a framed display containing a blue Apple Store T-shirt, an employee badge, and a business card. The person is wearing a gray zip-up hoodie over a blue shirt and is smiling at the camera.
Sam Struan auctioned off his old Apple business card after the card went viral in 2012.

Courtesy of Sam Struan

I work for Melinda French Gates at Pivotal Ventures. Here's a day in my life and the greatest lessons she's taught me.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Technology
headshot of Erin Harkless Moore
Erin Harkless Moore.

©2025 Pivotal Ventures

I built a Big Tech career without a tech degree. Looking back, some well-meaning career advice was actually holding me back.

Tech Insider : Business
Photo of Aria Kim as she stands with her back against a wall
Aria Kim pivoted into Big Tech after graduating with a biology degree.

Mori Wang

I'm a dad who works in-office 3 days a week. If it became 5 days, I'd ask for a raise — time away from my family doesn't come for free.

Tech Insider : Business
headshot of a man in a striped yellow shirt
Andrew Clark.

Courtesy of Andrew Clark

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