I quadrupled my Big Tech salary by changing jobs 8 times. I learned how to negotiate pay and when to walk away.

Tech Insider
a woman takes a selfie in front of a blue wall
Jean Kang is a former senior program manager.

Jean Kang

I was financially dependent on my ex-husband. Post-divorce, I taught myself about money and built a 6-figure business.

Tech Insider
headshot of a woman leaning on a brick wall
Beth Keeton.

Aggie Brooks Photographer

I quit my $240,000 job at Meta. Here's how I got hired and grew my salary — and why I left.

Tech Insider
headshot of a man in front of a white wall with art
Alexandru Voica worked at Meta for four years.

Alexandru Voica

My wife makes $500,000 a year and I'm a stay-at-home dad. It's been difficult to fit in with the mom crowd.

Tech Insider
Andrea Mac with her husband and four children.
The Mac family.

Courtesy of Ken Mac

I was kicked out of high school, so I turned to the Marines for a way forward. Now, I'm a corporate lawyer with degrees from Stanford and Harvard.

Tech Insider
headshot of a man with a red tie and suit
Andrew Hanson practices securities enforcement at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

Dupont Photographers

I'm a ghostwriter for big names in business and Hollywood. The interview process is emotional, but I know what makes a great story.

Tech Insider
headshot of a woman on a lilac background
Loren Stephens ghostwrites memoirs for many CEOs and entrepreneurs.

Courtesy of Loren Stephens

I quit my 6-figure tech job when my mental health collapsed. My only responsibility now is to make myself happy.

Tech Insider
a woman stands near a lake with boats in the background
Rachel Stolba plans to move to Mexico in August.

Courtesy of Rachel Stolba

I was a female Secret Service agent. Women can do the job just as well as men.

Tech Insider
headshot of a woman in a white top in front of an orange curtain
Mary Beth Wilkas Janke was one of less than 200 female Secret Service agents in the early 1990s.

Zubin Stillings

I dropped out of college with $25,000 in loans and did a tech apprenticeship instead. I have a great job now, but I wish I left sooner.

Tech Insider
headshot of a woman in glasses and a black blazer in a hallway
Janika Cook.

Courtesy of Janika Cook

Dating in Silicon Valley is hard. I want to be married and have kids, but Big Tech is holding me back.

Tech Insider
Overwhelmed worker surrounded by piles of work, with logos of big tech companies (Google, Amazon, Apple, Netflix) overhead, cursors, and broken hearts
A manager at a FAANG company says he's gotten more attention since he started working in Big Tech.

Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI

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