Why I Left My Dream Job as a Product Manager at Twitter
Shortly after graduation, I joined Twitter as an associate product manager in their third cohort. I was part of a program that trains newly recruited talent in the rarefied art of product management. They told us that 8,000 people applied for 7-8 roles. And judging by the influx of people messaging me non-stop about it on LinkedIn, it’s a highly coveted position.
Since I’ve left Twitter, I’ve gotten a lot of questions about my motivations for leaving, as well as what I’m doing next. To my great surprise, I have often heard the word brave being used to describe me. “Since when am I brave?” I asked my good friend Emily. “Who walks away from a high-paying, prestigious job?” she retorted. “Nobody. That’s brave.”
So, why did I leave Twitter?
1. I wanted time to think of my next move.
For as long as I can remember, I have filled every second of my spare time with work. From high school through college, I have worked or interned every summer, every winter, and nearly every semester as a full-time student. I’ve come to realize that in the working world, you never really stop working until you retire, usually at the tender age of 60 or 70 years old. By the time the rat race stops — so do you.
