I'm planning to leave the tech field, specifically DevOps, to pursue a master's degree, which will be quite costly. I'm trying to figure out a plan for a lateral career transition that allows me to cover my expenses for the next 3-5 years while keeping the door open for my tech career if needed. Ideally, I'll find a job that I can transition to quickly (within a few months). I'm open to staying in a DevOps role for another year to build my certifications and portfolio if that proves to be the best option.
Here's what I'm looking for in a new position:
- A solid salary to save for school expenses (staying in DevOps might pay the most, but it can also be quite challenging for me).
- Enough job demand to ensure I get hired.
- Low stress and no out-of-hours work.
- A position that's relatively easy to step into, given my background.
I'm okay with a boring job as long as it meets these criteria. Things I want to avoid include:
- 24/7 support roles
- Regular out-of-hours support
- Constant troubleshooting
With about 10 years in tech (4 years in sysadmin/engineering and 6 years in DevOps/platform engineering), I have a solid grasp of the usual tech stack (IaC, CI/CD, cloud providers, etc.) and a history of certifications (Google, VMware, Cisco, etc.).
Currently, I'm considering options like:
- Technical writing (though I'm unsure how secure this is given potential AI takeover and entry barriers).
- Identity Access Management (IAM) – sounds appealing, but I wonder about the transition difficulty.
- Security analyst roles – these seem variable in stress levels and might require starting in a junior capacity.
Has anyone made a similar career shift? What do you think of these roles? Any other suggestions? I've also thought about seeking a lower-stress DevOps position at a larger company, but that's not my ideal path.
2 Answers
Have you thought about what your end goal is with the master's degree? Figuring that out can really help narrow down your options. If it's to pivot completely out of tech, maybe consider roles like project management in non-tech fields that value your experience but won’t require you to deal with tech stress.
What about going contract instead of a full-job? You could work part-time and study at your own pace. As a contractor, you generally set your hours, which could help balance work and studying without the stress of strict management. Plus, you won't have to deal with HR drama, which is a win!
I hadn't considered contracting before, but it sounds manageable. I just find DevOps stressful in general. Maybe part-time contracting could work.
My goal is to fully transition out of tech into something like mental health, so I'm exploring roles outside of the tech space.