Day: September 6, 2025

• Sarah Henschel left tech after her third layoff and is pivoting to a teaching career.
• Henschel is seeking stability and job security in education.
• She calls the layoffs a blessing in disguise that led her to a more fulfilling career.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sarah Henschel, a 35-year-old former tech worker and current master’s student based in New York. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

In April, I went through my third tech layoff in two years, and it was the straw that broke the camel’s back: I was leaving tech behind.

I just got married this summer, and it made me think about what I want my life to look like in five or 10 years. I had thought about leaving tech to go into education before, but it was hard to justify leaving when I was making up to $110,00 a year with just a bachelor’s degree.

As long as I was still employed, I was going to keep working in tech sales.

After this last layoff, I wanted something more stable. I enjoyed the work I was doing, but I didn’t wake up every day dying to be in tech sales. I’m now pivoting my career to teaching. I know I’m walking into making less money for a while, but in 10 years, I’ll be making the same, if not more, and teaching is not going away; it’s always going to be a needed career.

My layoff was a blessing in disguise

My path into tech sales was typical. I started in sales development because my parents were both in business, and this seemed like a way to get my feet wet in the corporate world.

I climbed the ranks until, most recently, I was a customer success manager. I enjoyed what I did because every day was different and things were always changing in tech. But it wasn’t enough to compete with the ebbs and flows of the marketplace.

Two years ago, after a previous layoff, I took time to travel and thought about pivoting into a career in teaching, but I found a new job quickly, so I stayed in tech sales. I was on the edge of thinking I don’t want to be doing this career forever, but I didn’t have that push of what the next step looks like.

As a single woman, I knew that going to grad school was expensive. I didn’t know how to justify taking loans for school and the cost of living beforehand. Making the decision to leave tech and change careers in a partnership just made a lot more sense.

Teaching is a more natural and flexible option for me

I’ve worked in different forms of teaching for basically my whole career. I studied history in college and started my career teaching English in Spain right out of school. After two years abroad, I moved back to New York.

On Saturday mornings, I was an SAT tutor when I was in tech sales. I’ve always really enjoyed working with kids. I started looking for a job that I could work in for a long time but not get bored with, that could also offer flexibility for when I start my family. I liked the idea of having a new classroom every year or becoming an administrator.

It’s also a really well-paid job. In New York City public schools, if you have your master’s, your salary starts at around $80,000 with a 3% promised increase every year, and it can go up to $140,000 by the time you retire.

The job also comes with a pension and free health insurance, and those were not insignificant in the factor process as well.

I chose my program because I could start working within one year

When I got laid off in April, I remember turning around to my now-husband in bed, and I told him I wanted to go into teaching. He was supportive, so about a week and a half later, I started the process of applying to master’s programs.

Being over 10 years out of school, I had no idea what I was doing. I reached out to two former managing directors, who I had really strong relationships with, and I got them to write my letters of recommendation.

All the schools I applied to were in the New York City area. I chose my program because it was a one-year program. I could start in the fall, end the next summer, and work in a school that fall. That was a huge benefit to me.

I also liked that the program was in person.

The salary is definitely a step back, but I know it will pay off

I worked in tech for 12 years, and I’ve set myself up with a huge cushion from being in sales.

I feel bittersweet about pivoting. I will miss the startup world and the perks that came with it, such as free cold brew, countrywide travel, and the feeling of building something new. But after my chaotic three-year sprint in tech, I’m happy to join a field I’m passionate about with a union and pension that will help with my long-term family and retirement planning.

Even though tech is a really exciting industry and I loved my time in it, I would say to anyone considering pivoting out, don’t be afraid to look into more traditional industries.

Do you have a story about leaving tech to share? Contact this reporter, Agnes Applegate, at aapplegate@businessinsider.com.

• My family took an 11-day trip to Europe and spent time in four countries.
• I was worried at first, after planning our itinerary, that our 11-year-old twins wouldn’t have fun.
• However, the trip was a hit, and there were activities for everyone.

I plan my family’s annual summer vacation during the hottest time of year in many popular destinations. It’s the reality of traveling with school-aged kids: We’re bound to their vacation schedules.

In the past, that’s meant sweating through summers in Greece, Rome, Amalfi, and the south of France. Gorgeous, yes — but also brutally hot in peak season. Every time we stepped outside, it felt like gearing up for battle with the elements. This year, we knew we wanted to visit Europe again, but we also knew we had to pivot to a cooler northern itinerary instead.

Eventually, I mapped out a route that strung together four cities in four different countries over 11 days — three of them brand-new to us — mostly traveling by train. The plan was ambitious, and I started to doubt myself before we even left.

I was worried they wouldn’t enjoy the itinerary

Why did I think my twins could get excited about medieval history and leafy canals, with nary a beach or theme park in sight? Obviously, there’s a reason the throngs flock to southern Europe in July; that’s where the energy is — lively piazzas, beach scenes, endless gelato. But would my kids be into that energy? What were we thinking, dragging two 11-year-olds through fortresses, history museums, and subdued waterways?

I needn’t have worried. In the end, this more grown-up circuit of historic cities and cultural highlights turned out even better than I imagined. The kids loved it. What seemed at first like an ambitious sprint across Europe became one of our most memorable family adventures yet.

We spent the twins’ birthday in Amsterdam.

We kicked things off in Amsterdam, staying at the Conservatorium Hotel, an ultra-chic and walkable property with an indoor pool that offered kids’ hours in the mornings. It quickly became the twins’ favorite way to start the day.

The city’s canals became their playground. We rented a paddle boat, which let them steer us through the waterways while dodging tour boats. We also made a short trip to Zaanse Schans, where the kids climbed inside historic wooden windmills and watched the gears creak to life.

For their 11th birthday dinner, the hotel surprised them with cakes and balloons in their room. Then we celebrated with an Indonesian rice table — a festive Amsterdam restaurant tradition of countless small plates.

One of the most moving stops of the trip was our visit to the Anne Frank House. I wasn’t sure how they would respond to such a heavy history lesson, but they were engaged and thoughtful throughout.

Bruges was a highlight for everyone

Next we took the train to Bruges, where we checked into Relais & Châteaux Hotel Heritage, a historic mansion-turned-hotel just steps from the main plaza. I worried Bruges might feel too medieval and dry for kids, but it was a highlight for all of us.

At the Historium Bruges, we explored immersive exhibits and a virtual reality tour that brought the city’s medieval heyday as a shipping port vividly to life. The kids loved climbing the belfry tower, counting every step to the top. And a chocolate-making class turned out to be both hands-on and delicious — though by the end, we were so stuffed we swore we couldn’t eat another confection.

Bruges’ winding canals and storybook squares felt like a movie set, and instead of being bored, the kids leaned into the magic of exploring it on foot.

We had underground adventures in Luxembourg.

Luxembourg was our shortest stop, just two nights, but it made a big impression. We stayed at Place d’Armes, a boutique hotel right on the main square, which meant everything was supremely walkable.

The highlight was exploring the Casemates du Bock, the city’s centuries-old underground fortifications. The kids explored the tunnels like a maze. Above ground, we took in sweeping views and strolled the old town. Even with just one full day, Luxembourg delivered plenty of discovery.

We’d been to London before, but still loved it.

Our last stop was London, where we checked into a gracious family suite at The Stafford London. It was the only city we’d all visited before, but it still offered surprises.

We saw Matilda in the West End — the kids’ first major stage production — and they adored it. We also indulged in a whimsical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-themed afternoon tea at One Aldwych, complete with candy-colored desserts worthy of Willy Wonka. (So much for being chocolated out after Belgium!)

Of course, we fit in the classics too: the Tower of London, a double-decker sightseeing bus, and long walks through Hyde Park. After so many smaller, new-to-us cities, London felt familiar yet thrilling, a comfortable finale before our flight home.

Our itinerary worked for everyone.

Looking back, I think this ambitious itinerary succeeded because we didn’t try to force it to be kid-friendly. We built a trip that interested us as adults — history, culture, food, theater — and trusted the kids to rise to the occasion. To our delight, they did, and then some.

Every stop offered something hands-on or surprising that spoke directly to them: paddling canals, climbing towers, making chocolate, exploring tunnels. The grown-up activities weren’t watered down — they just turned out to be more engaging than expected. The train rides were novel and fun. And because we weren’t battling summer heat or long lines, everyone had energy left to enjoy it all.

• Ross Gerber said he tries to teach his kids the value of hard work to stop them becoming entitled.
• The tech investor said young people always face hurdles, and he sleeps well by investing like Warren Buffett.
• Long-term investing in great companies makes it easier to weather market downturns, Gerber added.

Ross Gerber says young people’s complaints are overblown, investing like Warren Buffett means he sleeps well at night, and keeping his kids grounded is a constant challenge.

Many Gen Zers are stressing about high living costs, AI-fueled layoffs, and other obstacles to their life goals. Gerber told Business Insider that every generation faces challenges, which in his case included lofty housing costs, hefty mortgage rates, and high unemployment.

The CEO and cofounder of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management said it’s an “abundant and opportune time” for young people to flourish, as it’s easier to start a business and break into many industries than in the past. He said an entrepreneur can start a company using Shopify to set up its e-commerce and AI to design and run marketing campaigns.

College graduates can earn six-figure incomes if they gain skills and work hard for a few years, while people without a college degree who learn a trade like plumbing are “just killing it,” Gerber said.

Gerber said some young people complain because they have a “complete false expectation of reality.”

“They don’t have a trade or a skill other than playing Roblox, and then they come into work and they’re all entitled thinking that work is a four-hour-a-day job and then they can work from home,” he said.

Gerber is rich, but wants his kids not to be entitled

Gerber told Business Insider that, as a wealthy parent, stopping his two sons, 10 and 13, from becoming entitled was the “hardest challenge of my life.”

The tech investor said he grew up in an “extremely wealthy, entitled environment” where his peers’ families had “mansions” and “planes,” and he watched a lot of his rich friends fail to launch.

“I’m so worried about my kids turning out like my friends from high school,” he said.

Gerber said giving children everything is “not good,” but he and his wife face a “battle” of trying to hide the family’s wealth from their kids, or allowing them to avoid some of life’s discomforts.

“My kids have never sat in economy on a plane,” Gerber said, adding that he thinks about making them do it but “economy sucks.”

Gerber said he focused on ensuring his kids understand the connection between work and money. They visited his office from a young age, and he’s made it clear they’re “absolutely expected to work” and won’t just be handed things in life. He’s also put them to work, having them “dig holes in the yard or plant trees.”

They’ll have an “opportunity to get an education that I’ll pay for, and an opportunity to have a job one day when they graduate,” he said. “That’s it.”

Gerber said he wants them to understand how lucky they are, “even though our life is nothing like other people’s.”

“I’m trying to also teach them to be good people,” he added.

Good night’s sleep

When asked what kept him up at night, Gerber said he sleeps well. He said his secret was investing in a way that he’d still be happy with if the market tanked 20% within the next three months.

Investing in companies for the long term, like Buffett is known to do, makes the job easier, Gerber said.

Buffett famously wrote in his 1996 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: “If you aren’t willing to own a stock for 10 years, don’t even think about owning it for 10 minutes.”

Gerber said his conservative approach means he’ll “probably never be a billionaire,” as he doesn’t want to “take risks that could lose all of his and clients’ money.”

“I’m trying to hit doubles and triples and not home runs,” he said. “I think it’s easier to sleep at night when you’re not gambling, especially other people’s money.”