Sara Wilczynska, a former Google software engineer, left her job to travel for a year with her partner. During a six-month stay on a Thai island, she discovered a passion for watercolor painting, which led her to open an art studio in San Diego.
Wilczynska grew up in Warsaw, Poland, during the country's transition from communism to capitalism. She earned a master's degree in computer science from the University of Warsaw, interned in Barcelona, and studied abroad in Edinburgh. At 25, she moved to London to work as a software engineer at an investment bank, where she stayed for nearly five years.
In 2015, she joined Google in Zurich, later transferring to New York after obtaining her US visa. At Google, she worked on the news section of the search engine. She described her experience as flexible, supportive, and full of brilliant people, with autonomy over her work and excellent benefits, including yoga classes, gym sessions, and subsidized massages. However, she felt the pace was unsustainable, leading to a sense of disconnection.
After six years at Google, during which she was promoted twice, she decided to leave. The high-level work and constant stimulation—screens, deadlines, notifications, and expectations—pulled her away from herself. She chose to prioritize her well-being and pursue her newfound passion for art.