Heigi Jeong, a former product designer earning $173,000 annually, voluntarily resigned from her full-time role in June 2024 to prioritize a book deal and content creation career. In the first month of self-employment, her income dropped to $6, though she described the transition as a deliberate choice rather than a result of burnout or financial necessity.
Core Facts
- Heigi Jeong resigned from her product design position at a Toronto-based tech company after nearly four years, citing the need to focus on writing and content creation.
- Her first month of self-employment yielded $6 in earnings, a stark contrast to her prior salary, which she described as more than sufficient for her lifestyle.
Decision to Leave a Stable Career
Jeong, who moved from South Korea to Toronto in 2020, worked as an in-house product designer, creating mobile apps and websites. Her role involved making logical decisions and persuading stakeholders through storytelling. While she did not report dissatisfaction with the work itself, she acknowledged that balancing her job with side content creation and a newly signed book deal became unsustainable.
“There weren’t enough hours in the day to do all three,” Jeong said. “It would have been like having three full-time jobs.” After evaluating her priorities, she chose to leave her design position, which she described as her “only employed source of work,” to focus on writing and content creation.
Financial and Emotional Considerations
Jeong’s resignation came with significant uncertainty. She described feeling “really scary” anxiety in the weeks leading up to her departure, questioning whether she was making a mistake amid economic uncertainty. She also worried about her ability to re-enter the job market if her new path did not succeed.
To mitigate these concerns, Jeong set a one-year timeline for herself to test self-employment before deciding whether to return to corporate work. “I made a deal with myself to try and quell the anxiety that this was a permanent decision,” she said.
Current Status
As of the latest reporting, Jeong is operating as a self-employed content creator and author, with her book set for publication. She has not ruled out returning to product design but has committed to pursuing her creative goals for the next year.
Background on Her Career
Jeong’s prior role at the tech company provided a healthy work-life balance, with consistent 40-hour workweeks and a salary that allowed for travel and financial stability. She did not cite burnout or dissatisfaction with her job as reasons for leaving, emphasizing instead the opportunity to advance her writing career.