Google employee leaves high-paying job to do painting with no prior experience in it

A former Google software engineer walked away from a high-paying career to follow an unlikely passion for painting, despite having no formal art training. Today, she runs her own art business, proving that a fresh start can come from the most unexpected places.

In Short

• Promoted twice at Google before deciding to quit in 2022
• Discovered a passion for watercolour painting during a year-long trip across Southeast Asia
• Now runs Swil Arts in San Diego, selling original paintings, prints and custom artwork

For many people, landing a job at Google is the ultimate career goal. But for Sara Wilczynska, the dream job eventually stopped feeling like the right fit. After years of climbing the corporate ladder and earning promotions, she made an unexpected decision. She left her well-paying role without having another career lined up. Today, she runs her own art studio, even though she has never formally studied painting, Business Insider reported.

Sara's journey began in Warsaw, Poland, where she grew up during the country's transition from communism to capitalism. After completing a master's degree in computer science, she moved to London at the age of 25 to work as a software engineer at an investment bank. A few years later, she joined Google in Zurich in 2015 before relocating to New York to work on the company's Search news section. By most standards, she had achieved everything she had worked for. Google offered flexible work, generous pay, stock options, wellness benefits and the opportunity to work with talented colleagues. She was also promoted twice during her time at the company.

A year of travel led to an unexpected new career

But despite the career success, something felt off. As her responsibilities grew, Sara found herself spending more time in meetings and less time doing the coding she enjoyed. The fast-paced environment, constant deadlines and endless notifications slowly left her feeling disconnected.

Things began to change after she moved to San Diego with her partner during the pandemic. Surrounded by beaches, mountains and open spaces, she found herself slowing down for the first time in years. She started appreciating everyday moments and realised that, although her job looked perfect on paper, it no longer felt fulfilling. Instead of quitting immediately, she tried making changes. She reduced her working hours, explored sound healing, and even took on diversity and inclusion projects within Google. But none of it addressed what she felt was missing. Eventually, she accepted that waiting for the "perfect plan" was keeping her stuck.

At the end of 2022, Sara resigned from Google. Around the same time, her partner had also lost her job. Rather than rushing into another corporate role, the couple rented out their San Diego apartment and spent 2023 travelling across Southeast Asia, with shorter visits to Australia and New Zealand.

The biggest turning point came during a six-month stay on the Thai island of Koh Tao. With no fixed schedule, Sara decided to try watercolour painting despite having no formal training. She began taking online classes and painted scenes from island life, including fruit stalls, village streets and everyday landscapes. What started as a hobby soon turned into something bigger. She shared her artwork in local Facebook groups, expecting little in return. Instead, people began buying her paintings, saying they captured memories of the island.

Inspired by the response, Sara returned to San Diego and launched her own studio, Swil Arts. Today, she creates original watercolour artwork, prints and home dcor products while also taking custom commissions. Her income is still lower than what she earned at Google, but she says her definition of success has changed.

"Success is completely different now. It's not about productivity or output. It's about impact. If one person pauses because of my work — if they feel something, remember something — that's enough."

- Ends