I left my 6-figure job at Google to attend pastry school in France. Now I work on Disney cruise ships.

Valerie Valcourt left her six-figure job at Google to attend a pastry school in France.

Courtesy of Valerie Valcourt

• Valerie Valcourt worked in Big Tech for five years, earning six figures at Google in Seattle.
• She left the tech industry behind to attend pastry school in France.
• Valcourt has worked on multiple Disney cruise ships and hopes to open her own patisserie someday.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Valerie Valcourt, 36, who previously...