When my job started feeling like being with a bad boyfriend, I knew I had to quit

Lisa Fail decided to take a career break after experiencing a "bad boyfriend" moment with her relationship to work.

Courtesy of Lisa Fail

• Lisa Fail decided to take a career break after about three decades in tech.
• A frank conversation with her boss signaled she was putting in more than she was getting back.
• "I felt duped by my own illusion," Fail, 61, told Business Insider.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lisa Fail, 61, who lives in Durham, North Carolina.