This story is part of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which details how people around the world earn, spend and save their money. Valer

34-year-old quit her 6-figure tech job to make pastries in France for $30,000 a year: 'I'm happier here than in the U.S.'

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2024-06-10 18:00:10

This story is part of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which details how people around the world earn, spend and save their money.

Valerie Valcourt spent the early part of her career working for some of the most powerful tech companies in the world, including Google and Amazon. But it wasn't until she quit her job in her 30s that she made her career dreams come true.

She's now a pastry assistant at a restaurant called Maison Chabran and lives in Tournon-sur-Rhone, a village in eastern France.

Becoming a pastry worker in France came with a big pay cut. Valcourt previously earned upwards of $100,000 a year as an administrative business partner in Seattle, but says "the paycheck wasn't worth the detriment to my mental health."

Switching careers and moving to France has changed her life for the better. Valcourt made about $22,000 in her first year as a pastry intern, and she now earns $30,000 per year working full-time and living in the French countryside.