# @chloeshih on YouTube

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://youtube.com/watch?v=XySWbDSsztg
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/68371413-chloeshih-youtube
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/746014a355.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-06-22T15:00:30.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** chloe shih ✧･ﾟ (@chloe.shih) — https://gondola.cc/chloe.shih

## Caption

It's been ~2 years since I've been laid off from my dream job at @Discord, and the most COMMON question you've asked me is: "Have you matched or beaten your tech salary after becoming a creator?"

I never liked this question because it's sincerely not apples to apples. I also dislike it when creators say "I made my corporate salary in 1 brand deal!!" Because there are SO many nuances, caveats, tradeoffs, and financial implications when choosing between both paths. But I finally break that down in today's episode of Office Drama.

Today, we get UNFILTERED and talk about:
→ How I overcame feeling like a failure after getting laid off
→ How I felt comparing myself to friends in tech/corporate
→ Whether my creator salary matched or beat my tech salary 👀
→ How pregnancy and family planning impacts everything
→ How I actually figured out how to pivot my career (with my Life PRD)

I really don't think these conversations can fit into a 1 min short form video or a 10 min YouTube video, so I hope you enjoy this real, brutally honest breakdown of what it was like going from tech to content to media.

p.s. please excuse the lighting changes in this one! 🫶

My Vision Board + Template 👇
https://www.figma.com/community/file/1462690089129320366/2025-vision-board-by-chloe-shih-chloe-shih

Submit your Coworker Confessions 👇
https://bit.ly/coworker-confessions

If you like what you hear please follow, rate 5 stars on Spotify and Apple Podcasts ⭐️ and leave a comment! 🫶 It's free~

Special shoutout to Drama Llama Emily Huang for supporting Office Drama on Patreon! 🦙

𝙎𝙊𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇𝙎 🌸
instagram → https://www.instagram.com/chloe.shih/
OD instagram → https://www.instagram.com/officedrama.pod/
tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chloeshih
threads → https://www.threads.net/@chloe.shih
linkedin → https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-shih/
patreon → https://patreon.com/OfficeDrama

✹ business inquiries:
business@colorsofchloe.com

00:00:00 - intro
00:01:01 - welcome back, drama llamas
00:03:25 - the full timeline since the layoff
00:05:30 - why the layoff conversation feels different now
00:08:08 - your questions are in!
00:09:26 - how i stopped seeing the layoff as a personal failure
00:10:34 - the toxic startup that taught me to detach
00:11:33 - "we're a family" is the biggest lie in corporate
00:14:34 - watching my friends get promoted without me
00:16:08 - the one question i ask when comparison hits
00:16:50 - i wanted to be a manager. turns out i hate it.
00:17:05 - the anxiety of dealing with a life pivot
00:17:42 - finding my north star (and becoming a maven)
00:18:19 - i wrote a product requirements document for my life
00:21:25 - the first thing i did after getting laid off
00:22:38 - my pivot wasn't as obvious as you think
00:22:58 - why i didn't go back to tech
00:24:14 - building the life PRD: what's your why?
00:25:33 - the 3 life paths i actually considered
00:26:21 - the problem i care about most in the world
00:27:52 - my mission / north star
00:28:56 - who i'm really building for
00:32:35 - my guiding principles and values
00:33:42 - did i ever want to quit before the layoff?
00:34:35 - if you have a "what if", you must follow that voice
00:35:21 - i hated content (at first)
00:37:26 - MONEY: did i beat my tech salary? 👀
00:38:48 - how creator finances actually work
00:41:35 - the W-2 trap: the more you work, the less you make
00:42:39 - the numbers i never revealed
00:43:19 - year one content salary, fully broken down
00:46:46 - how long should you give yourself to bet on yourself?
00:47:58 - HEALTH INSURANCE: is it really the reason you can't quit?
00:52:53 - is creator income really less stable than a W-2?
00:54:36 - depth makes you money. diversification protects it.
00:56:05 - how is it being pregnant?
00:57:44 - why we wanted this sooner rather than later
01:02:10 - if you HAD to go back to tech...
01:02:28 - what i miss most about corporate
01:03:18 - what i don't miss at all
01:03:45 - could i have avoided the layoff by kissing more ass?
01:05:28 - the DM from Arden Cho
01:08:39 - you can't play the career game by the old rules
01:10:45 - outro 

#officedramapodcast #chloeshih #officedrama

## Stats

- **Views:** 31,454
- **Likes:** 980
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 127

## Tags

officedramapodcast, chloeshih, officedrama

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