From Silicon Valley Code to Nursing School: A Career Pivot at 33

Estupiñán, who holds a computer science degree from Boston University, spent years navigating roles at various startups. However, the post-layoff landscape of late 2024 proved insurmountable. Recruiters consistently demanded enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, a technology she found environmentally concerning and unnecessary. The repetitive cycle of hiring freezes and generic rejection emails eventually took a toll on her mental health, leading her to move home to New Jersey to reassess her future.

Finding a new path in healthcare provided the clarity she lacked in tech. She is currently enrolled in prerequisite courses at a local community college, with plans to enter the accelerated nursing program at Rutgers University. Her sights are set on becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner—a goal she says provides the genuine motivation that her previous career lacked. While she currently balances part-time retail work with her studies, she views the transition not as a retreat, but as a deliberate move toward stability and purpose.