A high-paying tech career in New York is often seen as a dream job. But for 29-year-old Michelle Yeung, the reality eventually felt hollow despite the impressive paycheck. After earning nearly $250,000 a year as a software engineer, she decided to walk away from stability and start over with a matcha cafe in Manhattan.
According to CNBC Make It, Yeung said that even though her salary allowed her to live comfortably, she began feeling increasingly disconnected from her work. “It felt like fake work,” she said. “What am I really doing this for?” That sense of detachment slowly pushed her to rethink what she wanted from her career and life.
From high salary to a search for meaning
Yeung’s early career in tech brought rapid financial growth. She started with a compensation package of around $160,000 after graduating from the University of Washington, which later rose significantly as she progressed in her role. But the emotional satisfaction didn’t grow alongside her income.
She admitted that money was a strong motivator in the beginning, especially given her upbringing. “For as long as I could remember, financial stability was the ultimate goal,” she said, recalling a childhood shaped by limited resources and careful spending. However, the comfort of financial success eventually gave way to dissatisfaction with the nature of her work.
Building matcha house from scratch
The idea for her cafe came during casual matcha outings in New York, where she noticed a gap in the market. This observation, combined with her growing desire for change, led her to seriously explore opening her own space dedicated to the drink she loved.
Before quitting her job, Yeung prepared extensively. She travelled to Japan to study matcha, worked early morning shifts at Starbucks to understand cafe operations, and saved aggressively to build a financial cushion. She also invested over $150,000 of her own money into launching “Matcha House,” which opened in 2025 in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
The journey was far from smooth. From contractor delays to last-minute setbacks, Yeung relied heavily on friends and family to bring the cafe to life. Despite the challenges, she remained committed to building something of her own.
A new life, lower pay but higher satisfaction
Today, Yeung earns significantly less than she did in tech, paying herself roughly $33,000 annually. Her lifestyle has also become more modest, with reduced expenses and a focus on running the business sustainably.
Despite the financial trade-off, she says the change has been worth it. The cafe now employs around 10 part-time staff and is on track to be profitable in its first year. While she works long hours, Yeung says the emotional payoff is far greater than her previous job.
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“My life is less about how much money I’m making right now and more about what I’m doing every day,” she said. “At the end of the day, I just feel happy about what I’ve done.”
