In December 2019, I left my job in sports to join the Amazon subsidiary, Twitch. I've learned so much in the (almost) two years since I joined the tech industry.

For starters: yes, compensation in the tech industry is as good as they say. Within one year, I paid my credit cards off and eclipsed a six-figure net worth while living in a brand-new luxury building in San Francisco.

But money isn't why my tech job changed my life.

I spent my early career working in sports, an industry that is known for its non-competitive pay. I was also living in New York City, one of the most expensive cities in the world. Money was always an issue, especially because I was drowning in credit card debt.

I believed the only way to achieve financial security was to advance in my career, which subconsciously tied my livelihood to my career performance.

Being compensated generously in tech alleviated this burden. By not being in a constant state of need, I can think about the things I value beyond money.

I had only worked in the private sector, so I didn't understand concepts surrounding equity like stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), and vesting schedules.

Most tech companies offer equity to employees in the form of RSUs or stock options. When companies grant equity, it allows employees to share in the company's financial upside. Equity grants are a method for companies to motivate employees, who now have a vested interest in the company's performance. In some cases, it also encourages company loyalty (also known as the golden handcuffs).

Receiving equity, even a nominal amount, majorly shifted my psyche around labor. Previously, I believed a salary was adequate compensation for my contributions to an organization. Eventually, I began to accept that we all should share in the upside of companies that profit from our labor and the work we create.

The tech industry is filled with creators, not laborers. Technical people – software engineers, data scientists, and even product managers – often obsess over creating things. Being exposed to so many creators helped me reconceptualize labor: we don't exist to work, we exist to create.

Most tech companies started with an intellectually curious creator, or creators, looking to solve a really big problem. Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook to allow students to connect with each other online. The YouTube founders created a video platform for online users to share large video files frictionlessly. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin created a search engine for the average online user to search the Internet.

Actually *working *inside a company that started as a singular person's idea has allowed me to see, firsthand, what you can build from an idea.

Most tech companies started with an ordinary person, like you and me, with a really big idea. Some of those ideas have grown to be billion and trillion-dollar companies that employ thousands of people worldwide.  

Before I joined the tech industry, I assumed people like Mark Zuckerberg were successful because they were really smart, really white, and really lucky. Now, I realize people like Mark Zuckerberg are successful because they created something that people needed.  

Early in my career, I obsessed over climbing the corporate ladder because I thought that was the only avenue to make more money. Now, I recognize that the key to equity, financial freedom, and generational wealth is creating something, and then owning what you create.

In December 2019, I left my job in sports to join the Amazon subsidiary, Twitch. I've learned so much in the (almost) two years since I joined the tech industry.

For starters: yes, compensation in the tech industry is as good as they say. Within one year, I paid my credit cards off and eclipsed a six-figure net worth while living in a brand-new luxury building in San Francisco.

But money isn't why my tech job changed my life.

I spent my early career working in sports, an industry that is known for its non-competitive pay. I was also living in New York City, one of the most expensive cities in the world. Money was always an issue, especially because I was drowning in credit card debt.

I believed the only way to achieve financial security was to advance in my career, which subconsciously tied my livelihood to my career performance.

Being compensated generously in tech alleviated this burden. By not being in a constant state of need, I can think about the things I value beyond money.

I had only worked in the private sector, so I didn't understand concepts surrounding equity like stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), and vesting schedules.

Most tech companies offer equity to employees in the form of RSUs or stock options. When companies grant equity, it allows employees to share in the company's financial upside. Equity grants are a method for companies to motivate employees, who now have a vested interest in the company's performance. In some cases, it also encourages company loyalty (also known as the golden handcuffs).

Receiving equity, even a nominal amount, majorly shifted my psyche around labor. Previously, I believed a salary was adequate compensation for my contributions to an organization. Eventually, I began to accept that we all should share in the upside of companies that profit from our labor and the work we create.

The tech industry is filled with creators, not laborers. Technical people – software engineers, data scientists, and even product managers – often obsess over creating things. Being exposed to so many creators helped me reconceptualize labor: we don't exist to work, we exist to create.

Most tech companies started with an intellectually curious creator, or creators, looking to solve a really big problem. Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook to allow students to connect with each other online. The YouTube founders created a video platform for online users to share large video files frictionlessly. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin created a search engine for the average online user to search the Internet.

Actually *working *inside a company that started as a singular person's idea has allowed me to see, firsthand, what you can build from an idea.

Most tech companies started with an ordinary person, like you and me, with a really big idea. Some of those ideas have grown to be billion and trillion-dollar companies that employ thousands of people worldwide.  

Before I joined the tech industry, I assumed people like Mark Zuckerberg were successful because they were really smart, really white, and really lucky. Now, I realize people like Mark Zuckerberg are successful because they created something that people needed.  

Early in my career, I obsessed over climbing the corporate ladder because I thought that was the only avenue to make more money. Now, I recognize that the key to equity, financial freedom, and generational wealth is creating something, and then owning what you create.