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Former Microsoft Senior Engineer Quits To Become Goose Farmer

This image is a screenshot of a LinkedIn profile experience section showing a dramatic, unexpected career shift. The profile owner spent a total of 22 years working at Microsoft, starting as a Principal Software Development Engineer in April 2001, and was promoted to Principal Performance Architect in July 2022, before leaving the company entirely in July 2023. Their current role is listed as a self-employed, on-site 'Goose farmer' starting the same month they left Microsoft. The humor comes from the stark contrast between a long, high-status, high-paying senior career at one of the world's largest tech corporations, and the completely unrelated, low-key rural occupation of goose farming that they chose to switch to.
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Experience
Goose farmer
Self-employed
Jul 2023 - Present · 10 mos
On-site
Microsoft
22 yrs 4 mos
Principal Performance Architect
Full-time
Jul 2022 - Jul 2023 · 1 yr 1 mo
Chehalis, Washington, United States
Principal Software Development Engineer
Apr 2001 - Jul 2022 · 21 yrs 4 mos

Overview

This image is a screenshot of a LinkedIn profile experience section showing a dramatic, unexpected career shift. The profile owner spent a total of 22 years working at Microsoft, starting as a Principal Software Development Engineer in April 2001, and was promoted to Principal Performance Architect in July 2022, before leaving the company entirely in July 2023. Their current role is listed as a self-employed, on-site 'Goose farmer' starting the same month they left Microsoft. The humor comes from the stark contrast between a long, high-status, high-paying senior career at one of the world's largest tech corporations, and the completely unrelated, low-key rural occupation of goose farming that they chose to switch to.

Origin notes

The original content is a public LinkedIn profile belonging to a former Microsoft employee. This screenshot was first shared on TikTok by user @ellars (marked via the watermark on the image), and later reposted to X (formerly Twitter) by the account meme_basement, which is the source of this specific copy of the image. It has spread virally as a meme centered around the trend of people leaving stressful corporate tech jobs for simpler, unconventional careers.

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