This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Keara Callahan, 28, who quit her corporate job to pursue social media full-time. Callahan is living with her parents to save up money and move to Miami. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
I graduated during COVID and was working remotely in Miami as a government tech consultant. As great as the job was, I realized it wasn’t fully aligned with what I wanted in life. I was sitting at my desk all day, watching people on social media do really cool things, and I wanted something similar for myself.
When I wasn’t working, I was posting on social media, hosting a podcast, and working on a few brand deals. The money didn’t compare to my salary, but it gave me hope. I thought, “Okay, worst-case scenario, if I leave my job, I’m already making some money outside my salary.”
I worked as a consultant for 4 years and was promoted very quickly. But there were a few things I didn’t like about my job, like having barely any PTO. The final straw came when I was offered a higher-level position without a raise or an official promotion. At that point, I started to wonder whether the company actually cared about my growth.
I’m very risk-averse, but I put in my notice and decided to pursue social media full-time. It was probably the riskiest move I’ve ever made. My family thought I was crazy. Half of my family is from Mexico, including my grandparents, and they were like, “What are you doing? You have this great life in the US. You can’t give it up for this crazy idea.”
Still, I had to listen to myself and trust my intuition. Even though I didn’t have a backup job, I knew that to get more, I had to do more and take bigger steps.
Moving in with my parents made financial sense while I switched careers
I’ve moved back in with my parents, who live in Northern Virginia, twice in my life. The first time was in 2023, after I left Miami following the end of a relationship. I lived with them until August 2024, when I eventually quit my tech consultant job.
In Mexican culture, it’s very normal for kids to stay home until they’re married, so my parents welcomed me back with open arms. Moving back home also made a lot of sense financially for me.
I studied economics in college, so I knew it was the best thing for my budget. I wouldn’t have to pay rent, I could save money, and I could build up my nest egg — though I still contributed around the house by helping with groceries, chores, and whatever else was needed. I also wanted to be home because we have two older dogs. They were my childhood pets, and I wanted to be with them during their last few weeks or months.
The part I was most nervous about was sharing my move on social media. At that time, I was 25, and I thought moving back home would be embarrassing. I had built and shared this picture-perfect life online — moving to big-city Miami, living in a nice apartment — when, in reality, things hadn’t worked out that way.
Having to explain, “Oops, I’m back home,” felt scary. But funny enough, it didn’t turn out to be as scary as I thought. A lot of people actually felt the same way. Some said, “I’m thinking about doing this,” or “I just moved back in too.” In a way, it created a safe space for people to talk about moving back home and ask questions.
By the time I quit my job, I was already living at home with my parents. I decided to start traveling and spent eight months in Bali, and traveled throughout Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, visiting places like Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Qatar, France, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and Uruguay.
I documented my travels on Instagram and TikTok. The basis of my social media content comes from sharing my own experiences. And since I had never traveled alone before, I wanted to show my audience what it was like to step out of my comfort zone and try new, unfamiliar things.
Living at home helped me save money to move out
After traveling, I moved back in with my parents this past March. Within a few months, I’ll be moving back to Miami and getting my own apartment. I wouldn’t have been able to save up as quickly without having my parents’ home as a place to land.
Not much has surprised me the second time around, except my parents’ willingness to adapt to my lifestyle. We go on walks together now, and it feels like they genuinely want to do things like that with me.
The hardest part has been adjusting to being back in someone else’s home. You get used to living life your own way — eating what you want, keeping your own routine, and doing things on your own schedule.
Another downside is that I don’t have many friends in the town where they live. Most people have moved away or gotten jobs elsewhere, so if I’m not spending time with my parents, I don’t really have anyone else to hang out with. It has made our relationship much stronger, though.
Moving back in with my parents was humbling, but also empowering
I used to feel a lot of pressure to show people that things were going well in my life. But moving back in with my parents and traveling helped me realize that the timeline we put on ourselves doesn’t really matter.
I’ve met 40-year-olds going back to school and 20-year-olds doing their own thing. I realized I don’t have to have everything figured out, and I know there’s always somewhere I can go if things fall apart again.
Quitting my corporate job and moving back in also increased my confidence tenfold. When I first quit, I was scared about where money would come from. I had to figure it out quickly, and that made me more willing to take risks, try new things, and put myself out there.
Ideally, I want to stay out of the corporate world for as long as I can. I’ve been able to fully fund my life through social media, mentorships, contracting roles, and my podcast, which has started monetizing.
I feel like I’m finally on a good path. Sometimes you have to take a risk to reap the rewards of the life you’re envisioning.
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