Venus Wang has nearly tripled her income in just three years.

In 2021, she earned around $300,000 working in vendor operations at Google. But as of 2025, she's moved into the AI sector and is bringing in nearly $1 million annually.

As a single mom, the money provides financial security for both herself and her daughter. But just as important to the 37-year-old is building a career focused on constant learning.

"I'm always looking for areas where I can be a student instead of being the teacher," she tells CNBC Make It.

A career reset after divorce

For years, Wang played it safe. She spent five years working in procurement for a major tech company before leaving in 2020 to relocate for her then-husband's job. At the time, career growth wasn't as much of a priority.

But after her divorce in 2021 left Wang with less than $10,000 in cash and $40,000 in an individual retirement account, along with primary custody of her daughter, she knew she had to rebuild her life and find a new job.

She landed a role at Google overseeing software quality and operations in the San Francisco Bay Area, but within a year, she felt restless.

"I started to realize that I was not pushing myself enough, I didn't feel like I was growing enough," she says.

Taking career risks for long-term growth

Wanting more challenge and opportunity, Wang pivoted to AI, a field she saw as the future of technology. She transitioned to a new team at Google in 2022 to work on large language models, then later joined an AI startup, taking a chance on a less stable role.

"That's another risk that I took," she says. "Google stock is guaranteed, something almost as good as cash," but startup life can be much more volatile.

However, the gamble paid off. "It ended up turning out well, as I doubled my income from that jump," Wang says.

In 2025, after a year at the startup, she moved to a major tech company as a principal product manager in AI, earning nearly $1 million per year, including her base salary, a signing bonus and stock options.

Since her divorce, Wang has put as much as 90% of her monthly income into investments, amassing a stock portfolio worth seven figures. In October 2024, for example, she invested $52,118.

Even now, after reaching a level of financial success that could allow her to retire in her 40s, Wang remains focused on career growth over stability.

"I'm getting to a point where I can retire early if I want, but I choose not to because to me, my work is very fulfilling," she says.

"I can go into the office every day and ask myself, 'Am I working on something that's important for this company, am I working on something that's important for my career growth and am I learning new things every day?'" she says. "If I can answer those three questions as, 'Yes,' I think that's a fulfilling career for me."

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