Until recently, 24-year-old Hannah Chea worked as a data analytics engineer at Paramount in San Francisco, drawing a six-figure salary. After being laid off, she has found an unusual new career: shucking oysters at high-end corporate events and entertaining guests with interesting facts about the chilled delicacies.
"I really enjoy the novelty of it," Chea told CNBC Make It. "It's crazy to say that I just shuck oysters - in heels. I'm very extroverted and wanted to break the monotony of my remote tech job, which mostly involved staring at a screen all day."
Though she didn't disclose her exact earnings from oyster shucking, Chea shared that the pay is "more than I expected, and it surprised me, which is part of why I keep doing it." She shucks at luxury events, including corporate parties, weddings, and large gatherings.
Reflecting on her recent layoff, Chea explained that she had anticipated it since last year, as the company had begun downsizing. While losing her job was difficult, she focused on the positive, receiving four weeks of severance and a part-time side gig she had started a year earlier.
Oyster shucking, the process of opening the shell to reveal the meat inside, is something Chea now does through Oysters XO, a catering company, where she attends a few events each month. Although her earnings aren't enough to cover her rent, she feels fortunate to be in a stable place financially.
"I'm not in a rush to find a new tech job," Chea said. "I'm using this time to reflect on my life and what's next... I feel relieved to be free from the stress and worries of my tech job, which was a big source of anxiety for me."
