Techie left his job at Microsoft to pursue comedy; shares how to recognize the difference between a 'hobby and a career'

For most software engineers, the dream is to climb the corporate ladder at a tech giant. For Austin Nasso, however, it was to hold a mic, not a mouse. The 30-year-old comedian and cofounder of Tech Roast Show, based in New York City, traded his role as a software engineer at Microsoft for a life on stage — one that he says is equal parts thrilling and uncertain.

Speaking to Business Insider, Nasso shared how his journey from coding at Microsoft to performing comedy specials around the world was less of a spontaneous leap and more of a calculated transition.

Building a comedy career like a startup
A UCLA graduate in computer science, Nasso began performing stand-up while still in college, eventually creating Tech Roast Show in 2018 — a unique crowd-work format that pokes fun at tech culture in hubs across the US, Europe, and India.

He says he applied startup principles to his career switch. “When I graduated, I read The 4-Hour Workweek, and it taught me to think of my life as a startup,” Nasso said. The book inspired him to optimize his time and work remotely at Microsoft, allowing him to juggle both worlds — coding during the day and performing at night.

By 2021, he decided to leave Microsoft and commit to comedy full-time. “My income was at its highest point, but I knew it would go down. I was ready to take that risk,” he explained.

The fine line between passion and profession
While the idea of leaving a corporate job to chase a dream often seems glamorous, Nasso cautions that passion alone isn’t enough. “You have to recognize the difference between a hobby and a career,” he told Business Insider. “There has to be validation that you’re good at it — and some indicator that you can monetize it.”

Before quitting, Nasso had already gained traction on TikTok, but he quickly learned that social media fame doesn’t automatically translate into career longevity. “Even if you have followers, you still have to know the club bookers,” he said, emphasizing the persistence and networking required to sustain a comedy career.

Not as glamorous as it seems
Now a regular performer at venues like the New York Comedy Club and Westside Comedy Club, Nasso admits that the freedom of being your own boss comes with its own constraints. “If I book a show in two months, I have to do it even if I don’t feel like it. No one gives you a schedule — you have to build one that’s sustainable.”

Despite the challenges, he finds fulfillment in creating something meaningful every day. “Success comes from showing up, improving your writing and performance, and constantly evolving,” he reflected. As he puts it, “At the end of the day, I didn’t quit my job. I just chose a different one.”