Woman Makes Drastic Career Change After Studying for Years to Be a Scientist, Says Only Regret Is Not Doing It Sooner (Exclusive) By Meredith Wilshere

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Lindsay Paige spent years getting her degree before moving to Boston to work in the pharmaceutical industry.

The 27-year-old was working as a scientist in a lab “focused on early drug discovery,” specifically in cancer research. However, she quickly realized that she “hated” the career she had spent so much time preparing for. 

“I spent most of my early 20s just feeling very lost and confused,” Paige exclusively tells PEOPLE.

In early 2024, after making a “mistake” at work, Paige was put on paid leave and, ultimately, she was let go.

The situation forced her to muster up the courage to change careers, knowing deep down she wasn’t happy. Paige decided to apply to be a front-of-house associate at a local bakery in Boston, where she worked for a month before realizing she wanted to pursue baking as a career.

“I was talking to our pastry chef about it, and she was like, ‘You know, I’m actually hiring. You don’t need to go to culinary school.’ We can train you right here,'” Paige shares. “It worked out amazingly.” 

Now, two days a week, Paige works as a barista, and the other two, she spends baking in the kitchen.

“I feel like I’m learning so much every day,” she tells PEOPLE.

“In my last job, because I was very much not interested in it, I felt like I had to go in every day and, like, put on this facade and pretend to be like, ‘Oh, like, I wanna be here, and this is interesting,'” she shares.

Now, she says it’s “such a relief to not have to do that anymore.”

Working “with so many creative, talented people” has also given her “such a sense of community that I never had before.”

“When you’re working as a lab scientist, it’s very isolating because I was mostly working with cells,” she says, noting that she considers herself to be a “hyper social person,” which didn’t always align with her former line of work.

“I have been able to meet so many different people. I have great connections with the customers and great connections with my coworkers.” 

Although she left the lab behind, she still uses some of her skills in her new role. 

“There’s definitely a lot that’s similar to my old job, I feel like I use the same skills.. I have to be very precise in everything I do, but the stakes are much lower,” she shares. “I don’t have to worry about making anything dangerous.”

“The first day after my training, I turned to our pastry chef, and I said, ‘This is amazing. I don’t need to worry about making anything, you know, accidentally blow up,'” she jokes.

While there are some sweet upsides to working in a coffee shop, she notes that the job is still “physically demanding.” 

“I will be on my feet lifting heavy, moving around for eight to 10 hours a day. It’s definitely a job that gets you into shape,” she shares.

As for the possibility of ever returning to the lab?

“You couldn’t pay me a million dollars to go back, honestly,” Paige says. “My only regret is not doing this sooner.”

The best part of her career change, she says, is feeling like she is a “special part of someone’s day.” 

“We have so many great regulars that come in almost every day. Sometimes people come in for breakfast and lunch,” she explains. “People will visit us when they’re having a bad day, and I feel like we can quickly turn it around with a delicious pastry and a coffee.”

“That is the most special part of this. I love feeding people, and it brings me so much purpose and joy that I really did not have before I started this.”