We recently connected with Irene Woo and have shared our conversation below.

Irene, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

This summer, I left my stable, six-figure software engineering job to pursue stand-up comedy full-time. If you had told younger me what I was about to do, I would have given myself a heart attack.

Growing up, I thought my super power was being good at math. Both of my parents went to engineering school, so that felt like the natural path. Aside from school, I loved being creative. I grew up in France and my hometown had an amazing theater program. My grand-mother sewed costumes for me to embody 17th century damsels from Molière’s plays.

After eighth grade, my entire world changed. My family moved to New York and I lost my theater program. I was trying to improve my English beyond what my French school had taught me. I realized the hardest part of a new language isn’t the grammar, it’s the humor, so I took myself to comedy school. I watched old seasons of SNL and after learning about performers’ backgrounds I found my new obsession: stand-up comedy. I asked my mother to take me to the Comedy Cellar since I was too young to go alone. At my high school graduation, I delivered a speech riddled with jokes. I didn’t call it stand-up at the time, but I definitely remember the thrill of making people laugh.

In college, I was dead-focused on getting into big tech. At 21, I landed my dream job: Google in NYC. I moved to Brooklyn, adopted a cat, and thought my life was set for the next decade. I kept pursuing creative interests after work. I took acting classes and a friend suggested I take an improv class at the PIT. I saw on their website they offered a stand-up class. I don’t know what came over me, but I enrolled. As terrifying as it was, I felt the same thrill I had felt at my high school graduation standing on stage and making people laugh.

For a few years I pursued stand-up after work, constantly drained, living two lives. Then I turned 27. As friends were talking about marriage, I saw the window of “no responsibilities” slowly closing. I was toying with the idea of becoming a full-time comedian. This summer, it felt like all the stars were aligning. My work project was wrapping up, I had enough savings to take the leap, and more importantly, I felt ready. I went full corporate and made a roadmap for the year ahead, treating my dream with the same rigor I treated my tech career. I’m also incredibly lucky to have gotten a lot of support from my boyfriend, my family, my friends and my comedy mentors.

I dedicated 6 years of my life to my tech job. I’m very grateful for all the people I met and everything I learned. Leaving the office for the last time gave me knots in my stomach. I was trading a steady paycheck for total uncertainty. But in the last two months, I’ve written and performed more than what I would in a year. I’m excited to bet on myself and see how far I can go.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am Irene Woo, a New York City-based stand-up comedian. I spent six years as a software engineer at Google before becoming a full-time comedian.

I provide stand-up comedy that applies a logical brain to an illogical world. My work is observational and deeply personal, exploring the nuances of being a French-Chinese woman in America, the oddities of corporate culture, and the confusing dynamics of modern relationships.

What sets me apart is the discipline I bring to the craft. I may have left engineering, but I kept the work ethic. I treat comedy with the same intensity I treated my tech career, tracking my performance data and building my act with precision, but the result is something vulnerable and human. I speak to the high-achievers, the immigrants, and anyone who has ever felt like they are standing on the sidelines trying to figure out the rules of the game.

I am most proud of the leap I took this year to pursue this full-time. Leaving a stable, “dream” career to bet on your own voice is terrifying, but it has been the most rewarding decision of my life. I want potential fans to know that I am currently building my debut show for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, bringing a sharp, global perspective to the stage that you won’t hear anywhere else.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I recently quit my job as a software engineer to pursue comedy full-time. I want to write about leaving my job and the ramifications it has had on my life.

I test jokes at open mics, where I’m often the only woman. One night, I tried new material about leaving tech. I finished my set and I felt okay about it. The comic who went right after me (a man) opened his set by looking directly at me and asking into the microphone: “Is it really true that you quit your job for this?” All the comics laughed. In that moment, it felt like he was voicing my deepest insecurity: Did I make a huge mistake?

I went home and cuddled with my cat. I had a choice: would I let a random stranger who knows nothing about me weigh in on my life choices? I kept my material and performed it the next night, and the night after that. I worked on it until it became bulletproof. A few weeks later, I told that same story in a room full of people. I felt them laugh with me, not at me. After the show, some people came up to me to congratulate me on betting on myself.

Resilience isn’t just about handling a bad set; it’s about protecting your vision when others try to dismantle it.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I’m reading The Artist’s Way and I wish I had read it earlier in my comedy journey. Every Sunday, I’m excited to read a chapter and explore ways to become more creative

I’m reading it as part of a bookclub created by the Knockouts Artists Association, which is a private community of actors, comedians, performers and writers. They curate events and provide opportunities to connect with other artists. I highly recommend joining the community.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: theirenewoo
• Other: TikTok: theirenewoo

Image Credits

– Personal Photo: JT Anderson (@jtcanshoot on Instagram)
– Additional Photos
– Portrait on grey background: Thomas Moore (@mooreoth on Instagram)
– Two photos: one where I’m wearing a black sweater and blue jeans, the other with my black coat: Rowan Lim (@rowan_clown on Instagram)
– Three photos: yellow t-shirt and jean skirt: Rose Sutton (@roseesutton on Instagram)
– Two photos with a black dress: Daryn Stephanie Passarello (@stephaniestarheart on Instagram)