New York woman gives up $95,000 a year job to work in an ice cream parlour in the Caribbean

Noelle Hancock found herself feeling increasingly alienated by life in the city

Noelle Hancock, a Yale graduate, was feeling increasingly overwhelmed and isolated by life in New York (Facebook)

Most of us dream about one day securing a six-figure dream job, not giving it up to work in an ice cream parlour.

But that's exactly what a journalist who found herself feeling increasingly alienated by life in the city did when she abandoned her $95,000 income and moved to a tiny island in the Caribbean.

Noelle Hancock, a Yale graduate, was feeling overwhelmed and isolated by her life in New York.

In an essay for Cosmopolitan, the 35-year-old wrote: “New York is a competitive city; you have to spend most of your time working to afford to live there. And a downside of living among so many ambitious people is they're often over scheduled.

“Sometimes I didn't see my closest friends for months at a time. Trying to negotiate a time to meet a friend for drinks was harder than getting into college (and the cocktails about as expensive).”

Ms Hancock was constantly thinking about her next holiday, describing herself as “stressed, uninspired, and disconnected”. On impulse, she asked friends where they could recommend visiting in the Caribbean. Six weeks later, she had terminated the lease on her apartment, sold her belongings and was on a one-way flight to St. John, the smallest of the US Virgin Islands.

Four years after leaving New York, she now works as a bartender on the island.

"Living abroad has exposed me to a different approach to life, one in which you're not expected to settle in one place and do one kind of job," she wrote.

"There are no stoplights on St. John. [...] No chain stores. Limited WiFi. Shoes optional.

"There are no addresses. [...] People gather on the beaches at dusk to watch the sunsets together. I see my friends every day. On our days off, we hike the local ruins, dive, or go boating to the nearby British Virgin Islands.

“That's not to say doubts don't creep in on occasion. Seeing old colleagues and acquaintances building successful careers can make me second-guess my choices. One of my friends from college started a little website called Pinterest. Another just won an Emmy for a hit television show she created.

“But I have an island. I live in a charmingly ramshackle one-bedroom apartment on a hillside overlooking the sea."