Amy Schneider has quit her day job, following her record-breaking Jeopardy! run, during which she racked up $1,382,800 in winnings.
California-based Schneider had worked as a software engineering manager before landing her spot on the syndicated quiz show and etching her name into history.
And the Ohio native revealed to her more than 130,000 Twitter followers on Tuesday that she found the prospect of stepping into pastures new "nerve-wracking."
"Some of you may have heard, but I quit my day job yesterday!" Schneider tweeted. "It's a bit nerve-wracking to pivot from software engineer to… public figure, I guess? But regardless of the outcome I'm so excited to spend the next couple years at least tackling this new challenge!"
During her time on the show, Schneider made a huge impact, becoming the first transgender woman to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. She is also the highest-earning woman in Jeopardy! history, with the longest win streak.
After making her debut on the show during November 2021's Trans Awareness Week, Schneider went on to win 40 consecutive games, leaving her second only to all-time Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings.
Her hot streak eventually came to an end on January 26's episode, when she was defeated by multimedia librarian Rhone Talsma, who was knocked out of the competition just one game later by an incoming challenger.
As fans wait to see where Schneider's career path will take her, the University of Dayton alum told Newsweek in an interview a few days after her Jeopardy! debut that she was planning to "keep an open mind" about what she would do after the show.
Some of you may have heard, but I quit my day job yesterday! It's a bit nerve-wracking to pivot from software engineer to... public figure, I guess? But regardless of the outcome I'm so excited to spend the next couple years at least tackling this new challenge!
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) February 8, 2022
"My kind of feeling is that I don't really know what opportunities might come out of this, and so I'm sort of gonna play it by ear," she said. "But is something that I'm definitely keeping in mind.
"I overheard Ken Jennings, when he was doing interviews, say that he was a computer programmer, didn't really know what to do with his life and now he's a professional former TV show contestant.
"So if things go well enough, maybe there's something to do there. Maybe something on TV or something, or maybe writing a book. Who knows what it might be. But it's definitely something I'm keeping an open mind about."
In a January interview with the Los Angeles Times, Schneider admitted that she would "certainly consider" hosting Jeopardy! if offered the job. The show is currently hosted by Jennings and Mayim Bialik, as producers continue to search for a permanent replacement for beloved late presenter Alex Trebek.
Calling Jennings a "fantastic" host, Schneider said of landing the coveted job herself: "It would certainly be a cool experience. It's a lot harder than it looks. Whether I'd actually even be good at it, I don't know […] But yeah, I'd certainly consider it if somebody asked."
Whatever the next step, Schneider has noted the positive impact her success on Jeopardy! has had, particularly when it comes to representation.
"I know that in my life, [it's great] to see trans women out there, not being the sort of freaks or prostitutes, or other things that until only a few years ago was all you ever saw them as," she told Newsweek in November.
"So as that changed, as I've been able to see them in other contexts—as the human beings that they are—that's been really important for me. And so I'm just really glad to be able to do that same thing for other people," she said.
