It made her examine her life and think about what she was really contributing to society. Tan planned her escape carefully. She saved money and returned to study. A decade later, it has all come together, and she is happy. The research she did for a doctorate in psychology not only added to her qualifications as a psychologist and psychotherapist, but gave her the raw material for her first book, Leaving the Rat Race to Get a Life, a handbook for anyone seriously considering changing the pace of their lives.