Jeopardy's Amy Schneider Quit Her Job — Here's What She's Doing Next

Amy Schneider, the top-winning woman and top-winning transgender contestant in Jeopardy! history, is quitting her day job.

Schneider, a software engineering manager living in Oakland, Calif., announced her move Tuesday via Twitter.

"Some of you may have heard, but I quite my day job!" she wrote. "It's a big 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."

Schneider won 40 consecutive games in a run from November through January, the second most of any contestant on the show -- Ken Jennings is first with 74. She is fourth in terms of regular-season cash winnings with $1.382 million, behind Jennings, James Holzhauer, and Matt Amodio. She's the first woman to pass the million-dollar mark on Jeopardy!

She is the first trans contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, in which the season's top 15 winners compete. The tournament will be held this fall.

Her plans include writing a book; she's working on a proposal. "My agent, which still feels like such a weird thing to say, really wants to get moving on that real quick while the publicity is out there," she recently told GLAAD. She also plans to travel and put some money toward buying a house.

She brought positive transgender visibility to the popular show, which, she told The Advocate in January, was worth more to her than the cash. "It's definitely been the most rewarding part of the whole experience," she said.

She maintained an active Twitter presence throughout her streak, recapping each day's show and, at the end, sending a touching thank-you message to her girlfriend, Genevieve Davis. In the GLAAD interview she assured fans that she'll still be on the platform.

Schneider is also open to becoming a Jeopardy! host at some point, she said. Former contestant Jennings has been one of the program's hosts since the death of Alex Trebek.