For most Silicon Valley jobless workers, remaining in tech is often the first choice, but with the economies current state and unemployment rates skyrocketing some are choosing to switch to clean-energy or health-care industries. Some are shifting even further afield, looking for jobs.

Silicon Valley's unemployment rate -- which was below California's average and largely tracked the national average last year -- has soared, surpassing the state average in May. By June, the area's unadjusted unemployment rate was 11.8%, worse than California's 11.6% and the national rate of 9.7%, according to the latest figures from California's Employment Development Department. The rate of job losses was particularly steep in sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing, where employment dropped more than 13% in June from a year earlier.

in teaching or financial consulting. People are leaving tech as “more tech companies are offshoring and some are shrinking, plus people are burned out and tired from having been there and done that,” says Ms. Brock.

Community colleges and job centers in the area are reporting a increase in enrollment of out-of-work techies, and many are looking to move into other industries.

Others are happier to leave tech. Minda Cutcher, 53, was laid off as a finance manager at telecommunications company Covad Communications Co. last year after a decade at the San Jose, Calif., firm. In May, Ms. Cutcher launched her own financial-consultancy business for the elderly.

Ms. Cutcher says she doesn’t regret leaving tech after working in the industry for 30 years. “I did a real re-examination of my priorities,” she says. “I’m done with high tech and fancy titles. Now I’m going from high tech to high touch.”