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Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

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Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

#21

Post by ramraj07 »

xyzzy21 wrote: post #15

1. Have savings 2. Have your resume always up to date 3. Have a network of people who can hook you up 4. Take a deep breath, commit to leaving but do it on YOUR schedule - quitting on the spot is emotional, not rational - avoid doing that if you can. Back in the day I learned something that my employer was doing that I knew I could not abide by. I did #4 but I had #1, #2 and #3. Within a month I had a job offer and s…

I always hear have your resume up to date, how hard can it be to update your resume ? It can’t possibly take more than an hour or two?

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

#22

Post by MichaelBurge »

yetihehe wrote: post #7
popotamonga wrote: post #2

I quit just last week. Saved up 10 years worth of salaries. Currently on the doing nothing stage. Doing more sports, running/cycling everyday, taking my time to cook, more time for kids, so far so good, i have no plans for the future, whatever happens happens. Previously i was working 15 hours a day, i did like my job but was impacting my health severely.

> I quit just last week. Saved up 10 years worth of salaries. "Having 10 years worth of salaries" is almost on the opposite side of spectrum than "without anything planned".

Money isn't the same thing as a plan. If anything, it's the exact opposite: You have the freedom to do many things, so there's more uncertainty than someone with less money.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

#23

Post by break_the_bank »

kevmo314 wrote: post #19

I quit Google after five years and moved to NYC right before the pandemic started. Working on my startup now. Pays infinitely less but makes me a lot happier. I love getting put in situations I would've never dreamed I would be in. My biggest lesson so far was that I should've left Google earlier. I didn't need nearly as much saved as I had expected. The only thing I could wish for is more friends who did the same. I…

Did you stay the five years to see the initial grant / refreshers vest?

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

#24

Post by random42 »

I left my job in July, and took a bit of break to introspect, focus on my health, spend time taking care of my family members, did a few investments, read up a lot and figuring out what I want to do next.

I have just started to talk to people wrt to different jobs, although I am not sure I want to take up another job. will figure it out in due time.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

#25

Post by brianf0 »

I did this. Started a drop shipping business with friends. That didn’t pan out. Then tried to build a startup. That didn’t pan out either, so I started consulting. It was fine, but consulting and full time employment are really two sides of the same coin. I figured I might as well get the benefits and equity that come with full time roles. Since quitting I have more than doubled my previous salary, and gained a ton of front end knowledge I never would have learned just by working at my old job.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

#26

Post by break_the_bank »

xyzzy21 wrote: post #15

1. Have savings 2. Have your resume always up to date 3. Have a network of people who can hook you up 4. Take a deep breath, commit to leaving but do it on YOUR schedule - quitting on the spot is emotional, not rational - avoid doing that if you can. Back in the day I learned something that my employer was doing that I knew I could not abide by. I did #4 but I had #1, #2 and #3. Within a month I had a job offer and s…

I think I have #1, #2 and #3 sorted out. I am not sure if another Big Tech job is an answer for me. Its either doing an indie business, starting a startup or joining one, but yeah #1, #2 and #3 help. Definitely need some time to decompress before I make the move to working hard again.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

#27

Post by lvl100 »

I think it’s important to have detailed plans (daily schedules etc) to keep yourself busy albeit at leisurely pace. More importantly have specific goals. It doesn’t have to be career-oriented goals. It can be something simple like “learning to play an instrument”. If you’re planning on going back to the same field, have a side project going (doesn’t even have to be successful) to keep up with the latest technologies (toolings, trends, etc). This is especially important now because things move rather fast.

Don’t burn any bridges and keep regular contacts with people from your prior work. Do not completely unplug. Lastly, do focus on your mental health. I am assuming people who do this are burnt out and have worked stupid hours for years on end. It takes longer than you think to recover from all the physical and mental stress. Focus on yourself!

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

#28

Post by yetihehe »

MichaelBurge wrote: post #22
yetihehe wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I quit just last week. Saved up 10 years worth of salaries. "Having 10 years worth of salaries" is almost on the opposite side of spectrum than "without anything planned".

Money isn't the same thing as a plan. If anything, it's the exact opposite: You have the freedom to do many things, so there's more uncertainty than someone with less money.

Such differences can be called "academic", useful if you don't have a plan, not really useful for people without money. If you have money, you don't really need a plan, so whole discussion is then moot.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

#29

Post by nettleseyeball »

I worked at agencies for about 8 years and always wanted to go freelance. I handed in my 1 month notice with nothing lined up, created a LinkedIn, made a CV, sent some emails. I started my first freelance contract a week after my last day at my old job.

Honestly I thought I was going to take a while to get the ball rolling but nah it was super easy. Best choice I ever made. My life is 10 times better now. If you're thinking about it make sure you've got a bit of money saved just in case but otherwise go for it. Life is short.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs without anything planned. How did it go?

#30

Post by cobertos »

Not too bad, I'm still riding it a bit.

I went part-time at my coding job before the pandemic due to stress/anxiety from some unknown work-related source. I then quit during the pandemic from constant erosion of salary and quality of work life.

I ended up kinda floating undecided for a couple months. Tried a couple game jams and realized my dreams of game design were not my life-long calling.

Then needed money so ended up starting to freelance. I didn't really market myself, so I didn't have many clients, but I had one big one through a friend that paid well and I did a couple really big things for them.

I'm now doing a contract that's 3x my previous salary (but also 1099 so more taxes) and struggling to figure out if I'd ever want to be W2/full time employee again.

I also got about 6 or so months of near full-time work on a personal project, and it's been very enlightening to get that much effort behind something of my own for once. Also isolating socially

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