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Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

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Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#81

Post by OldHand2018 »

Do you like the people you work with? If so, stick with the job and turn it into something better.

You write spreadsheets and powerpoint, so is it safe to assume the your work computer is Windows and you are using Office? If so, your computer has PowerShell on it and you can read, write and manipulate Excel and PowerPoint using it. You can use the Task Scheduler to run scripts on a schedule. See if you can automate portions of your workflow and free up your time to automate others (and take on things that can be automated). See if you can predict what others want before they ask for it. Make it a game, if you will. Write about what you are doing, even if you never publish it. Revise what you write. Turn it into documentation that reads like a story.

It can be satisfying even if the job isn't exciting.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#82

Post by falsedan »

EugeneOZ wrote: post #77
hayksaakian wrote: post #73

> I have enough savings to survive for five years. 5 years is plenty of time to get something off the ground and up to the same level if not more income than you already earn today. If I was in your shoes I would do it 100%

He has no kids and has a girlfriend - one kid and all of these money are multiplied by 0, instantly.

Free time, too

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#83

Post by Xcelerate »

not_a_moth wrote: post #16

You'll probably hear advice that makes silent assumptions about personality types. I'm the type that can't have a cushy FT job while also building my own business. Hasn't worked. It sounds great in theory, but I make far less real progress on the business than I think I do. I also think having a cushy full-time job inherently steers you towards "taking it easy" and distracting yourself with "lifestyle" things, relati…

> You'll probably hear advice that makes silent assumptions about personality type

Interesting. Why kind of personality type do you have?

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#84

Post by torgian »

I've struggled with this a couple of times. In each situation it came down to a single question (or series of questions, actually).

1) Will I be more fulfilled if I try it, even if I fail? 2) Will I learn from it and grow as a person?

If I can answer yes to both of those questions, then I do it. I ask myself these questions to almost everything I do.

And yes, sometimes that means not doing what I _want_ to do, if I don't have the time, energy, or the means to do it. For example, I really want to go to Sweden this year, but I have to save for a few other things that are more important to me and my life (business, learning scuba diving, etc).

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#85

Post by torgian »

edw519 wrote: post #51

My gut is telling me to quit my job and work for my products. The best advice I ever got from my mentor: "Listen to your gut!" Passing it on... I have enough savings to survive for five years. What?!? Are you fucking crazy?!? What are you waiting for?!? My biggest fears are: - To not stick to a schedule/routine once I am solo. How will you know until you try? More to the point: how will you know how important "sticki…

This needs to be top comment here.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#86

Post by jammygit »

rossdavidh wrote: post #23

This will sound odd, but hear me out: assuming that whichever way you choose, it will be wrong, which would you choose? If you quit this job to pursue your side project, and that doesn't pan out, will you forever regret having given up this job? Or, if you don't quit this job, will you forever hate your career because part of you is wondering what would have happened if you just "went for it"? Figure out which mistak…

I love your wording and the focus on the failure scenarios

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#87

Post by jammygit »

Jemaclus wrote: post #69

Reading this, it sounds like depression/exhaustion is your problem and not necessarily your job. I recently had a bout of almost burnout, and I did a few experiments to see if anything got better. One, I realized that I was drinking a ton of caffeine (coffee, soda, etc), and that maybe that was the reason I was high-strung and irritable all the time. I cut out caffeine on March 3, 2019, and within 1 week I felt calme…

Personal anecdote: every time I quit caffeine, a week later I still had lethargy and headaches. It might take a bit longer than a week for it to pay off. 2-4 weeks and you feel more human

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#88

Post by RickJWagner »

It depends on your personality type, which I do not know.

But if it was me, I'd stay with the high-paying job and look to make it better for a while. Start jogging or doing low-impact exercises over lunch time. Try to pick up new challenges. Look for ways to make it more interesting. Do this at least a couple of more years if you can, saving as much as you can.

Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#89

Post by david-s »

rossdavidh wrote: post #23

This will sound odd, but hear me out: assuming that whichever way you choose, it will be wrong, which would you choose? If you quit this job to pursue your side project, and that doesn't pan out, will you forever regret having given up this job? Or, if you don't quit this job, will you forever hate your career because part of you is wondering what would have happened if you just "went for it"? Figure out which mistak…

Thanks. That makes me feel a lot better about a recent decision.

Re: Ask HN: Should I quit my job?

#90

Post by trustfundbaby »

> I have enough savings to survive for five years

Then do it. And do throw your whole self into it. Make at least one attempt, otherwise you'll regret never having tried. You'll generally figure it out as you go along and it's never as bad as you think it's going to be.

PS: Currently doing the same thing (working on a product) and I'm almost out of savings which is very very stressful, would do it again in a heartbeat, only this time with far more conviction.

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