If not now, when? That was the question I asked myself over and over again. I submitted my 3 month notice, and I'm going to following my dreams of creating a solution to a business problem. Why 3 months? I was actually going to quit sooner, but I just wanted to be nice and give my boss plenty of time to find a replacement. However, don't get me wrong, I'm itching to leave and startup! Life isn't about money folks! It's about following your passion!
Screw it, I quit
11–20 of 20 posts
Re: Screw it, I quit
#12"I have two backup plans (in case the first doesn't work), and I have no fewer than three exit-strategies (how to get back into boring corporate land)."
Just be careful that those don't screw you. Nothing is more motivating than the "oh my god I need to pay my rent and buy dinner but I have no money!" feeling. Having backup plans and exit strategies can sabotage that.
But, as a fellow recent quitter myself, I have to admit that I also have my own backup plan for when the money runs out... grad school. ;)
Congrats to all those that have quit recently, and to all those considering it, just walk in and do it. I guarantee you'll be singing and skipping on the way out.
I simply saved up six months expenses and gave my notice at a convenient time in the project schedule at work (end of one project, before being put on another one). No bridges to burn (I didn't have a lot of complaints about the job, and the coworkers were great) so I have a standing offer for employment in January (when the money runs out) should I need it. I just knew I'd never be happy doing maintenance and rewrites in cubicle land.
Re: Screw it, I quit
#13Re: Screw it, I quit
#14Re: Screw it, I quit
#15Funny reading this. I just resigned today. No kidding. If I had seen this post before resigning, perhaps I would have sent it instead of the one I sent.
Great work. ;) Takes gumption
Re: Screw it, I quit
#16Well I didn't exactly resign, but the startup I work for is not going to get it's 2nd round of financing...
Re: Screw it, I quit
#17Re: Screw it, I quit
#18It's a pretty big lifestyle change, and what if ...you fail?!
You do need to prepare and then be able to live without the security that comes with a full-time job.
It's not easy, but it is worthwhile.
Re: Screw it, I quit
#19Short and to the point. How did others quit? Please share.
It was difficult because I loved the people I was working with, but disliked the actual work (and had been promised more interesting work but got tired of waiting for it. I kept in touch with my ex-coworkers and I know the more interesting work would've materialized in another few months had I stayed). I also had other job offers at the time, and knew no one who had gone down this path. None of this made it easy. So…
Mine's been going a similar route... I actually even relocated because the job description sounded pretty exciting (technically challenging, even), but it ended up being the same sort of thing as the government contracting work that I was trying to escape from, but with even older technology. Since it ended up being largely a software life-support role, I'm working on bootstrapping my own business interests... but my focus isn't on software, it's on photography. I've spent so much time in roles like this one that I'm getting tired of the field altogether, mainly because life-support jobs are so anti-creative.
Re: Screw it, I quit
#20Well I didn't exactly resign, but the startup I work for is not going to get it's 2nd round of financing...
ouch! I hope you're looking around ...