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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?

#111

Post by mxuribe »

ridaj wrote: post #67
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.

Practical question: if you're in the US, how do you deal with health insurance?

The cost of healthcare in the U.S. is the only reason that I don't take (often higher per hour paying) contract roles. Also, i'm a great wingman for sales but not great as sales lead or generating sales, else I'd have gone into business for myself. (And, no, skipping health insurance is not an option at all for me.)

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

#113

Post by badtension »

I quit in December 2019 (best time for that kind of thing). I had some money put aside and decided to put my time and effort into getting a deeper understanding of ML to find a more meaningful job (my old one was draining me so much).

After a few months it looked like the job perspectives weren't as good during the pandemic so I decided to finish my side project - get some more experience, maybe even earn some side income if all goes well.

After a bit over 1 year working on it on and off I can say it is really hard to stay focused and disciplined when being alone. I feel ashamed (I probably shouldn't) but it seems like I can only be a slave. When working along other people or under a boss I have no problem in getting things done.

I am determined to at least get to the minimum sensible demo to show potential users. It will probably take another few months to make it and if everything looks good, a few more to get to a point where it can be a a solid value proposition.

It really isn't great, I am not diagnosed with any mental illnesses but one day I feel it all is going to be great and help many people, the next day I can see in my mind how its value is seen as minuscule or Windows or Android API changes and kills it off in a year.

Keeping the good mental state and working reliably is very hard.

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

#114

Post by harel »

It was great! So good in-fact, that I made a point to stop actively looking for work. I'm a contract software architect|developer|consultant|etc. When one contract ends I do not start looking, as long as I can afford it. Work comes knocking and I take it on if it's too good to refuse.

HOWEVER|BUT|NONETHELESS

This is just me... You will hear a lot of positives about taking the plunge|risk|adventure. I learned the hard way to stop recommending stuff that works for me to other people without heavy disclaimers and caveats. What works for one, does not necessarily works for the other. There are simply too many variables not including the biggest one - yourself.

So, if I was you, and had savings and no dependents, I'd go roam the world "like Cain in Kong-Fu" AND do my own thing while I'm at it. But I'm not you. Nobody is so take everything being said to you here with large grains of crystal salt.

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

#115

Post by danielvaughn »

I quit in May of this year. I don't regret it, but starting to feel like maybe it wasn't the best financial decision. I'm not very good with finances and I didn't really adjust my lifestyle, so I dwindled my savings quite a bit more than I wanted.

On the other hand, I did a bunch of sweat equity work for a startup and now own almost 10% of the company. So I'm thinking of it as an investment. A risky, not-very-well-thought-out investment, but still.

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

#116

Post by 999900000999 »

I actually did this once when I was 20 or so, and I had absolutely no safety net if things didn't go right.

I was working a job that was so stressful, I would regularly take unpaid sick days just because I couldn't do it. Now considering I didn't have any kids, this wasn't that big of a choice to make. I'm okay with putting myself on the line, but if you have a family to take care of this is absolutely reckless

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

#117

Post by otachack »

xwdv wrote: post #17
moeadham wrote: post #5

I did this in 2010 and I now run a profitable software company with 45 employees. Do it. There is literally no downside. If things don’t work out, you can just go back to the company you left. They will take you back!

Literally no downside? I can think of a few: there’s a good chance it doesn’t work out and you find yourself running an unprofitable business working harder to make much less than your old software engineering job.

OP probably has in mind that you can always go back to your previous employer, or find a job in the hot market.

I worry people keep thinking it will always be hot. I personally have been listening to podcasts of veteran people in the tech world and many lived through the dotcom crash where the "hot market" went all of a sudden cold.

Hot or not, they did live through it and made remarkable things along the way. My advice, make sure you have runway to live off your savings for the duration you initially want and save for 2-3x that. Life is too short to be grinding until retirement, though I imagine paths where if you have a high salary you may hit retirement earlier than other generations.

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

#118

Post by hardlianotion »

Lhiw wrote: post #91
yawnxyz wrote: post #20

I was laid off five years ago, and I never found another job. Ended up spending a month doing the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and doing more stuff like swing dancing. Later on I met someone at a swing dance that I worked on a "side project" for a long time that became our current startup, which has been more meaningful to me than any job I've worked previously. (We're doing health and biotech and save people from ho…

Would you recommend doing the Camino? My wife and I are thinking about it.

i certainly do. The Camino has routes from all over Europe and a fantastic set of traditions. The countryside is amazing and ever-varying. I walked sections in September, through Southern France, and at that time, the hostels were full of people with wonderful stories of how they arrived on the trail and what they planned to do next.

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

#119

Post by barthom »

I quit my job 3 months ago, in late August. I didn't have a plan but I was feeling pretty burnt out (the work culture was pretty toxic) and a bit depressed so I wanted to take some time off to figure out my next steps. I also have a lot saved up so I knew my financials wouldn't be a problem short-term.

The first month or so was tough. It felt weird not working on something. Which I think is part of a healthy process to get used to not binding my self-worth to my productivity. I traveled a bit, reconnected with friends and did some freelancing. I tried finding enjoyment in programming again, something I felt I'd lost at my last job.

All in all, I'm really happy I quit before things got worse. I still don't have a plan really, but I know I will probably never accept a position as a full-time employee unless I am really passionate about the work and feel I have a lot of impact. I am considering continuing my CS degree (I'm 22). I'm in a pretty fortunate position financially because of some successful side projects, so I've decided to take advantage of that and just keep working for myself. It's what I truly enjoy, and as long as I make a decent living there's no point in earning more money if I'm miserable for it.

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

#120

Post by kinnth »

I think whether it's the right or wrong decision is very personal. However, the worst case scenario of quitting with nothing to do is:

1. You have less money 2. You have less upto date skills (perhaps) 3. You will then need to get another job at a later point in time.

If you can budget correctly and you are a passionate learner, I only see 3 as the biggest issue. Even then perhaps that time off gives you perspective and you then get a job that fits you better.

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