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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?

#191

Post by taliesinb »

mlac wrote: post #87

After skimming half the thread and only seeing one view (DO IT! It’s GREAT!), I’m going to throw this out there: - You will have heavy selection bias here (people who did not succeed might be working at a crappier job and unable to comment at this moment) - You will also have confirmation bias among those who willingly quit (“of course it was the right move”) - You are asking a very unique set of people with very val…

> It also looks like you should have a strong plan to do something (hobby, hike, or work in another capacity). If you don’t, you may just stagnate and waste some of your prime years for growth and development.

Having been on this journey too, I provide this reassurance for those on the edge of quitting: trust in your superego. Your superego is always there, always watching, always asking: "is this what you should be doing?". When you are working on someone else's project, doing something you don't want to, it is easy to ignore this inner voice, because in a way it is not your own. Procrastination, and stagnation, are natural when your job isn't your dream. But when you're on your own dime, things feel very different.

It is a mistake to extrapolate your tendency to procrastinate from the world of work to that of a free agent: with no immediate constraints it is much easier to recognize and slip out of those peculiar knots of irrational behavior that tend to trap smart people with unsatisfying jobs. But on the other hand, you will be forced to confront the terrifying choice of what to actually want! This is terrifying because, in a way, it is the most important choice you'll ever make.

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

#192

Post by setgree »

plants wrote: post #188
setgree wrote: post #57

I quit in May, and since then have hiked the Appalachian Trail and just landed in New Orleans. I'll do a little part-time research work but my main goal is to write a lot and play music. Before I left, I was depressed, and now I'm not. IMO everything else is totally second order to not feeling so darn bad all the time. My plans extend to about the end of this current month, and then, we shall see.

Wow, hiking the AT is currently my quitting plan as well, but for 2022. Excited to see that you aren't experiencing extreme post-trail depression - I know it can hit hard for some people :). I hope to be in a very similar place/state of mind as you next year. Do you have any advice for an AT hopeful for next year? I have done a fair amount of planning and have completed a ~250 mile thru-hike this past summer, but wou…

Happy to talk at length about this — my email is my HN username at gmail and my name is Seth — but I would say that a base weight or 12 pounds or less is a good predictor of who actually finishes.

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

#194

Post by VRay »

Chris2048 wrote: post #151
josh2600 wrote: post #89

Note: I am not an engineer. I’m mostly skilled in telling stories. I got fired from every job I ever had before I started working for myself. Each time I left I ended up in a better job until the last time when I got laid off from a telecom PM role. I went to look for another job and never found one. At the time I was living paycheck to paycheck (barely) so this was quite scary. I did have a small severance but that…

> he said he’d give me the money back if I lost it, he just wanted me to see what was going to happen Uh, so why didn't he just buy the ETH?

My guess is his friend had a 6-7 figure net worth and loaned him a 3 figure sum, otherwise this doesn't make any sense to me

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

#195

Post by rokhayakebe »

yardie wrote: post #153
ridaj wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Move abroad and get an international health insurance plan. Price of 1 months premium covers the annual premium for an international gold plated plan. If I didn't have a child in school I'd be on a plane to the Caribbean so fast.

Do they have good schools in the Caribbean?

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

#196

Post by nanidin »

I left my job in February 2021 due to being overstressed and eventually burning out. I was in a role where I was essentially on call 24/7, with the only calls actually coming in at early AM hours on holidays. This made it impossible for me to relax during time off, which contributed to the burnout. Around the same time, my SO was finishing cancer treatment, so work stress was not the only stress I was dealing with.

I left with the stated goals of working on personal projects and of going on a road trip to national parks. I have now been on two significant road trips - one about 10 days, and the next about 35 days.

As far as projects go, I have created a few toys that scratched itches - a pi calculator, a sudoku solver, and a market data collector/analyzer. I also worked on establishing some passive income during this time.

I'm now working as a consultant in the same industry I was working in previously. I'm not sure yet when I will return to full time employment. My plan is to definitely find a job before the COBRA insurance coverage expires (October 2022 I believe.)

My advice to anyone planning to take time off is to have some idea of what you want to do. Don't end up quitting your job thinking all of the free time off will be great, then sit around and do nothing for months on end - at the time it may feel great, but after those months go by it's nice to be able to look back and see that you did something. You don't have to be productive, but at least get out of bed, have a routine, and do something besides sit around. To that end, I recommend journaling.

I also recommend that if you're going to quit and you like your job but just need some extended time off - talk with your manager! Mine wasn't very agreeable to a sabbatical on the timeframe I wanted, but my SO was able to secure 6 months of PAID time off just by talking to her manager about what was going on with her and her plans to leave (keep in mind her case may be unique due to cancer and working for the company for 8+ years).

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

#197

Post by ldehaan »

I used to change out jobs at a maximum of 2 years in. Whatever they hired me to do has usually been done and automated by 2 years and I'm bored. A lot changed for me, nothing to do with cov19d though, that has barely affected me because I'm in the social class that doesn't have to give a fuck. Though I am reminded of that quote from nazi Germany, first they came for... anyways I digress as usual. The only reason to stay at a job or leave a job is the people or the pay. Stay for the people, leave for the pay.

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

#198

Post by canaus »

josh2600 wrote: post #89

Note: I am not an engineer. I’m mostly skilled in telling stories. I got fired from every job I ever had before I started working for myself. Each time I left I ended up in a better job until the last time when I got laid off from a telecom PM role. I went to look for another job and never found one. At the time I was living paycheck to paycheck (barely) so this was quite scary. I did have a small severance but that…

This entire comment reads odd. The begging. The purchasing ETH with severance. The multiple advertisements.

I'm glad it worked out for you, but this is a 1% of 1% tier of luck (especially situationally).

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

#200

Post by nanidin »

nanidin wrote: post #196

I left my job in February 2021 due to being overstressed and eventually burning out. I was in a role where I was essentially on call 24/7, with the only calls actually coming in at early AM hours on holidays. This made it impossible for me to relax during time off, which contributed to the burnout. Around the same time, my SO was finishing cancer treatment, so work stress was not the only stress I was dealing with. I…

I also want to add that I took some time off earlier in my career as well. During that time off I spent a year traveling around Asia, then I tried to create a startup. I was hungrier at the time due to being a lot less established and due to having a clear runway that defined when I would need to have a job in order to be self sustaining. I returned to work with a 50% increase in compensation after that break.
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