11–20 of 52 posts
Me - I quit being a permanent employee decades ago, and only do consulting contract engagements - no regrets. (Admittedly - I am in a country where my basic healthcare needs are provided - and I can purchase reasonable coverage for things that are not)
It's different when you do it to found a company/startup/product. Me - I quit being a permanent employee decades ago, and only do consulting contract engagements - no regrets. (Admittedly - I am in a country where my basic healthcare needs are provided - and I can purchase reasonable coverage for things that are not)
I quit a hell of a job (in the good sense!) kinda out of nowhere at a point in my career where I was in a great upward trajectory to go on an "indefinite sabbatical" (turned out to be 7 months). I did not quit to start a company, but the sense of multiple plunges does resonate. From my perspective: - It's very hard to detach yourself from stable (and growing) personal finances - The comparison aspect is always there,…
I quit a hell of a job (in the good sense!) kinda out of nowhere at a point in my career where I was in a great upward trajectory to go on an "indefinite sabbatical" (turned out to be 7 months). I did not quit to start a company, but the sense of multiple plunges does resonate. From my perspective: - It's very hard to detach yourself from stable (and growing) personal finances - The comparison aspect is always there,…
I quit a hell of a job (in the good sense!) kinda out of nowhere at a point in my career where I was in a great upward trajectory to go on an "indefinite sabbatical" (turned out to be 7 months). I did not quit to start a company, but the sense of multiple plunges does resonate. From my perspective: - It's very hard to detach yourself from stable (and growing) personal finances - The comparison aspect is always there,…
My boys will be in college in about 6 years. My wife and I have been talking about what comes next for us. I would really like to make a significant career change but, yeah, it’s pretty scary. My current job is pretty secure, good pay, good benefits but brutally hard. I work leading delivery in consulting for very large projects. Pretty much the hardest role in the most cutthroat industry. It takes a toll.
Quitting to quit working is a different feeling. You may spend time in the first month untangling your role and your ego. I had no idea how important the status was to me until I was just a guy, at home, that no one needed. It was a valuable lesson about self worth, and one that stayed around after I rejoined the work force.
I've been trying to express to other people who have lost jobs that this is the positive side of it: Letting go of it all, thinking about who you really are and where you really want your life to go before making decisions on your next move. I'm trying to encourage people to take time to go through this process before just jumping straight into new efforts.
Like the article said, good ideas can sound bad, and bad ideas can sound good, so those of us who have the luxury of living in limbo for a while should take this as a golden opportunity to let all that shake out before committing to a new direction.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
My boys will be in college in about 6 years. My wife and I have been talking about what comes next for us. I would really like to make a significant career change but, yeah, it’s pretty scary. My current job is pretty secure, good pay, good benefits but brutally hard. I work leading delivery in consulting for very large projects. Pretty much the hardest role in the most cutthroat industry. It takes a toll.
This is why spouses sometimes divorce anyone leaving a high pay industry to rest. They have to act quickly to lock in high alimony/child support to maintain their standard of luxury at high imputed income so the spouse will go to jail if they don't continue their stressful job.
It's different when you do it to found a company/startup/product. Me - I quit being a permanent employee decades ago, and only do consulting contract engagements - no regrets. (Admittedly - I am in a country where my basic healthcare needs are provided - and I can purchase reasonable coverage for things that are not)
I then moved to Canada, consulted for a couple years with legacy American companies and then got enticed to take an executive gig at a Canadian "start-up" (that basically turned in to a consultancy). 8.5 years of that and I was pretty unfulfilled and very stressed.
So I went back to consulting. I will say that Canadian health care made that decision easier, but in 2022 I started my move back to the US.
Still consulting, but for sure, that health insurance bill makes me take projects that remind me of why I left the executive gig.
That said, I've never wanted to fully "retire". I like the work, I just don't like the unreasonable parameters most engagements have, and I'm hoping that in a couple years (when mortgage and some other expenses are over) that I can go back to maintaining healthy boundaries with clients and work.
Because, I do like the work. I just don't like the grinding.
-s