Screw it, I quit

http://abstractgeneratorfactory.blogspot.com/2008/06/screw-it-i-quit.html

by anthonyrubin • 18 years ago

28 18 18 years ago

abstractgeneratorfactory.blogspot.com

bastian• 18 years ago

i love it. ;)

DenisM• 18 years ago

Short and to the point.

How did others quit? Please share.

ambition2• 18 years ago

First, I realized that there are two types of happiness relevant to a job. There is happiness through satisfaction in what you have, and happiness through greater achievement. I suspect these are actually personality traits. Some people are good at being happy with what they've got. I'm not.

Then I realized I would never have happiness through satisfaction in my current job. Even if I succeeded wildly and became a VP or CEO one day. At a very deep level, I hate the feeling of disdain from entrepreneurs. Larry and Sergey won't respect you in the morning, indeed.

Then I convinced myself that my full-time employment was not on a trajectory that would bring me full happiness ever. And life is short.

Thus, the logical conclusion. Change is necessary.

I don't have cofounders, so I'll strike out on my own for a while and see what I can build. I'll go to grad school and find cofounders.

Now, details. I talked my way into a good school long after application deadlines. This satisfies important stakeholders such as my parents.

I gave myself enough unemployed time before school to be able to hack something and test out how I work when I am my boss.

I saved a year's living expenses while employed. I moved to 50% less expensive housing and cut other expenses.

I was diplomatic at work about my departure. I didn't burn bridges. I resisted the temptation to vent about everything I thought was wrong about the company and the job. If everything fails, I have a safety net that is only slightly worse than if I didn't take the plunge. I gave my manager notice. I told him my end date was flexible so he had a chance to deal with staffing issues and I could wrap up work. It ended up being a month's notice. Not so long that I waste a lot of time checked out, but long enough that it is a happy parting.

My last day is Friday.

mrtron2• 18 years ago

I had a few major events in my life that woke me up to these same concepts.

" full-time employment was not on a trajectory that would bring me full happiness ever. And life is short." - exactly.

Change is also very important to keep me going - and being pigeonholed in a small role at work always frustrated me too. Glad to see it isn't just me!

alex_c• 18 years ago

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 I "eased" my way in. I switched to working part-time (again, I had the fortune to work with great people at the time - they were sorry to see me go, but very supportive of my decision). It eventually became obvious that even part-time work was too big a distraction, so I quit entirely after about a month.

Not the most spectacular story, but I haven't regretted the decision.

Tamerlin• 18 years ago

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.

yaj2• 18 years ago

I hope I can say it too .... not now. I still have excuses.

ambition2• 18 years ago

Let us help you eliminate the excuses.

yaj2• 18 years ago

Thanks. I am working on it. :)

cconstantine• 18 years ago

I have excuses also.. but I'd really rather not eliminate this excuse (getting married, and need the money to pay for it) :)

larryfreeman• 18 years ago

Funny 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.

mrtron2• 18 years ago

Congrats :)

theoutsiders• 18 years ago

Great work. ;) Takes gumption

ucdaz• 18 years ago

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!

Xichekolas• 18 years ago

"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.

simianstyle• 18 years ago

Well I didn't exactly resign, but the startup I work for is not going to get it's 2nd round of financing...

aditya2• 18 years ago

ouch! I hope you're looking around ...

aditya2• 18 years ago

It'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.

Screw it, I quit

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