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My fellow blogger friend Joe from Retire by 40 has recently been pondering whether it’s finally time to go it alone. I was in his shoes not very long ago: I had been with my company for a long time, I got along well with my coworkers, and I had a very comfortable work environment. At the same time, the projects have been dying, people have been leaving, and after two acquisitions and divestitures, the company atmosphere was no longer the same. I finally reached the point in my life where it was time to move on to a new adventure. Yes, you read that right: I quit my job!
I have been planning this move for a long time, and I still feel some trepidation about what lies ahead; the future is now less certain and less known than it was only a few weeks ago. At the same time, I am very excited, and I am looking forward to all of the opportunities that lie ahead!
Some background on my job
I have been with my company for a very long time, since well before graduating university. I started out as a student intern, and I continued working there on and off while I did full-time school. I left for nearly a year when I went to do an internship at another company and when I participated in an overseas student exchange; once I came back from overseas, I returned to work at this company.
I joined the company as a permanent only a few months after graduating, and I have continued to build my career since then. I have made friends here, and I have also watched many of them leave and move on to other places. I have survived several rounds of layoffs and I have even survived several changes of ownership! I work as a software developer in the mobile industry and it is not uncommon for entire companies to be gobbled up and later repackaged and sold.
This company has been a really great opportunity for me. It has provided me with the space to learn a lot about software development and about working in a professional environment, and I have grown so much in the years that I have been here.
So, if it’s been so good, then why do I want to leave?
What led up to this moment
While there has been a lot of good, it hasn’t been all rainbows and butterflies. While the marketplace has been rapidly evolving, the company hasn’t quite been keeping place. The customer base has been declining and there is no longer the sense of dynamism that there once was. At the same time, there are not many opportunities for career growth as there are a lot of mid 30s and mid 40s people at the company, and they occupy all of the mid-level positions.
A few months ago I was rather demotivated, as we spent several months working on a forward-looking project that was later killed. We were then moved onto another project that felt like a manager’s bridge to nowhere, and to add insult to injury, I was kicked out of my nice window spot after they canned the previous project. On top of that, I had been told that even though I had went above and beyond that year and I was ready for a promotion, I shouldn’t expect much and it was anyone’s guess as to when that promotion would actually come.
Things did improve after that very demotivational time. That entire office suite was closed and we all moved into a nicer office suite where the seating was less “Office Space” like, less arbitrary, and fairer. After losing my nice spot of earlier, that was something that I could live with since we were all in the same boat now. I also got the promotion, though it was really more of a recognition of what I was already doing and the raise did not make that much of a difference. Given that the company was bleeding money and was laying people off left and right at the time, I didn’t push the matter. This recognition helped to take the edge off, though, and I no longer felt that unhappy.
I was at a crossroads
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I got a feel for what my future at the company would be like: if I put in another 5-10 years of effort at the company, I might be able to raise my salary by another 20% and maybe get one more promotion. It would be another few years of working on bridges to nowhere and just passing the time, saving some money, but I would then be in my mid 30s to early 40s and not living the life that I truly want for myself. It would be very comfortable, but at the end I might get tossed into the street anyways, so I could not say that it would be very secure. If I really wanted more growth, I would have to find a job elsewhere and perhaps go back to school to get a master’s degree. Even though I was no longer as unhappy, I still felt like I was at a crossroads. Do I stay on the ship and risk going down with it, or do I take a jump now and brave the icy waters? Maybe it’s not as cold as I fear.
I looked at the mid-levels and seniors around me, and the main difference between what I do and what they do is that they have a bit more experience and more seniority and salary. Their heart is not in it, though. There is no passion, and these people are only there to feed their family and go home to their wives and kids. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but I no longer feel that there are new opportunities to grow and expand like there once was.
Now is the moment
I am going into my 30s soon, and I feel that if I want to make a change, now is the time. I don’t yet have kids, and I have been able to save up nearly a year’s worth of expenses in a stash of cash. I have found at least two things that I am passionate about: mobile software development, and writing online. I am not a master at either, but I greatly enjoy doing both and I have enough passion for both to continue doing them for the long term. I enjoy Android software development, have recently released a new app, and a fellow Yakezie also has her own debt app. The difference is that I want to do it for myself. Reading “The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World” might also have had a bit of an impact so I can also thank Dr. Dean for a bit of a push. 🙂
I also have no choice if I want to do it for myself. I want to start my own company, and I am not allowed to do that if I continue to work where I am. When I became a permanent, I agreed that I would not pursue another occupation while employed with the company. This means that so long as I am employed by them, I cannot pursue my own dreams.
So far, I have accepted that trade-off while things were good so that I could build up my career, gain experience, and put away savings so that we could buy a home together. Now, with everything that I have gained over the past few years, I feel like it’s now the right time to make the next move. If I wanted to advance my career, I would have had to quit anyways, and the worst possible outcome is that I end up re-entering the workforce at another company, which is what I would have had to do anyways.
What makes my situation different than others?
My situation is not quite the same as some others. When Budgeting in the Fun Stuff quit her job, she had a proven sideline that now generates far more income than her job ever did. I don’t have a proven sideline, but I do have a plan and I do have marketable skills. Others like So Over Debt and Beating Broke left abusive employment situations. That is not the case for me. I might have been unhappy at times, but it was never abusive. I get along well with my bosses and coworkers, and I will miss them.
When I gave my resignation letter to my boss, he was sad to see me go, and he really wanted me to stay. I could have had a very good and comfortable time staying at my company for the next five years, even if the ship is sinking, and that is what makes the decision all the harder. I have every intention of keeping the bridges intact, and that is why I decided to quit with grace.
What am I going to do now?
What I would like to do is to continue growing my websites, as that will be my bread and butter until I can ramp up in other areas. I also have a stash of emergency savings that can last me most of the rest of the year, assuming I don’t make another dime. I for sure don’t want to rely on that, though.
I will also start developing my own mobile apps and start doing freelancing and consulting work for others. If you would like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. Yes, I Am Cheap doesn’t believe that you can be a full-time freelancer and blogger, but I am out to prove her wrong. I did this as a living for my company; why shouldn’t I be able to do the same thing as a living for myself? Things are set in motion; I live in an area where there can be a lot of bureaucracy for this stuff, but the legal stuff should be out of the way within a couple more weeks.
Unlike others, I don’t already have something proven that I can expand. A lot of the waters ahead are uncharted, and I will be learning as I go. I will greatly appreciate your feedback on what I am doing right and what I can improve on. My ears are wide open, and I am open to all feedback, positive and negative. I am up for this adventure, because I know that the worst that can happen is that I end up doing the same thing for a boss instead of for myself, or a customer. 😉
My personal motivation
After a few years of doing the corporate life, I have decided that I can’t do the same thing for the next five years. I need to do something different, and I need to do something that will fit in with my dream of financial freedom. It was hard for me to make this decision, and I was shitting bricks when I handed in the resignation letter to my boss. Some people think that it takes guts to quit their job, but I don’t like to think of myself as someone who is brave, because the truth is I am scared a lot of the time. Scared of failure, scared of rejection, and sometimes scared for no good reason at all. I am more nervous and anxious than the normal person, and this is something I would like to improve upon going down this road to the future.
Before making a big decision like this, it is always very important to have the support of close family and loved ones. Even if they don’t agree, it’s still good manners to let them know. I have the great support of my girlfriend, who will be encouraging me and who has approved of my plan. You can bet that if she was against it, I would have a much harder time following through.
I also have the support of my grandmother, and to put things in context, this woman is like my entire close family to me. She is the one that helped turn my life around when I was a troubled teen, and she told me not to sit around and just take things like they are. She encouraged me to push forward, and whenever I feel pity for myself because of whatever crap I had to go through, I just remind myself that it’s nothing compared to what she, as an immigrant that came here in the 50s, went through in her life.
Those of us born and living in North America are incredibly lucky, and I almost find it wasteful for us to not take advantage of all of the opportunities that we have. I am very lucky to have people like my grandmother and girlfriend in my life, even if I sometimes forget it.
I would also like to thank all of you: those of you whom I emails directly and provided great coaching and advice, those of you who have written about your own experiences, and also those of you who have simply stopped by to visit and comment. You all brighten up my day, and words don’t express how much I truly appreciate it. I will keep you all updated on my adventures, and wish all of you the best and a great 2012. 🙂
Dear reader, have you ever contemplated a move like this? As of the time of this writing, I still have a couple of weeks to go, but by the time you read this, I will be out! If you have recently done a similar move or if you are planning to do so, then I sincerely wish you the best of luck. Life is too short and uncertain to get too comfortable and afraid.
I took this route too. Grabbed an opportunity to leave with a severance to follow my dreams. Scary? Yes. Am I freaked out right now? You better believe it. In the end though, it’s about realizing what is truly important nd making the things the priority even if that means a huge step into the unknown.
@Wanderer_RN If you left with severance then that is really great. I had my fingers crossed when I found out our company was getting sold (again), but no such luck. I am a bit freaked out, but in a good way. I am liking this adventure so far.
Go for it Kevin, I fully support your move particularly now that it is the right time. You have the skills to fall back on in a worst case scenario. What you have to lose is very little compared to the upside you enjoy with success. Hopefully, I get to publish a similar post one day!
@BeatingTheIndex One year of retirement in the worst case, right? 😉 I really hope you get to publish a similar post in not too long from now. 🙂
Great stuff mate. Reading what you have written, it is easy to see that it was definitely time for you to do something new. I think that it is fantastic that you have the funds to enable you to follow your passions too. I really hope this works out for you and look forward to hearing about your progress.
Good luck!
@MoneyCactus Thanks 🙂 I hope to follow this road for a good 1-2 years, so hopefully I can start generating some more income, but I can tell you that I am definitely LOVING this over what I was doing a few weeks ago. 🙂
Congratulations, Kevin! I hope you’re experiencing the same euphoria that I did (actually I still feel that way, two months later). I can’t wait to see how self-employment treats you.
And for the record, being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared. It means you’re terrified and you take action anyway. 🙂
@sooverdebt I like this comment on bravery!
@sooverdebt
Absolutely sooverdebt! Action without fear is just action… Action despite fear, now that is bravery and deserves to be recognised 🙂
All the best Kevin! No matter where life takes you, I know you have the strength, fortitude and support from your girlfriend, to be a success – whatever the definition of success finally ends up being for you!
@SophieW @sooverdebt Thank you Sophie — I agree, it’s all part of the adventure. One of my hangups from before was being afraid to dip in because I was thinking of the worst instead of all the things I could gain from the experience.
@sooverdebt I’ve felt a mixture of elation and knots in my gut, and it’s only been a couple of weeks! I am really digging it so far. 🙂
bold move especially in a comfortable situation like yours. good luck with the sites and mobile apps – will be keeping an eye. congratulations Kevin
@Sunil l Wealth Building First mobile app published today! http://yakezie.com/forums/bloggers-lair/i-launched-my-first-android-market-app-easy-voice-recorder/
I think you are making the right choice! You can always go back to a regular day job but you will rarely have this opportunity to work on your own company again! Trust me, once you get a wife and kids, things are a bit more complicated 😉
keep it up!
@The Financial Blogger That is what I hear! 🙂 It is a good opportunity, and I’m happy to be doing it now. You’re right, the doors are open on both sides, too.
Kevin, you’re going to do great! When I quit my day job, I will be sure to reference this post… although, I still have 10 months (at least). 🙂 Let me know if I can help in any way. I can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeves. 🙂
@20sFinances Ten months isn’t too far from now! I’ll be looking forward to that one, too.
Kevin! Good Luck! You are very brave. I would not be able to do anything like this. I wish you all the best of luck. I will be cheering for you and following your success (because I know you can do it.)
@aloysa2000 That is what the people at work were telling me, though a lot of it comes down to circumstances. A couple of years later with potentially a kid having arrived? It would be a lot tougher at least for a while. Thank you for the support. 🙂
Kevin, I agree w/ Doc Dean. Fear is a great motivator. And of course, so is success! I’ve seen many people make this sort of leap, but not many with the planning and forsight you’ve put in, so you’ve got a big leg up. Good luck, I’m sure you’ll do well.
@Geoff Thanks, Geoff, and I appreciate our discussions as well as they helped out a lot. It’s only been a bit more than a couple of weeks, but things are moving fast! 🙂
Good for you! It takes gut to make the transition and to set on a new path.
@DividendEarner Thanks, Eric 🙂
Wow, this does seem like it was a long time coming! Anyone else who has an employment situation where you’re driving yourself crazy, feel free to ignore my site title if you’ve got options to leave!
I wish you luck in your future endeavors, and I can guarantee you at least one reader (heh!). I hope you’ll be linking to any Apps you write?
@PKamp3 Haha, I was wondering what you would have to say, with a site title like yours 😉 First app is live: http://yakezie.com/forums/bloggers-lair/i-launched-my-first-android-market-app-easy-voice-recorder/ I am now out there, for the world to criticize or praise. 😉
Congrats Kevin and good luck. I too think you are going to do awesome. You are young and now is the time to take a leap while you can and the risk is less. I say open the door and see where it takes you.
Let me know if I can do anything to help.
I too am looking for a change, I am just not sure what that change needs to be yet.
@prairieecothrif Thanks, Miss T! You are doing great on the blogging front, and I think that opportunities will continue to present themselves there as time goes on.
Exciting stuff Kevin, and congrats for making the move! I’ve thought about this for the past couple years since the one thing missing for me online is developing a product to market around and sell. I think it would be fun to create a product of our own and also do consulting.
Freedom, not so much financial freedom, is the true aim here, since how much do we really need to be happy? Not much I don’t think!
Happy to support you in whatever you want to do!
Best,
Sam
@Yakezie Sam, whatever you eventually get into, I have no doubts that you will absolutely dominate and do very well. You have a special talent for this, and I appreciate that you started the Yakezie, because the Yakezie has been a very big catalyst for my jump through all of the relationships and opportunities that we have built up over time.
I am living on a 67% pay reduction, and while it will be good to make some money and it will make my gf happier and more secure, I know what you mean, too. I miss the money less than I appreciate having this opportunity ahead of me. Thanks again for the support! 🙂
Good luck Kevin! I know it is tough to leave a comfortable spot. Support of friends and family is a must on this decision. It will much more difficult if you have to really do it on your own.
I was promoted pretty quickly over my first 7 years and then my career hit the wall. To get another promotion, I would need to be a “leader.” That’s not my personality and I couldn’t break through that wall.
I am much more comfortable as a foot soldier.
Thanks for sharing your story. It gives me hope. Let me know if I can do anything to help.
@retirebyforty I agree, the support was and is one of the most crucial factors. If my gf was against it, I don’t know what I would do. I would not want to make it a choice between her and my dreams. I am so lucky that it doesn’t have to be a choice. 🙂
I went from a student to full-time, and then bumped up a job grade, but now I don’t think another promotion would have made me happier, not while things aren’t looking great and I am working on building bridges to nowhere.
I think you are more of a leader than you think, Joe — your blog leads me by example every day. I never liked the dichotomy between “leader” and “foot soldier” as I have no interest in either telling other people what to do or in doing what other people think is important if I don’t agree. That is one aspect of the corporate world that I admittedly did not have much issue with, but I will not miss this at all. This is the main reason I did not just find another job instead — I want to do my own thing. 😉
I can see similarities between our paths, and I think that you will do great when you finally do make the decision. It’s very important that you have the support of Mrs. RB40 and that you would also be comfortable living on less, at least for a while. If you got that, then I think you have it made. 🙂
Congratulations Kevin, taking that leap of faith is very frightening, but it has so many rewards! I left my job in August in order to help my husband grow our company and I have to admit that it is the scariest thing I have ever done. Having said that, I don’t regret my decision one bit, and I would take all the self doubt, anxiety, and stress that comes from being self employed over what I did before. It won’t always be a bed of roses, but pursuing your dreams and living the life you’ve always wanted is a much better trade-off. I wish you the best of luck, and hope to see you around the @Yakezie network!
@directbanc Congrats on leaving the job and I’m really happy to hear that it is working out for you. I hope to report the same back within a few months. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Hi Kevin.
First time I’ve read your blog (I’m visiting from a tweet Mrs. BFS sent out).
I really love the article. Recently on my blog I held a giveaway for Jon Acuff’s new book, Quitter – closing the gap between your day job and dream job. While you’ve already made the plunge it might not hurt to check that out.
Secondly, I’ve done something very similar to this and I’d encourage you to think positively. I went from making $100,000/year doing a job that I cared little about to pursuing a job in the financial industry coaching clients through the Dave Ramsey program (while making $20,000/year). Now I do what I love in blogging and also working as a financial coach and investment advisor.
What I discovered was that #1, you’re going to work harder doing something you love than by doing something that brings you “demotivated” times. #2 is that you’re going to work harder and wiser knowing that your bills and livelihood are on the line.
Lastly, all of that hard work leads to opportunities that will present themselves that you may not yet see.
I believe that trials and situations in life bring forth opportunities to learn, grow, and propel ourselves to greater possibilities. You have a wonderful opportunity ahead.
Best of luck,
Jason
@worksavelive Thanks for this feedback Jason. Very insightful. Thx, Sam
@worksavelive Agreed with Sam, thank you for the great feedback and encouragement. I will have to check that book out.
Congratulations Kevin!
I know you are going to love it, and be very successful. You are right, now is the time to do this, and you can always go back to a ‘corporate’ job if you want to. Life is to be lived, and you might as well enjoy every minute you can.
Send your grandma some flowers by the way! 🙂
@Kris at Everyday Tips Thanks, Kris, I am definitely feeling the change now and living it in a different way. It’s something when you feel that everything is on the line, but you are very motivated, too. Haha, if I do very well I should bring her on a trip. I’ve been pushing her a bit but she is being stubborn. 😉
Congratulations on quitting your job to do something you love! I hope to follow in your footsteps in the relatively near future! Thanks for sharing and the best of luck to you! Thanks, Timothy
@Wealth Artisan Thanks, Timothy, really? That is really cool. I think you’ve made some great progress with Wealth Artisan and I’ve enjoyed seeing the site progress over time. Would love to see where you are headed, next. 🙂
Greetings Kevin and Congrats on being self-employed! I wish you and your websites the best of luck in your endeavors! By the way, I love the picture you used at the top of the post! “The Office” is one of my favorite shows, although it will never be the same without Agent, Michael Scarn, FBI…Humbly Yours, The Mayor
@Mayor of Humbleville I admit that I have only seen parts of it and not the whole thing, but it seemed like a fitting pick! Thanks for the good wishes. 🙂
Congratulations! Good for you for making the move instead of just going with the flow. I wish you the best of luck and let us know exactly what your talents are so we can help you out by hiring you. 🙂
@outofdebtagain I really should be updating the services page, eh? I just need to be sure I have all the legalities and stuff in place, but for now nothing stopping me from writing and working on my own apps. Thanks for the push! 🙂
Good luck Kevin. It’s good to be proactive when one is stagnating in a job. Also better to do it before you have kids — they would definitely magnify your fears and trepeditions (spelling?).
I allowed myself to stagnate for 10 years and ultimately got “restructured” out of my last job. I am glad to see you won’t be making the same mistake.
By the way, I am nearing 60 and still haven’t found my passion!
@Be en In a way though I think anything could be a passion so long as you are not too entirely reliant on it. If I had just the blogging, or just the mobile dev… it would be more constrained. Now I can be a bit more flexible in going from one to the other.
Thanks for the feedback, and I will keep you and all posted on how it goes. Agreed on the kids, too! If I waited a couple more years I’d be stuck for a bit. 😉
It sounds to me like you are making a good move at a good time for you. Don’t look back.
@Thad P Thanks for the encouragement, Thad!
Kevin, I think about this all the time, and I am planning a similar move in just a few months. I think my situation is very similar to yours in that I do not have guaranteed income right now to replace my salary, but I do have savings to tide me over while I work out all the details when I quit. I know some people say it’s hard or can’t be done, and I don’t believe that. I don’t think it will be easy, either, but, to me, it’s just something I need to do before I can go on working a job ever again if I have to.
Best of luck with this, and I’ll definitely be following along!
@Jeffrey Trull I think that there are a lot of naysayers out there, and some of them are right, but surely many people are able to do it, too. I think the biggest blow against the naysayers though is that if you have the experience, you can always go back into the workforce. If you have a strong belief in this, what is there to be afraid of? This will be a great career move. 🙂
Best of luck to you too, and can’t wait to read your post in a few months. 🙂
I am looking at doing something very similar, but I am not brave enough yet. I think my entrepreneurial spirit is fulfilled with side ventures.
I wish all the best and I know who to look for when I need a mobile app developed.
@Thirtysixmonths Oh, I would definitely appreciate that. 😉 I like the progress you’ve been making with your site and love the new theme, too. Looking forward to reading more about the side ventures.
Congratulations for leaving the job before the “ship sinks”. Right now I’m not able to quit my day job, but I definitely look forward to the day that I’ll be able to hand in that resignation letter. For now I’m just plugging along and enjoying my health insurance, vacation time etc. But I know that someday I’d like to venture out on my own and follow my real passions. Forge ahead and don’t let the “what ifs” make you nuts.
@SmallBudgetBigDreams Who knows, the ship might stay half in the water for years with a population of working zombies. You will feel very happy on that day, and if you prepare ahead of time, the decision will be easier as you will have your bases covered. Hoping that day lies not too far in the future. 🙂
Wow… except that I am a few years older and we don’t have nice window spots here in cubical land, I could have written this post of yours (up until the quitting part). I, too, struggle sometimes with the money and security versus having a life I truly enjoy. You are my new inspiration going forward… I look forward to continuing to read about your journey.
@The Single Saver Oh at one point it was very office-space like, but I have the admit the digs were decent by the time I left. Thank you for the compliments, and I really hope that I don’t disappoint. The focus of this site will be moving toward lifestyle, financial freedom and getting out of the rat race — I always wrote about these subjects, but I feel both me and the readers can benefit more if I focus more on that area.
I sold my company when it was skyrocketing. Then I questioned the wisdom of what my heart was (strongly) telling me to do. Today I’ve very happy that I did. I think you have some clear expectations of what you want from life, which is a great start on your new path. Great post. Congrats!
@AverageJoeMoney Interesting, would love to know more about this story! 🙂
Congrats on making the move as well as documenting the thoughts and steps behind it! It will be a great resource and motivator to many others I am sure! You will do great things! Keep your path and you will achieve the goals you have set for yourself!
@YourSmartMoneyMoves Thanks! Great ideas on the documentation, as once I’ve been through the entire process I could share this information and help others out.
Thanks for giving me that little bit of an extra push, I needed it! A little bit of fear is good so not as it is not paralyzing, I agree with that. It helps me to get up in the mornings. 😉
I will definitely keep you all updated, rain or shine, and hope to see a similar post from you one day. 🙂
Oof, moving across the country can be a much bigger jump! I still live in the same area, so I did not have to give up most of my interpersonal relationships. Thanks for the feedback, and I enjoy coming back to read about the next motivational letter. 🙂
Haha, well, a couple weeks going and biggest regret is probably the regular paycheck. 😉
Haha, yes, my insurance premiums suddenly increased and I now have to pay for it out of my own pocket! Going on your own can be expensive… but hey, if the company found money to pay for it, I can, too. I also wish you the best of luck on the search and adventure.
@InvestItWisely Time to put a ring on it? 😉
@retirebyforty Ooof, indeed, and that, too 😉
You may not have a proven sideline YET, but you definitely have the skill set to make it on your own. You have clearly given this a lot of thought and weighed the pros and cons. I’m sure you will be very successful at whichever route you choose to pursue. Best of luck!
@TacklingOurDebt Thanks for the kind feedback! At the end of the day I went for it and hoping the journey is a great one.
Thanks! The early thirties are nearly here, so time to ward that off before it happens. 😉
Congratulations Kevin! Leaving an easy comfortable job is a tough decision to make. Please keep in mind that even though you will be doing things that you love, it might not stay as exciting when you have to to think of insurance, retirement etc. But , then again, how would you know unless you don’t try. Good luck with everything and will definitely keep you in mind for any freelancing opportunities.
@EverythingFinance The insurance and other stuff is definitely not as exciting, but unfortunately comes with the turf. 😉 Very good point about not knowing until you try. I think it’s important to keep our heads out of the clouds, but at the same time, it’s also important to have dreams. Thanks for the great comment. 🙂
Thanks, Jon! I wonder if it’s normal and a generational thing to go through after being at a workplace for a while. I also think that we have many ideas and “illusions” that wear off over time, especially once we’ve been out of school and in the “real world” for a while. I also wish you the best of luck on your new path going forward!
I think the problem with the unknown is that our imaginations can run wild and invent all sorts of stories and excuses that simply don’t hold up to further scrutiny. Both the optimists and the doomsayers are right, but only to a certain extent. At the end of the day though, there’s one life to live, and it’s gotta be lived.
Thanks for the feedback and compliments, and congrats on all the great progress with your sites as well. 🙂
Thanks, Simon, and you are very right — it’s going to be very important for me to use this opportunity to grow and further my skills, and I hope that I’m on the right path here. I released the first app to the market today, and initial reports haven’t been too harsh. 😛 I am amazed, because in the same amount of time at my day job, working in a team, we most certainly didn’t get as much done!
This is very true — working in the mobile software industry, there are a lot of opportunities, and the field is growing rapidly. I imagine that the medical industry isn’t doing too badly either. 😉 Thanks for the ongoing promotion of IIW and the great feedback — I really appreciate it. I also love your posts and am checking back often to read the next one. 🙂
Huge congrats and yes- I recently quit my job and blogged/worked from home full time so I’m extra happy for you! Give yourself time to adjust to a new schedule/lifestyle and what changes a career switch can bring!
@FrugalBeautiful Wow, very nice. I am happy that so many people are taking this step… we really are entering new times. 🙂
Congrats, Kevin. Thanks for sharing your story of deciding to make the leap. Best of luck to you.
@Philip Taylor Thank you, I will do my best. 🙂
Awesome stuff Kevin. You’ve got guts and the goods, to succeed!
You may not have a booming online empire yet, but that might just be around the corner.
Whatever your future holds, I hope it brings you great success, joy and some thrills along the way.
I will be following and reading 🙂
Mark
@My Own Advisor Thanks Mark, and thanks for being such a star blogger. Glad to have a guy like you in my corner. 🙂
An admirable move Kevin. Go for it. Try it. Give it your all. You can always find another job. But trust me, there could be scary times ahead. When you are 6 months from now and you have not created an income stream yet that is big enough, fear could creep in. But if you do not take this step, you could be fired tomorrow and be in the same boat, but now it is your choice. That feels way much better.
@vanbeek101 Heh, definitely, sometimes fear creeps up even today and I go “oh sh!t, is this right?” Thanks for sharing some of your insights; I am looking forward to the next months and to the future. 🙂
Wow! What an incredibly powerful and personal story! Thanks for sharing, and I wish you the best of luck on your own. It sounds to me like you have really been giving this some thought for a long time. Given your success with this website, Yakezie, and your background in software, I’m sure it won’t take you very long to find your rhythm and replace your income.
@MyMoneyDesign Thank you! Two weeks in and I am starting to find my rhythm; toughest part so far has been coming up with a business name!
I support you in your decision, however, keep yourself motivated and work hard. You will be able to reap from the benefits later down the line I’m sure. No matter what happens, you will gain knowledge and experience. Good luck 🙂
@AmoTango 🙂