Screw it, I quit
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abstractgeneratorfactory.blogspot.com
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.
If I had seen this post before resigning, perhaps I would have sent it instead of the one I sent.
How did others quit? Please share.
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.
" 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!
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.
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.