"Why did you quit your job to work on your ideas?"
If you find yourself grappling with similar queries, my reasoning outlined below might aid in your decision-making.
Sometimes, even traffic lights can have tough time making a decision.
Photo - New York City
"Why didn't you pursue your ideas as weekend projects while continuing your full-time job to maintain a steady income?"
These questions are posed to me frequently. If you find yourself grappling with similar queries, my reasoning outlined below might aid in your decision-making.
On average, my weekdays consisted of 8-10 working hours and, every 2-3 months, included weekend duty. The hours weren't excessively long, but the work was intense. By day's end, my mental stamina was depleted, leaving no energy for new or creative pursuits.
My preference is to devote my weekends to family, friends, and household chores. Engaging in quality time with my two young children revitalizes my mind. Occasionally, personal tasks are completed, but this is not the standard.
I am financially able to resign from my job. I am fortunate to have benefitted from the tech boom over the past decade, which has allowed me to accumulate sufficient savings to maintain my current lifestyle for at least a year without any income.
My goal was to fully commit. Intrinsic motivation arises when you acknowledge that there's no safety net. Regular paychecks that cover your bills might not provide enough drive compared to watching your savings account dwindle at an unprecedented rate. Holding myself accountable for my choices is what fuels me.
If not now, then when? I've never pinpointed a perfect moment to test my ideas. Life was a constant progression: student -> employee -> husband -> father. It was time to draw the line.
If you have similar stories, please share in the section below. A little motivation goes a long way.
I was in the middle of the tech boom, and although I can't retire right now, we invested a good chunk of our money into real estate that provides some stable income - if there is such a thing.
But the more important aspect is this: if not now, when? I've spent two decades programming websites. For the past 5 years, I always had a side hustle, a client project I did on weekends, and I rarely had 40h workweeks. Things have changed, and now I work about 20 hours a week, and in the rest, I'm exploring what's out there besides software development.