Back in June I asked you what you thought of doing the thing you are most passionate about to make a living. We had some great convo on the topic (which you can read here), and I’ve been thinking about it a lot since.
Here’s the exact situation I find myself in. (While only some of you will be able to directly relate, I think most all of you will understand where I’m coming from.)
I have a great paying job as a Quality Engineer in a Pharmaceutical company. I do my work fairly well, get along with folks fine, but am completely bored with it. My passion is to write more, to speak to groups more, and to help other people in their writing and blogging more. I can only do so much of that now with a 40-hr job, an amazing family to lead, and other responsibilities.
I want to leave this career to make a living doing the things I love, and after talking to a lot of folks about it I think I have narrowed down my options to these 5 Philosophies. See if you agree.
The 5 Philosophies of Quitting Your Day Job
1. The “Stop Whining and Do Your Job” Philosophy: which goes…90% of the earth’s population would be so thankful for your job. Who do you think you are to complain about not being passionate about it? Be thankful for it and be thankful for the ability to work on hobbies on the side. If you really are that good at the things you love, someone will come find you. Otherwise, stop wasting your time dreaming about one-in-a-million scenarios and enjoy the fact that you can create things and share them so easily these days.
2. The “Milk Your Good Job” Philosophy: which goes…as long as you have this job that allows you to provide for your family, continue to work at it AND continue to do the things you love on the side. Your “time on the side” is limited, so only spend it doing the things you love. Figure out what the one thing is that you do best and keep working at it with laser-like focus. If that leads to bigger things and allows you to quit your job, which chances are it won’t, great! And if you’re never able to leave your current situation, be thankful for the side projects.
3. The “Craft Your Exit Plan” Philosophy: which goes…the only way you’ll ever be able to leave the job you have to support your family is to plan specifically for it and work harder than everyone else. Forget the “big break”, no one is debating right now whether or not to pay you a salary to write your blog (There’s only 1 Jon Acuff). So figure out 10 things you are good at that you like (not “love”) and start doing them. Some will stick, others won’t, and eventually you might be able to create enough income sources to start doing some or all of it fulltime.
4. The “What if You Got Fired Today” Philosophy: which goes…take an hour or two to truly think about what you would do if you got fired today and were forced to try and make a living doing the things you love. Then start treating your side projects as if you did get fired. The combination of the income from your real job and the hustling you’re doing on your side projects will either get you to the place you want to be or completely burn you out, but at least you’re giving it everything you got.
5. The “Pink Slip and Make it Work” Philosophy: which goes…quit your day job. If you need to downsize to make it work initially, then do it. If you need a small part time job on the side to make it work, then go clean bathrooms. Get a smaller house, get rid of DirecTV, fall back in love with Ramen noodles, whatever you need to do. Make sure you have some work lined up and some cushion on money in savings, but understand that unless you accept the risk and jump, you’ll never leave where you are. Worst case scenario is that you use up your savings, lick your wounds, and go get your job back (or a similar one).
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So here’s my question(s) to you.
+ If you are in a similar position to me, which of these philosophies are you leaning towards?
+ If you were in my position, but have since moved on to pursue your passions, which philosophy did you employ to transition?
+ If you’ve always been in a job you are passionate about, which philosophy makes the most sense to you?
Would love to hear what you all think of this from YOUR unique perspective.
i convinced my husband that i had to stay home because our kids needed to be homeschooled, but that i’d write to generate some income. try that.
seriously though, my husband is a mix engineer with a degree in biblical education that we’re still paying for. god delivered us out of ministry and into rock n’ roll. asking craig to be anything other than what he is, a music guy, would be like asking him to stop breathing.
we make it work. it was really hard for a long time, but we manage by staying on the same page and being in constant communication. now he has his own studio in nashville and is about to sign a management deal.
talk to your wife. find out how much risk she’s willing to take. that’s your answer.
thanks for the thoughts and insight.
Believe me, Erica and I talk about this all the time (and pray about it and fast about it and talk some more). She is super supportive and would do anything to allow me to chase my dreams. Having that support from her is huge, and frees me up to think clearly about all the options and risks and all that.
Definitely a continuing conversation in our house.
go buy her flowers. or a car. she’s a super hero.
I’d stick with the flowers though, if you want to quit your job you’ll need all the money you can get
just kidding. I just wanted to say that I think you’re very brave for even just thinking about giving up job security to pursue your dreams. I hope you find a way to do it that will make you happy.
My husband recently decided to get his Master’s degree. The goal is for him to finish in two years and find a better paying job which will afford me to stay home with the kids (at that point they’ll be in elementary, junior high AND high school). Ideally, I’ll be able to get three kids to three different schools everyday, be more “there” for them, and to write when they’re not there.
However, two years is a long time to wait. So I keep reminding myself of Moses and Abraham. They had to wait with no end date in sight.
you know my story bryan – fate intervened, the economy crashed, and i decided i’d rather be a starving writer than a starving general contractor. and it’s worked out.
(shameless plug – for the story, go here: http://bit.ly/9ugVEg )
as much as i’d like to take credit for making the leap, i can’t imagine i ever would have taken your fifth option unless it was kind of forced on me.
keep doing what you’re doing, add a little deliberate planning/action for a different future, and i think you’ll get to where you want to be.
I’m fine waiting for a bit. I’m an aspiring writer as well, but I readily admit I need more time producing and polishing.
Bryan, you’re in a different situation. You’re ready. You’ve been polishing since 2002 (?) or so. You’re consistent, you’re funny, you’ve built an audience – you’re ready.
My question to you would be: What would you do differently if you had more time? You already write everyday and have done some speaking. What would immediately change if you quit your day job?
If the answer to that would lead you to accomplishing what you want to do, then quit today. If not, enjoy the paycheck.
Thanks for all you do.
I am currently working at Starbucks. And I am supporting a family of 4 doing it. OK, so not really a long-term solution, but I got the minitry equivalent of a pink slip, and now I am on path #5, without the planning and cushion part.
God has provided all we’ve needed, but now I am out here in the world, trying to make a buck or two.
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Good stuff sir. I was in a similar situation this Spring. I had a good job with a Fortune Top 100 Company to Work For. Great benefits, job security, blah blah blah. I was miserable. Bored out of my mind being a robot every day. So I left and started my own company. Oddly enough, I’m doing the same thing I did at my former company, but feel much more energize by the fact that it’s now “my” work and I have the freedom to work how I want. If I want to take a break and run to Sonic, I don’t have to get approval from 14 people to do so. Thankfully, I was able to make a lot of money working for this company for 5 years, and my wife saves like Y2K is really going to happen. Which is nice, considering I haven’t had a paycheck since May (we anticipated this). We did, however, get rid of cable, got cheaper cars, cancelled gym memberships, stopped buying crap we didn’t need, etc. It was and is tough, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The crazy thing is that, even though I’m not bringing in $100k with amazing benefits anymore, my wife still loves me. My kid loves me. My friends didn’t abandon me. (I’m sure there’s a sermon in there somewhere). So eff the world. Do what you love and take care of your family. If it fails, you’ll find something else to do.
This question is exactly where I’m at in life, and at the moment, I’m leaning heavily towards “LEAP, take the risk, and see what happens.” I have taken the safe route for parts of life, but more recently have started choosing the scary, riskier ones, and I can honestly say that although the unknown route brings with it a lot more tumult and struggles in the practical sense, I generally feel happier during those times. I am forced to rely on God when I am risking, and that is a wonderful and powerful thing. I also find that I grow so much more as a person when I force myself to face challenges – with God’s help – that seem impossible. I want to live the kind of life that requires assistance – the kind of life that lets God come in and take care.
So. I say RISK.
God says in ephesians that He is able to IMMEASURABLY MORE than we could ever ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.
And that is SO COOL.
…RISK.
Bryan, what should I tell you? The first two options made me cringe, and made me think of when I first started this crazy journey of writing a blog on an awesome subject: Grief, you know, INSPIRING STUFF (if you want to kill yourself), but now I’m at level three I guess. I have met with several published writers (shameless plug boy included) and consulted them on how they’re doing it, I am part of a local writer’s group to keep me motivated and focused, and I am harassing the self help, counseling, ministry, church, grief, hospital crowd to no END plugging my speaking platform on the topic of grief and society. It’s all because I want to CHANGE how society discusses grief. But here’s the clincher: no one WANTS to talk about grief, so how do I get them to talk about something that no one talks about? Which takes me BACK to level 1. Brutal.
Nonetheless, I’m harassing away, emailing everyone I can stalk down, connecting as much as possible, rewriting the memoir to decide whether I want to put myself through the punishment of corporate publishing, or the self promotional self-publishing, and go from there. I am doing what I can to open some door.
But I do not have a husband, or kids to consider. I have an apartment, a paid off car, a cat, a boyfriend that’s flexible-I really have no reason why I can’t just give it up, buy and RV and do this. So why don’t I?
Well, good luck. Sorry this was all about me.
BTW-you can do this, I’ve read it, I’ve seen you plugging away, you can be number 5.
1. I’d like the idea of Philosophy #4. However, if you’re inherently lazy and tend to procrastinate, this strategy may prove ineffective. However, if you have the focus and drive to work really hard to get initial lift-off until your side projects start paying the bills. But EVERY venture has a start up phase where you word overtime to get traction. The long after-hours shifts will eventually give way to more normal work/life balance.
2. In order to transition from the traditional 40+hrs/wk, full-time job, I got into contracting. I was able to negotiate a decent rate for part-time hours (20-30 hrs/wk), which equaled my previous salary and still left 10 hours a week for me to focus on launching my side projects. Contract work may not come with health insurance and a 401K match, but it does come with other perks that a newbie venture seeker may find enticing…like the gaurantee of a steady paycheck for 3-, 6-, or 12-months while you get lift off. Plus, the networking opportunities that come with contracting are priceless, and typically lead to your next gig if you work the network correctly.
I’m much too terrified to think of how life would be without my income. My wife substitute teaches, I’m a year and a half out of college with debt, and we’re expecting our first kid. I got a job doing what I wanted to do (kind of), but it’s also incredibly boring quite a bit. I love the people I work with and am very thankful for having a job in this crazy economy, but I have other passions/endeavors I’d like to do as well.
I wonder how romanticized “taking the risk” is in our world. How many failed risk takers for all the successes? For now, I’ll just dream.
Also, I want to weigh back in on the folks that say they are bored at their job. I work at flippin’ Starbucks, yet I find ways to make the job fun. Of course, it’s kind of in my job description to engage with customers and make conversation, so that makes it easy, but I am troubled when I hear Christians say that they are bored in their work. I’d recommend the book “Business for the Glory of God” by Wayne Grudem. It was super-helpful to me to see what I am doing at Starbucks even as a God-glorifying thing. And glorifying God makes life fun. Not boring.
while i agree that boredom is often the product of a bad attitude or poor outlook on life, i think boredom can also be a healthy emotion that drives people to positive change.
My reply isn’t really as much about quitting your day job as it is about swapping day jobs, but it kind of relates…
A year and a half ago, I quit my day job as a middle school teacher (not my passion…) to pursue a career as a software developer. I had started a second degree, and had one semester left, and I knew that if I didn’t quit during the summer, I wouldn’t quit in the middle of the school year. So after much prayer, agonizing over whether it was the right choice, and talking for long hours with my wife (who stayed home with our daughter), I decided to resign. I started applying for jobs as a developer, but no one wanted me – I had no experience and hadn’t even finished a degree in Computer Science. We went from August of 2009 to January of 2010 without a paycheck. We had to sell our house (it sold 1 week before we were going to be completely broke and wouldn’t have been able to make the payment) and move in with my in-laws temporarily. We drained our savings (what little we had). And in January of 2010, I was offered a position as a developer with a small company, writing software for educators (kinda stayed in the same niche…).
All this is to say that I think things have a way of working themselves out. Or I should say, God works things out. I struggled so much with whether I was being an irresponsible husband and father – my family thought I was crazy (and some thought I was just lazy). But looking back, I’d do it all again. And now that I’ve experienced God’s provision during that time, I have come to trust Him all the more. Sometimes, I think you just have to jump and trust He’ll catch you, and when He does, you’re more likely to trust Him in the future.
A verse that encouraged me during that time was Proverbs 16:9 – “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” I may be taking this verse way out of context, but to me it said that I could make whatever decision I thought best, and in the end, God will still be in control.
So I say take that leap. It may mean selling your house, living a very different lifestyle, and possibly living with your in-laws (bleh…), but in the end, I think it’s worth it.
Worst case scenario – we have to start a Kickstarter campaign titled “Feed the Allains”…
Sorry – that’s probably not helpful…
I like this as option #6
Ever heard the phrase “Wherever you go, be all there.”? Think about people who have the crappiest jobs you can think of (like people in Dirty Jobs), and then how they make their jobs fun. So instead of hating your job, wishing you were in a situation God hasn’t put you in right now, I’d find a way to honor God by honoring where he’s decided to put you. Learn to make the most of your job while still pursuing your passions.
And seriously, Bryan. If there’s any blogger I follow who’s on the verge of their first book deal, it’s you. I think you just need to pitch a 40-page idea
I know you were talking to Bryan, but I think what you said just slapped me upside the head. Thank you!
thanks for the kind words everyone. certainly didn’t post this in hopes of getting encouragement from y’all, but you guys are just cool like that.
keep the honest thoughts coming, folks. enjoying them.
I could probably write a dissertation on this topic since I decided to make a career change at 25 without quality guidance from anyone.
Long story short – my plan for a new career didn’t entirely work out. I went to grad school for the particular field, but then couldn’t get a position that paid above the poverty level in it.
Was it the right thing to do? It didn’t seem like it and it still doesn’t at times. I’ve spent the last 2+ years bouncing around, not finding a fit anywhere, though a new and different type of opportunity in the field has come along that I will start in Jan. 2011. The last couple years have been a struggle I could not imagine, but during that time I’ve been fortunate to continue to learn and gain knowledge in areas I’m sure will prove useful in the future.
The funny part is that in grad school I met some people who were really important to meet in life – people that completely changed my view of God. Seems ancillary to what I was trying to do, but doesn’t look that way now.
What am I saying? Well, though cliche, I think I’m going to get to where am I’m supposed to be no matter what I do or what choices I make. At least I hope that’s true. The more time goes by, the more I feel that way, though it’s seemingly taken an eternity. I think the same is true for you and if you feel any anxiety about it, don’t.
And what I mean by knowledge gained are things like:
-learning to manage money and how much it really takes to “get by”
-increased empathy for the poor
-more relationships with people of all walks of life
-reading and learning about topics I’ve never had time for in the past
-writing and being creative
I’m pondering trying a 6th philosophy, which goes… think about quitting your day job and pursue further training (a master’s degree) in a field that you’re really interested in and enjoy, all the while praying that God will show you where he wants you to be, and hoping that he doesn’t tell you to go somewhere other than the field you’re moving halfway across the country and spending a ton of money to get a master’s degree in.
I’ve been struggling with this for the last 2 years and find myself leaning more towards the “Pink Slip and Make It Work” philosophy more and more each day. It’s a hard one to swallow, but at the same time, I’m more about enjoying what I’m doing and going without a few extras. I would rather not be strapped to a bunch of bills and extras that forces me to stay in a job that I don’t love. I’m very much a planner, so in theory this philosophy seems the least like the one I should choose, but if I step back and try to plan…it just looks impossible. And then I fear I will never make the plunge.
That said, my husband took the plunge 2 years ago by changing careers at 28 and going back for his masters. He absolutely loves what he is doing now and feels he is doing exactly what God made him to do, but those two years were long, financially trying, and hard on our marriage since all of a sudden it was harder to find time with each other. I think as long as a person is prepared for the difficulty that can come from it, this philosophy makes the most sense. Life is about taking risks, and when you have someone you love along side you that supports you in that risk, it’s even better!
Right now, I’m in the #2 to #3 range. I think the reason why I’m not further down into the #4 and #5 range is mostly because my current employer is a huge blessing in my life right now in comparison to my previous one, and for me to just quit and walk away from this to me would be a huge insult to God and what he is doing in my life.
However, I work in the quality field also, and I don’t want it to define who I am. I’ve been thinking about it lately in that my job is to be critical and nitpicky, and praise God that I have a 45 minute commute home to shake all that off. I would love to have the blog and the book deals and all that, but I recognize that God has me right where I’m supposed to be, and this is where I’m going to stay until I’m told otherwise.
I would look seriously at your situation and consider it from all sides to determine where God wants you to be. Throw out a fleece. If God is giving you success and favor in your work, then you have to stay. However, myself and others can see where God is giving you huge favor in your writing career, so I guess you have to weigh the two out.
When I got this job, my wife was able to quit and become a full-time mom and the money that we saved in day-care plus my increase made up for her monthly salary. Cutting off her income was probably the scariest leap of faith I’ve ever had, because the whole time I was thinking that we were a month away from the bank taking our house. In hindsight, it paid off dividends 5 years later that I never would have realized back then.
I guess now that I’ve argued for every side, I’ve not really made a case for any of them…
Man, I have struggled mightily with this question. For years I was in a job I hated — not with a burning passion, but I definitely didn’t want to be there. The problem was that the money was great and the situation was even better. I had virtually no supervision, and I could do almost whatever I wanted as long as I was getting results. So I was strongly burdened by Philosophy #1 — who was I to complain about such a great situation? It really weighed heavily on me, constantly.
Ultimately, I don’t believe there’s a general right or wrong answer, nor do I believe that there’s a right or wrong answer for most people. It’s one of those things that may just be up to you. Start walking and let the Holy Spirit stop you.
For me, I was eventually blessed with a part-time contract job that bridged the gap from corporate life to 100% freedom with almost no loss of income. Otherwise, I probably would have eventually started working like crazy to get something big enough going on the side that I could make the leap. It’s been almost 6 years now, and it’s way more incredible than I even imagined it would be. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
As a writer, the web has opened up some absolutely phenomenal opportunities for generating income. You have lots of options. Email me and we can talk about it in more detail. I don’t want to hijack the discussion or look like I’m just commenting to get links
This has been a relatively new struggle for me. I’ve always had the idea that obtaining a steady/stable job would enable me to pursue my passions on the side, namely music and writing. But now that I’m in my thirties and have had a consistent and successful career, I almost despise having to give so much time and effort to a job that I’m so indifferent about (honestly don’t give rip about it!). And not having enough time to spend writing or creating music. I’m somewhere between the #1 and #2 range.
I’m late to the party, but let me chime in with my ignorant opinion.
There are degrees of complexity when answering this questions. Even more so when you have dependents counting on your income.
Are you the guy who has written 3 posts that got 20 reads a piece? Then settle down. But you, Majestic Bryan, are not. You have an established voice…a readership…fruitful contacts and a network of people you can legitimately collaborate with or solicit work from. All that to say, you probably haven’t approached this point without consideration of your future.
Only you know God’s calling and path for you, but from the outside looking in, the table certainly seems set.
If you do take the leap, I would urge you to burn the boat once you get to the other side. Discretion is the better part of valor but desperation is the mother of invention.
And with that cliche-bomb, I rest my case.
Does your wife and family support you downsizing to realize your dreams? Could you do work in your field part-time, so you’d have more moments to pursue your passions, but still have a guaranteed income? I went from working full-time to part-time (with my family’s support) and it has been such an important change for me. I feel excited about my future for the first time in a long while. I was starting to resent the life that kept me locked up in a job that bored me. I don’t wish that on anyone. I say go for it, or at least, see if you can limit the daily grind.
May God’s spirit fill you with wisdom and boldness,
Polly
http://www.lazysillygirl.com
Bryan, I went through this same process about 2 years ago now. I was a CPA, with 10 years of experience in audit and corporate finance. I had a very well paying job, with excellent benefits. I was upwardly mobile, with promotions almost every year, and encouragement to keep pushing and excelling.
The only problem? I hated my life. And I’m not exaggerating, I hated it (ask my husband). I cried almost every day because of the stress, I worked incredibly long hours and traveled quite a bit during certain periods. It became unbearable.
I prayed for 3+ years about what I was supposed to do. My husband, you see, is a songwriter. He is passionate about music and after he was laid off around 2003, he pursued his music career 100%. He is signed to Atlantic Records, which is amazing, but not as amazing as everyone thinks. Just because you have a deal in music, doesn’t mean you make steady money. Basically, my job provided for our current and future needs. If I decided to leave, everything would change.
I kept praying about it, but because I’m probably one of the most conservative people in the world, I never felt like I got an affirmation that I should formally leave. The only thing I kept thinking upon was this message my pastor gave years before about “doing something.” In summary, he said that God can only work with what we give him. If we don’t take chances, He can’t take them for us. We need to try (testing out our efforts smartly and biblically, of course) and let God work through the rest.
So instead of quitting my job full out, I ended up taking a leave of absence for about 4 months. I used this time to clear my head, knowing that I had a job to go back to, but allowing myself the time I needed to release my body and mind of the stress that clouded my thinking when I was working.
After those 4 months were up, I didn’t go back. I didn’t know for sure how everything would work and to be honest, two years later, I still don’t. I’m a writer and my husband is a music guy. We are the two most unlikely people to end up in these roles (did I mention that Chris was a former CPA as well?), but we are here because we are trying to pave a different course. It’s challenging in every way possible. We went from having to never think about money, to saving every penny. It’s not fun and I still question the wisdom of my decision, but I don’t think those questions are from God. I think they are more about my doubt and need for security and certainty.
Seth Godin wrote a post not too long ago about not needing to seek permission to try a new path. While I don’t totally agree with that (your wife must be on board 100%), I think we sometimes need to give ourselves permission to make a new way. We need to be smart about our choices (which looks different for everyone), but we can’t allow ourselves to not try because the road is unpaved.
Just remember, regardless of whether you take small steps or one giant leap, you are ultimately going to have to walk full out in faith at one point.
I wish you the best of luck in your decision making. Keep us posted!!
Not sure if it’s the best approach or not, but I’ve always leaned toward a combination of Philosophies 2 and 4.
I remember hearing someone say years ago that there are no secure jobs, only secure people. But (in my opinion) that’s no reason to snub the income that a day job provides, while you have it. After all, I have four teenagers to feed.
That being said, life’s too short not to pursue your passion or give it up for the perception of security. I want to be ready when opportunity knocks.
Great question, Bryan. You definitely got me thinking.
I don’t have a take on this yet, but I’m holding onto this post. Something’s got to give in my life because I hate my job and I’m making less now than I was on unemployment. I have an idea I’ve been thinking about for a while. Just trying to figure out if it’s a GOOD idea and if so, how to make it happen. Thanks for giving me some more things to think about… : )
Fall back in love with Ramen noodles?!? I never fell out of love.
My struggle is entirely different… I have a job that I love, but it barely pays the bills. And my “side passions” would most likely make less. *sigh*
Like many other comments before mine, I find myself in a similar position. I’ve been trying to figure out an exit plan for at least a year now. Soon it will come down to “enough is enough”
Ignoring that I left a dream job in May for a job that seemed like a good idea in June, then had my contract terminated in September while I was in the hospital [not that I'm bitter] …
I generally like #3, but I think the scattershot approach isn’t a good idea. I know that #3 is what you’ve personally been trying, but I’ve noticed you trending towards #4/5.
I can’t imagine you are the type of guy that is going to want to look back at his life in ten years and say, “Boy, I’m glad I chose to play it safe.” Of course you want to provide for your family, and it will be painful at times, but you are never going to be happy until you are using the gifts God has given you.
My husband left me with a 3 year old and newborn baby a year ago. I write kids books, but my royalties were not even close to the full income I was suddenly in need of. Everyone around me told me to get a job (and get on government assistance) but I did neither. I’ve kept doing what I’m passionate about and God has been faithful to provide for me. Granted, I’m a lot skinnier… but it is totally worth it. I’m more fulfilled now then I ever would have been at a job that was nothing more than a paycheck.
If your wife is on board with it, then go for it! Embark on a new adventure and let God lead the way. Don’t be a typical American corporate-slave-consumerist. God is so much bigger than that.
(First time commenter, but I confess I became addicted to your blog because of your Amish sightings. Too hilarious!)