Resigned from my Job - (w/o a new one in line)!!! @ age 33

**Thrif-t** · 02-19-2020, 08:45 AM

Congratulations to you! Looks like you are doing everything right! You are wise beyond your years to get out now before $ and vacation time makes you a prisoner.

Good luck in your search to what makes you happy.

**disneysteve** · 02-19-2020, 09:05 AM

Congrats. One of the very best things about being financially responsible is the independence it creates. Somewhere around 70% of the population lives paycheck to paycheck. They simply can't afford to leave a job without immediately starting another because they have no reserve to get them through any period of unemployment between jobs, even a week or two.

I left my first real job in February 2000 (age 35) because I was very unhappy with it and it was causing way too much stress. I had nothing lined up. I hadn't even looked for other opportunities.

I ended up being "retired" for about 3 months during which time we spent a week in Las Vegas to attend a conference I had already scheduled and mostly paid for, took an impromptu 10-day trip to Disney World (I literally asked DW on Tuesday if she wanted to go and we left on Saturday morning), and ramped up my collectible business and essentially became a full-time eBay seller for a couple of months.

I very half-heartedly looked for a new job, sending out one or two batches of resumes. Ultimately, a job found me (just as the first one had). A sales rep who used to call on my office told another doctor who was looking for help that I was available.

Good luck to you. You never know what else is out there until you go looking. I'm sure you'll find something better than what you left behind. Life is too short to be miserable at your job.

**bjl584** · 02-19-2020, 09:21 AM

Congrats on your new direction and adventure.
Keep us posted

**james.hendrickson** · 02-19-2020, 09:39 AM

Wow - way to take the plunge! Please keep us updated as to the next steps on your journey!

**amarowsky** · 02-19-2020, 11:03 AM

WOW these are wonderfully supportive comments and anecdotes! (I always consider the S.A. Gang as my “other parents” I try not to disappoint - in regards to financial Life responsibility).

(DS - I’m glad to hear of your similar choice & even MORE happy to hear about your impulsive Disney Trip back then too!)

Currently I’m typing from Scottsdale AZ - vacationing here w/ my wife and her wonderful family. I have been taking this time, more specifically, to get back to being hyper social again. SO I have been getting in touch with family and friends that I don’t get to see as much as I would like to. (Worth noting - I am super social normally. So my version of “lite” social is probably closer to a typical person’s “average” social requirements).

To keep me busy (and I typically help wake my wife up every morning) I get up every day w/ my wife and make her breakfast and/or coffee (plus I wake up our pet Cockatoo Carlo). Then, unless I have a project starting early in the day, I’ll drive Uber, work on resumes, or other projects to force myself to be a bit productive in the morning. (Usually when I make $50 off of Uber, I call it quits). Every day I get to enjoy lunch either with my wife, or a random friend/family member. And then afternoon I leave un-earmarked for either investigating/applying for jobs in industry i like (I really want to take an analyst roll @ a university in a research dept) , working on house maintenance projects, art/creativity projects/playing guitar/piano, prospecting for our side business, or even taking a random day to not do anything and enjoy the stress pouring off of my body that has been building up for years and years.

I can honestly say the freedom/luxury of time, is the most rewarding feeling I could ever ask for.... A huge target on my next job/career will be flexibility of schedule, and hopefully not requirement to work crazy over time. I would gladly trade True flexibility (in a job/industry I enjoy) for excessive income. This is what I consider the exchange that must be made for either Safety or freedom. It seems MOST people (not all) have to make some form of sacrifice in some way. And I like to reduce it to Freedom/Saftey. (Safety pays better @ the cost of your time, freedom being less “traditionally safe” but giving you the freedoms that are more satisfying).

Like many, I do find myself becoming more complacent than I would prefer. Which makes me think that I will need to have some type of job/career in the future. It always seems like I enjoy my time off, much more, when I have some time “On”. But for me, at this time in my life, the ~50 hours a week spent in the same cubicle, had just become very unsatisfying. I think 25-40 hours a week will be my sweet spot. And allow me to have all the liberties required to get my projects done, while still “keeping me honest” and making “enough money”.

I think @ this point, “enough” money is 45-55k. Anything extra basically just get’s thown on a pile, likely to be used by a much older Me, or my heirs one day.

Sorry for typing so much. Just really have been excited the past month. (Really surprised the feeling hasn’t waned yet.... Maybe that is because of the little self inflicted stress I get from the Ubering for 2-3 hours 3-5 days a week). When I get back from Arizona, I’m going to experiment w/ a new daily routine. I’m going to get back into routine exercise, and try to stick to @ least 30 minutes of exercise X 4 times a week. So maybe my morning routine will go from Driving —> Exercise. And I may try out another one of this “Gig” economy jobs. As they have been a lot of fun to experiment with.

(I’m getting pretty experienced, so if anyone is curious, I can give Very Candid feedback about my Mid-west experience with them).

***Also!!! If anyone wants me to try out a “gig economy” part time job, LMK. I’ll be happy to do the investigative reporting! (I’m super curious to try out new projects - and no time like the present to report back to my S.A. Forums crew!)

**kork13** · 02-19-2020, 01:09 PM

Honestly, it's really entertaining and satisfying to read your posts on this thread. You are so clearly excited and happy with your current situation that It's simply enjoyable to see. Really glad that you are in a strong position to be able to enjoy your time like this.

I am the same age as you, and looking at probably doing something very similar when I retire from the military in about 8 years. Go back to school, build up a real estate business, find (or create) a low-stress job that I truly love, and simply enjoy my time. My wife and I will be in a very strong position at that point (really, we already are... She was medically retired from the military about a year ago, and it was merely a blip on the radar for us financially).

As Steve said, being smart & responsible with your money provides a great deal of independence, very quickly once you really get your act together. It's a great position not to find yourself in, but to put yourself in. Because it's definitely an intentional act.

**amarowsky** · 02-19-2020, 02:28 PM

kork13 Very kind words. I think we’re all fortunate to have such a sound community on this forum. Especially because so many of us have hung on for so long! (Even though some of us do our periodic hibernations,me included). I’m excited for when you start prospecting for homes. Don’t hesitate to ask me ANYTHING. We’re about to file our 1st taxes as a partnership LLC, so this will be my 1st K1 (think of it as a 1099 for a business you. Are a partner in). So we are completing our 1st “on the books” cycle as a legit LLC. ANd I already have found a few things that would have smoothed out the process earlier. I’m sure I’ll be learning a lot before & after 4/2020 (tax time).

Kork, speaking of military. My best friend is a marine corp vet, he was active up until around 2010 ish. He did exactly that, went back too school, and actually started investing with me! (Our small business is an LLC partnership between my brother, him,and I as equal partners). We thought this would be a fun way to spread around the risk on our 1st public purchase “test run” rental property. It has been working out well, that is why we are moving on our 2nd!

My big brother and I got thrust into rental world, when my mother passed away in 2014. We had started renting out her house. There were some issues @ first (rented to family....) and now that we have recovered from our early bruises and set backs, things are going much much better. Actually no issues that are out of the ordinary for the past 3 or 4 years. (This is the other reason we wanted to give it a shot).

I Know many people have different stories/experiences w/ rentals. (TexasHusker’s posts share a lot of info on these ideas, especially because his business is WAYYY further along than our little operation). But despite all the bad you hear, it is still (imo) the lowest barrier to entry small business that someone can start on their own. It definitely is NOT as passive as everyone says. It took a lot of time just to find the right house @ 90K, that we could put minor effort into, and turn it into a safe, clean, profitable rental. I’d imagine just the prospecting took ~40 hours over the course of 10-15 2-4 hour visits w/ our realtor. But it was much more fun to do this w/ 2 partners, so we could brain storm. We eventually plan to buy some of our own houses, but it can be helpful working with partners as long as you are open minded, tolerant, and have absolute mutual trust.

Plenty more shenanigans and business ventures bouncing around in my head & on some white boards in my office. I’ll share them as soon as I knock them down! (Especially the failures! I love to make my mistakes as soon as I can, so we can learn more swiftly. Hopefully they’re small*** mistakes though).

Thanks again gang, you guys rock

**ua_guy** · 02-20-2020, 12:36 PM

Congratulations - that is a big step.

I did the same thing. In 2015-ish, tapped out of a 10 year career. I was stressed beyond belief and had experienced some major life events and was unable to cope. With the support of my husband who was working full time, I quit my job until I could figure out what needed to happen next.

I consider it somewhat of a magical time -- like you, I was able to pursue creative interests and experience days without obligation, and without financial worries. I wrote, I hiked, I visited family and took time to do things I wasn't otherwise able to do while working. I was terrified of what it meant for my resume and in the grand scheme of things, but I lived through it.

After some time, long story short, I ended up doing some construction work and it was a great change. I didn't make a lot of money but I enjoyed being outside and having structure to my day. I worked for the wrong employer which made it difficult at times (family-owned business run by a tyrannical descendent), and about 18 months in I freaked out about my future and how far I had gotten away from professional work.

To support my husband in his career, we moved last year which has really turned things upside down. I'm having a panic moment in my career and I'm also crippling under the stress and have developed some health issues as a result. My husband says just quit, we're fine, but, I'm not 'okay' with giving up at 37 and I'm terrified of the future--what if we don't stick together for whatever reason. And also, what the hell do I do with the next 28-30 years of my working life? But maybe a healthy separation from the obligation of work for a while will reveal a new pursuit.

But here's what I've learned. It's OK to say no to the Tyranny of Should. If you don't have to work, don't. Life will go on. Uncertainty is real, but it can be dealt with. Nobody says you can't ever go back to work or even take something that is slower paced, even if it pays less. Stress can and will kill you...you are your best advocate for doing what's right for you.

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 02-22-2020, 05:40 AM

You pay for it now or on the back it. We did a year without income with 2 kids at ages 35 and 37. Best decision ever. I guess we were FIRE? Since we both didn't work. Anyway the way I look at it, sometimes time off means you work another year later. For us the result was obvious and truthfully my DH would never not work with 2 kids going to college. He couldn't mentally wrap his head around it.

**amarowsky** · 02-26-2020, 10:41 AM

Originally posted by ua_guy View Post

Congratulations - that is a big step.

I did the same thing. In 2015-ish, tapped out of a 10 year career. I was stressed beyond belief and had experienced some major life events and was unable to cope. With the support of my husband who was working full time, I quit my job until I could figure out what needed to happen next.

I consider it somewhat of a magical time -- like you, I was able to pursue creative interests and experience days without obligation, and without financial worries. I wrote, I hiked, I visited family and took time to do things I wasn't otherwise able to do while working. I was terrified of what it meant for my resume and in the grand scheme of things, but I lived through it.

After some time, long story short, I ended up doing some construction work and it was a great change. I didn't make a lot of money but I enjoyed being outside and having structure to my day. I worked for the wrong employer which made it difficult at times (family-owned business run by a tyrannical descendent), and about 18 months in I freaked out about my future and how far I had gotten away from professional work.

To support my husband in his career, we moved last year which has really turned things upside down. I'm having a panic moment in my career and I'm also crippling under the stress and have developed some health issues as a result. My husband says just quit, we're fine, but, I'm not 'okay' with giving up at 37 and I'm terrified of the future--what if we don't stick together for whatever reason. And also, what the hell do I do with the next 28-30 years of my working life? But maybe a healthy separation from the obligation of work for a while will reveal a new pursuit.

But here's what I've learned. It's OK to say no to the Tyranny of Should. If you don't have to work, don't. Life will go on. Uncertainty is real, but it can be dealt with. Nobody says you can't ever go back to work or even take something that is slower paced, even if it pays less. Stress can and will kill you...you are your best advocate for doing what's right for you.

I like the move into construction. I have been mulling around the same idea as a “place holder” if/when the proper professional career opportunity presents itself. There is something so human and satisfying about building a physical project from start to completion. I think the common “norm” of our cultures success leans towards status only being given to “higher” positions around construction. THose being the owners, directors, architects/engineers, or anyone w/ slight authority who does not supporting the physical “crafting” of the project. I think we primarily think of this because of the scalability of the positions (meaning they can leverage and create more “value” by directing many craftsman to make things, but actually do little if any physical creation). So the only projects they’re seeing come to fruition are in the form of contracts & transactions.

There are some books on this that I want to read into. I think Nick Offerman (comedic actor from Parks and rec - a.k.a. Ron Swanson) had a book called “paddle your own canoe”. And from the preliminary interviews, it is basically explaining the above. Creating physical projects that you control has a valuable benefit towards human satisfaction. The reason I mention this, is I have noticed a significant up-tick in my overall happiness since I started working some small woodworking projects (and setting up a workshop alone, is quite a satisfying and fun project).

The bottom line seems to be working as a “craftsman” is not scaleble. So it all but completely removes the opportunity of a “moon shot / home run” idea. Because you’re limited to your unique focused time/effort (un-scaleable). It is hard for me to come to terms with this, as I always try to add a “business” perspective when considering an opportunity/use of my time. My former image is my time should be used specifically to build/design/foster scalable projects that have (potentially) limitless potential. The above of course, is only accurate if you stay in the craft. If you start to move towards more of a salesman/expand you own company, you are moving towards scalable style.

I am starting to go against scalability. The “FOMO” from “opportunity cost” of taking a “professional” job vs. a craft is fading quickly. The only FOMO = money earned & perceived status. As my youthful “FOMO” plummets on my list of motivators, I started to realize I am much more satisfied doing something with my hands, and involves interaction directly with customers/clients. Instead of through a litany of middle men (analysts, coordinators, sales people, customer service teams, etc......). Always expanding a business, merely because you can and it will earn more money, seems to be a thing of my past. Although I’m not against making more money, it would just have to be the perfect/good enough situation, demand, and opportunity. So now that I am getting more comfortable for not ONLY chasing a dollar, the idea of construction sounds more personally satisfying. And it Know for a fact it can pay, “more than enough” for me to continue towards my goals. (I think I’m more interested in Cabinet making, as it is a much closer vein to woodworking than typical general-carpentry).

In a nutshell, this is Peter from Office Space. But I do have a lot of other (very interesting to me) irons in the fire (gardening, woodworking, investing, real-estate investing, and even some graphic design stuff I have up on Amazon). Kudo’s to trying out the Carpenter gig! I love that you can legit do “sidwork” as a craftsman too. SOmething I have never had the luxury of offering. I used to work for a Railroad and Corporate automotive (no side work or gigs possible typically)

Lol, bummer I always here people who need “ A deck built, or some trim work replaced”. You never hear a friend ask you for, “Hey this weekend could you give me a hand pulling 20,000 tons of Coal to a power plant for me? Or Hey I need someone to help me manage the Annual reductions for like 300 million of automotive parts I have, I could give you a hundred bucks to help out on Saturday?”. I would love to be able to heed some of those randomly emerging opportunities.

**bjl584** · 03-01-2020, 08:28 AM

Congrats on the new direction.
It's a nice feeling to know that you are able to do that.
All the financial planning and discipline seems to be paying off.
Good luck to you on your next adventure.

**~bs** · 03-01-2020, 04:07 PM

risky, but you're young and can still handle it. What's nice to do is line up a new job with a nice fat break between the two. Last time I did that, maybe 8 years ago, it felt wonderful to just take a break from everything.

**~bs** · 03-01-2020, 04:13 PM

Originally posted by amarowsky View Post

Lol, bummer I always here people who need “ A deck built, or some trim work replaced”. You never hear a friend ask you for, “Hey this weekend could you give me a hand pulling 20,000 tons of Coal to a power plant for me? Or Hey I need someone to help me manage the Annual reductions for like 300 million of automotive parts I have, I could give you a hundred bucks to help out on Saturday?”. I would love to be able to heed some of those randomly emerging opportunities.

If you scaled up to a business that is capable of handling those tasks, you could handle it and make some $$$. As the business, you'd be calling in individuals such as yourself to help with those opportunities.

**amarowsky** · 03-05-2020, 06:02 AM

*Minor Update on Job search*

Just applied for an “Apprentice Cabinetmaker” position. (Overlaps w/ my woodworking hobby that I started a little while back). I would love to spend my time making money while also developing a craft! That has always seemed like a satisfying way to work, I would love it that turned into something! (Way different than more corporate sales, transportation, and finance experience background, but I’m definitely curious and interested in this type craft!)

*Only application that has responded to me so far was Edward Jones (Financial advisor job). I know we’re mostly DIY’ers here, so we typically don’t “need” a financial analyst. Not sure If I’m going to take it... I love helping other people to save, strategize, and work towards their FI. But they want a super aggressive sales person (includes mandatory Door to door sales, and typically 50-60 hours for the first 1 to 2 years). I’m not against the sacrifice... but. I am hesitant to jump into another high demand career, when I want to focus on more satisfying projects and sustainable work in the long run.

It’s only been ~3 weeks since I deployed my first real Volly of applications/resumes/cover letters. So I think I’ll standby. Sounds like I could jump on ED Jones, should my situation turn from comfortable —-> Desperate ( somewhat unlikely w/ our lack of debt though).

The search continues though gang. I’ll keep you all posted!

Resigned from my Job - (w/o a new one in line)!!! @ age 33