Friday was my last day. I had always thought that the day I walked out of the office for the last time I would have the same feelings of happiness and excitement as I do leaving the office for a three day weekend, only multiplied. I was wrong. As I sat in my car about to leave the parking lot I was closer to tears than celebration.
Did I make the right decision?
I left a good salary, solid benefits, and a team I really enjoyed. Just a few weeks after my son was born. I did it because I was becoming comfortable and complacent. No longer challenging myself to create better things. To be a better person.
I have the opportunity to work on something that both improves lives and provides for my family. That’s worth the pay cut and the uncertainty.
Here are a few short things I’ve learned in this process:
- If you live conservatively, have money saved, and stay out of debt, change is a lot less frightening to make.
- Just because something is upsetting, doesn’t mean it was the wrong decision to make.
- If you get too comfortable and set in routine, change something.
- Do what scares you.
So here I am. Unemployed. Self-employed. Only time will tell if I made the right decision financially, but I know I did what was best personally.
But I sure will miss everyone at Unity.
I love your honesty about this. And you’re right about the debt stuff. It DOES make things a lot less scary. I’m sure things are going to go well for you and your family.
“Do what scares you”, it takes a lot of courage to do it.
Hope your decisions turn out positive.
Good Luck.
Came here by way of Hacker News. I really applaud you for this, like, sincerely. I’m in similar-enough shoes and slowly, glacially approaching a change you took on much more quickly. There are enough of these stories published, especially on the internet, that it’s easy to dismiss them as fluff. The way you captured your motivations and fears humanizes the story nicely, to your credit and in service of those other stories.
Curious on another point: did you work for Unity, as in, the game-engine company?
Keep on truckin’.
Thanks. No, I worked for a different Unity making video & social software used by some big companies.
Loved reading this post Nathan. The reasons for being self-employed are spot-on and will carry you on to better things in ’12. Good luck!
Hey Nathan, I’ve been following your story for some time now. It is inspiring. This morning I heard your talk on Living for Monday and I can see the value you’ve created in teaching what you’ve learned. I’m hoping to start this for myself. To give back to a community that has given me so much in my own career. I may be in a similar situation soon with my job as you were in October of 2011.
I’m scared, excited and curious to see what I can achieve.
Thanks for sharing your life’s stories.
Thanks, I am inspired by your story!
“Only time will tell if I made the right decision financially”
Well I think time already told.