4 ms·

I would make a flowchart but here goes: Are you a good engineer? If yes you can work elsewhere. Do you have good rapport with your managers? If yes you will h

by jw84 16y ago

I would make a flowchart but here goes: Are you a good engineer? If yes you can work elsewhere. Do you have good rapport with your managers? If yes you will have decent references. Are you well known or popular? If yes most people will applaud your courage. Do you have money saved up? If yes you have a small runway to figure out what you really want. Life's too short to hate your life.

secretasiandan 16y ago
I think this is well said and summarizes the main things to think about. I've quit a job twice without an official plan or offer in hand on two occaisions. The metric for savings I used was 6 months living expenses. The main reason I was comfortable with doing this is that I'm confident I can get a job to feed myself whenever I want. I think the last point is the most important and the main reason I quit my jobs.
MrFoof 16y ago
So as I've mentioned, I've done this before without the "work for myself" part. Twice actually. One of the contacts I made today was the only technical recruiter I've ever met that understands the industry he caters to. I'm looking on my own, but he has a nose for finding much better than average gigs. I'm not relying on him, but he has exclusive access to a fair number of decent companies which quickly broadens my search. Managers can't complain. Heck, one of the partners went out of his way to write my review. Partners don't write reviews. He did it to make a point. However, constantly going the extra mile has me physically and emotionally exhausted, and I see no chance for relief until mid-2011. ----- I keep my foundation expenses to a minimum, and normally save 30-40% of my paycheck, but numerous mishaps this year have effectively wiped out most of this year's efforts. My health is currently of concern (despite being in my late 20s and reasonably good physical fitness), so that's what's giving me pause as I investigate those options. That and sacrificing my bonus and 401K match (7% of compensation), though at this point I'm willing to eat that. ----- The intention is mobile games. It's something I can do entirely by myself, save for paying a college student for help with the first year or two of getting my tax nonsense in order. No direct customers to deal with. Tools and hardware that doesn't suck. Development costs are negligible. I have a detailed concept, and overall complexity isn't much more than something out of the NES era -- much of the effort will be re-learning my drawing skills, and incessant polishing. The overall scope is very realistic for a single person to push out in 4 months. Originally the plan was to release on the side with the hope of eventually covering most, if not all, of my foundation expenses so I can save more aggressively. However stress has me past my breaking point -- I'm already broken. I doubt more work is an ideal solution, but a relaxed pace and being able to release something that meets my standards is a change of pace I sorely need. So either I continue to crank for the office while cranking for myself, or I tell them I'll build my own lunar lander... with blackjack... and hookers!

by jw84 16y ago

secretasiandan 16y ago

I think this is well said and summarizes the main things to think about. I've quit a job twice without an official plan or offer in hand on two occaisions. The metric for savings I used was 6 months living expenses. The main reason I was comfortable with doing this is that I'm confident I can get a job to feed myself whenever I want. I think the last point is the most important and the main reason I quit my jobs.

MrFoof 16y ago

So as I've mentioned, I've done this before without the "work for myself" part. Twice actually. One of the contacts I made today was the only technical recruiter I've ever met that understands the industry he caters to. I'm looking on my own, but he has a nose for finding much better than average gigs. I'm not relying on him, but he has exclusive access to a fair number of decent companies which quickly broadens my search. Managers can't complain. Heck, one of the partners went out of his way to write my review. Partners don't write reviews. He did it to make a point. However, constantly going the extra mile has me physically and emotionally exhausted, and I see no chance for relief until mid-2011. ----- I keep my foundation expenses to a minimum, and normally save 30-40% of my paycheck, but numerous mishaps this year have effectively wiped out most of this year's efforts. My health is currently of concern (despite being in my late 20s and reasonably good physical fitness), so that's what's giving me pause as I investigate those options. That and sacrificing my bonus and 401K match (7% of compensation), though at this point I'm willing to eat that. ----- The intention is mobile games. It's something I can do entirely by myself, save for paying a college student for help with the first year or two of getting my tax nonsense in order. No direct customers to deal with. Tools and hardware that doesn't suck. Development costs are negligible. I have a detailed concept, and overall complexity isn't much more than something out of the NES era -- much of the effort will be re-learning my drawing skills, and incessant polishing. The overall scope is very realistic for a single person to push out in 4 months. Originally the plan was to release on the side with the hope of eventually covering most, if not all, of my foundation expenses so I can save more aggressively. However stress has me past my breaking point -- I'm already broken. I doubt more work is an ideal solution, but a relaxed pace and being able to release something that meets my standards is a change of pace I sorely need. So either I continue to crank for the office while cranking for myself, or I tell them I'll build my own lunar lander... with blackjack... and hookers!