Freedom vs Security. The Pros and Cons and Why I quit my job.

Yes, I quit my job. I quit my job without having a clue what to do next.

…am I crazy?

I don’t know.

Whenever people ask me where I am going next, I’m hesitating to reply that I have no fucking clue what I am doing next.

And if I do, people think I am joking.

Most of the time I received responses like :”Wow, that’s very brave.”

But is it really? Jumping into the blue without having anything lining up. Or is it just stupidity?

I don’t know. Only time will tell if it was a good decision or not.

But, right now I just feel that it is a thing that I need to do.

Too many times I didn’t listen to my heart and it never turned out the way I wanted.

This time I take my inner voice more serious.

I worked for a great company.

A company that made a difference in the world and that every designer wanted to work for. A company that helped apple on the way to success and defined their design language in early days. A company with legacy.

I consider myself as very lucky that I had such opportunity to work for frog. I always wanted to work for frog.

Which young designer didn’t?

So why am I quitting?

Logically, it doesn’t make any sense at all. I had a good life. I earned a good living. I liked the people I worked with. Many people were super smart and talented and most of the time I worked on super exciting projects where I learned a ton. With every project we tried to make a difference. We tried to change the way businesses work. We tried to make an impact in peoples life.

Yet, I felt uncompleted. I felt that there is something in me that needs to get out.

For a long time I felt that I need to go my own way to find something greater in life but I never had the guts to make this step.

And the longer you wait, there more the inner voice will become more quite until it’s gone.

And when you reach this point, it get’s dangerous.

You get to a point where you get comfortable and you start to resign yourself to a situation that you’re not 100% happy with. You feel that it takes too much effort to get your ass up and do something about it.

Why moving? You have the safety. A secure job, stable income and nothing can happen to you.

But this is not for me. Seriously, I am fucking scared. I am fucking scared not having any job security. I am scared about not having a stable income.

I am fucking scared that I might run out of money at some point.

But you know what scares me more?

To live an average life. To do things that everyone is doing. To get to a point where other people tell me what to do and that I am no good. To look back in 40 years and realize that I should have done much more out of myself.

It’s too late then.

I want to start living my life to the fullest today and not wait until retirement.

I want to schedule my day the way I want it.

I don’t want to spent my time on things that doesn’t lead anywhere.

I want to work on the projects I am passionate about.

I want to work from places that inspire me.

I want to work with people that challenges my thinking.

This is my driver, my strongest motivation. That’s why I am listening to my heart and start to take control of my life.

And I think you should do it too..

Should you quit your job?

Wait, stop writing your resignation letter.

Come on, don’t be stupid. Be realistic!

I am not telling you that you should quit your job today. The only thing that I am encouraging you to do is to listen to your heart.

If you feel that something doesn’t feel right, then fix it.

Do something about it and don’t wait for someone else to fix it for you. Don’t wait for wonders to happen.

Don’t be afraid to take control of your own life.

You only live once, so don’t waste it. Don’t let anyone plan it for you.

Time is your most precious asset. The only resource in the world that is depleting. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

You can’t get it back, so spent it wisely on things that makes you feel good. That makes you happy.

And if you’re happy, you will realize that you can make way more change in this world.

But before you quit your job you should analyze your situation first.

If you have family or someone you need to take care of, then its financial suicide and not the smartest move.

Minimize your risks and have a backup plan.

Know your situation

For me, it is not entirely true that I have no plan at all. I just don’t have a full time job with a stable monthly income lining up right after.

But I know in which direction I want to walk and I can calculate my risks.

I want to freelance because the nature of my job allows me to do so. This allows me to generate enough money to survive.

And I am confident that I will find work because

a) I have the skill set and the ability to adapt and

b) my environment looks economically promising.

That doesn’t mean I can lean back and wait for destiny to take care of me. I need to hustle my ass off but I am confident that things will turn out fine.

This is why my risks are minimized.

And while I don’t have any client work, I will focus my effort on working on my side projects and grow them further. Build up my brand and learn new skills.

Having the flexibility to choose is what I care about.

Freedom vs. Security

The main reason why I resigned was my desire for freedom.

I don’t believe people who tell me that I can have both!

A job offers financial security by having a steady paycheck. Yet, the trade off is the daily fixed routine. Usually a job requires you to work from 9am – 6pm. During that time, you are required to do the tasks that needs to be done. You can’t say no, because the company pays you in exchange for your time. So if you want to work on you own project, you have to do it outside work.

Yet if you choose the path of freedom like I do, you need to be aware that freedom comes at a price. The price of instability and the higher risk of failure. You constantly need to hustle and the pressure is higher. But on the other hand, the reward will be higher. The more you put in, the more you get out.

It all depends on your own personality and circumstances. Life is shaped by Choices. You have the freedom to choose which path you want to follow. But the beautiful thing is, you can always choose to change.

Freedom

Job security

Before making the move

If you are really thinking about quitting your job now, then don’t rush. Stay focused and plan wisely.
Before handing in your resignation letter ask yourself the following questions first:

1) WHY do you want to quit your job?

Did you get another Job offer? Or are you really unhappy about the work you do right now?
Find out your why so you don’t make the same mistake again.

2) How valuable are your skills in the market?

Do you have skills that people would kill for? Or do you need to learn new skills to increase your value? This will determine how easily you will find new work and make money.

3) How much runway do you have?

You should have at least enough money to survive for 3-6 months. This timeframe will give you enough freedom to plan your next steps. 1 months is probably not enough because it would put you under too much pressure.

4) Does your current job allow you to work as a freelancer?

Knowing that you can do some freelance gigs to survive, will give you some peace during the time you try to find a full time job.

5) Do you have a great network to rely on?

A great network will save you in difficult times. It’s just good to have backup plans in case things don’t turn out the way you planned.

6) Can you make money through other channels?

It’s also worth considering different ways to make money rather then the conservative way of going to the office every day. Maybe your skills also allow you to make money online?

7) What other skills do you have that you could leverage to make money?

If you cannot find a job in your area of expertise, what other skills do you have to make money to survive?
Think about what you spend most time on outside the office. Things that get’s you excited and maybe you can make money with that skill as a plan B?

8) What’s your exit strategy?

If your entire masterplan goes to shit and doesn’t turn out the way you want, what is your definite backup plan? Think about the worse case scenario and the impact that it would have on your life. I am sure it would not be devastating as you might think. Maybe you can go back to your old job? Or you take a job as a bar tender?”to make profound changes in your life you need either inspiration or desperation”– Tony Robbins —