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Ask HN: Thinking about quitting my job today

15 points by cthink ↗ HN
For one, I actually like certain aspects of my job - the smart people I work with everyday, responsibility for P&L, the benefits and obviously the pay. After nearly 3 years here, I have however realized that I do not have any ownership of what I am allowed to do and that I am working on someone else's dream. There is a lot of opposition to build and grow and fail and learn.

When I raised these concerns with my manager, he was clueless what I was talking about and offered me a significant raise in my pay. I have always valued the discussions that take place here, so I thought I would solicit your input.

Also, I would like to work on an enterprise solution (Saas). If there is anyone in the bay area who is in the same boat as I am and is interested in collaborating - please drop a line at ccpthink at gmail

20 comments

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Skywing
I would at least have a "plan" before you quit your job. You suggest that you're at a well paying job, so it would be a shame to quit only to figure out that after 3-4 months you realize you had it pretty good.

In regards to working for somebody else, well, that's what most of the people out there do. It's not easy to successfully start your own profitable operation. It's even less easy to become an adopted enterprise solution. It is easy to begin working towards your own dream, though. If that's what you're aiming for then it sounds like you already have an idea of how to do it.

Good luck.

cthink
I have a job that pays over 150K in the bay area so that is definitely a lot of money. But prudent saving over the last couple of years has allowed me to build a nest egg that can sustain me for 2 years without pay.

I do want to work towards my own dream and could potentially bootstrap it initially. In terms of a plan, I do not have a concrete plan yet - only bits and pieces. The problem is I am unable to devote time to figuring it out due to the time I spend on my day job and therefore this conundrum

Thanks for your advice.

kongqiu
Absolutely better to run "to" something rather than running "away" from something.
wallacrw
I was in the same boat 14 months ago: worked as a corporate attorney at a top tier firm, folks were actually really cool and the pay was ridiculous. Oddly enough, even my hours weren't that bad. So I knew I had a lot to be thankful for.

But I wasn't thrilled about my job. I didn't feel proud when I told strangers what I did, and that really got to me. I wanted to work on something that I cared about, and I wanted to try my hand at risk, learn some new skills. I also had zero interest in turning into those who were above me at the firm.

So I quit with almost no plan, and I ran a startup I created out of thin air, Trendero.com. It launched, it worked, and I saw a bright future stretch out before me.... Thing is, it actually still hasn't taken off. I haven't made a dime from the idea, and now I'm looking around at BD roles with other startups, since I've basically burned through all of my savings.

That all being said, I'm happier, prouder, healthier than ever before. I fought some battles, lost a few, made some awesome new friends. And I'm proud to talk about what I've done, happy to wake up to my new, much more frugal life.

So do it, screw the plan. That's the story you'll want to tell your grandkids.

Caveat: I have no kids, no wife, no dog, no mortgage. I knew the window was closing for me to do this kind of thing when I quit, which was largely why I made the decision. But if you have other burdens/responsibilities, think a bit more carefully. Chances are, you will be substantially poorer for a while.

cthink
"So do it, screw the plan. That's the story you'll want to tell your grandkids"

Definitely interesting. I am 27 and no real big responsibilities.

noahc
I had a similar experience. Where I just jumped.

The one thing I would have done differently is not tried to do 1 million projects, and I wish I would have learned I was more extraverted than what I thought I was early. It would have saved me several months of worthlessness.

presidentender
Can you ask your manager for reduced hours instead of increased pay, and use the extra time for personal projects?
cthink
That could definitely be a possibility which I have not explored previously. I will ask him and see how receptive he is to this idea.

Thanks

stakent
Check in your contract and surrounding law who owns IP created by you in your own time.

Make sure you own it.

kleinsch
I did this a few months ago and it's worked incredibly well. I went from full-time to two days per week, leaving me the other three to work on my own stuff. Had a lawyer go over the intellectual property agreements for me first to make sure I wouldn't be in questionable territory.

It all depends on your manager, the mood of the company, and how useful you are. For me the stars lined up perfectly. The CEO is an entrepreneur and wanted to help me out. I was also a critical member of a small engineering team, so they'd rather get two days of my time than none.

One key when you're having the conversation is to frame it more as part-time vs quitting, rather than full-time vs part-time. Having somebody that isn't in the office all the time makes planning more difficult, so it's in your manager's best interests to keep you full time. If that's removed from the options list and it's a choice between having you part-time vs not at all, part-time starts to look a lot more attractive.

cthink
I have my 1 on 1 with my manager in the afternoon. Definitely going to bring this up.

Thx for the sound advice

rick888
"I have however realized that I do not have any ownership of what I am allowed to do and that I am working on someone else's dream"

Did you bring this point up specifically? You will run into this problem at any company...because this is what you are doing when you get a job. You are working on someone else's dream and they have control of your destiny.

cthink
I did bring it up. He was quick to dismiss it by saying you have the freedom to do what you want. I agree that I will run into this problem at any company and I feel that is the impetus for me to explore opportunities on my own and possibly do a startup
blacksmythe
Join a small startup, of which there are many in the bay area. You will probably get a lot more freedom to contribute ideas, and will learn a lot more about what it takes to make a company successful than when working at a big company.

You will also make contacts that will think if you when they are ready to start off on their own.

cthink
Thanks! I will explore that opportunity definitely
revorad
1. Choose a goal related to your new business. It could be a tiny MVP that you will launch, certain number of potential clients you will interview or a website with a specific amount of traffic.

2. Set a date at least a few weeks from now when you think you can get that done.

3. Quit only if you accomplish your goal.

It will help you build excitement, stay focused on a real target and give you a better base to talk to future collaborators.

And you will learn how hard it is. :-)

cthink
Actually, I did something different. I worked as a consultant for a company and built a MVP. The client has shown interest in the product and believes there is a market for such a product.
revorad
That's awesome, congratulations.

Did the client say they will buy your product? If they said "it's interesting and there must be a market", that's probably a red flag.

chaithsc
They didn't buy the product but they are using the tool for user acquisition and paying me on a rev-share basis which I feel is win-win for both sides.
revorad
That's really good. You obviously know both how to make and sell a product!

Two people in one... just like your HN accounts.