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Ask HN: For those who quit their job with out anything lined up–how's it going?

2 points by nicdc ↗ HN
Any regrets? When did you do it? Things you would have done different knowing what you know now?

I remember that even a few months ago I would see a few threads on people quitting their job without anything lined up even in the midst of this pandemic (e.g., https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22944314)

Would also be interested in hearing from those who quite their job during times of high uncertainty, e.g. 2008 financial crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, etc.

3 comments

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ystad
I took a year off ended about a month back. I was tired and burnt out. This is the second time I've taken time off. I didn't plan as much I had some high level goals, spend some time traveling, volunteering, work on open source projects.

The first month I felt guilty leaving a paycheck. I really didn't travel much due to the pandemic. I did contribute to OSS and volunteer teaching high school students CS. It definitely got lonely, I think due to the pandemic, but I would say my break time was fair.

jimmyvalmer
Badly. I've done this twice in my life. The first time I really regretted it, and thought, gee, I'll never do that again. But years of rancor and resentment at my last job pushed me to consciously make the same mistake. I moved to a cheaper rental, traded my bmw for a prius, and now live off my savings at a far lower standard of living. Some view my untethering from the matrix with envy. I don't.
verdverm
Fantastic, 3+ years and really enjoying a true sense of freedom. It has some downsides like everything