Is it a good idea to leave a stable job in pursuit of a dream?

1. 62

   luseposted 12 years ago

   I'm interested to know if you've ever left a stable income in pursuit of something you've wanted to do. What was the hardest part? Was it rewarding?

   replyreport
   1. 96

      peeplesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Only if you have a back up plan. I left my job which made good money and I enjoyed to be a stay at home mom. This was/is my dream. however I did not do it until we were financially capable, had savings, and I knew my husband would be capable of handling the work load. I wouldn't change a thing! The only thing that was hard was getting use to a 1 income home.

      replyreport
2. 81

   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   My dream was simply to be free.
   
   I wanted to be free of:
   * restricted holiday allowances that had to be arranged in advance
   * diverse self-important t__ts breathing down my neck all the time, telling me how I should work, when I should work, and what I should wear while working
   * the expectation that I would take responsibility for the work of incompetents, whom I was supposed to "manage"
   
   I left at the start of 2004 and started working as a freelance under my own company
   
   I have never looked back. Now I can:
   * take time off work when I choose to do so, even at an hour's notice
   * work the hours I want, in a dressing gown if I want to
   * pick and choose my clients, dropping those who choose not to treat me as a human being
   * stand or fall on the quality of my work alone; at the moment I am standing very tall.
   
   Yes, I gave up a fixed salary and fixed pension contribution. I suppose the hardest part was dealing with my ingrained financial insecurity.
   
   I have gained infinitely more in return, the most important being that I am not answerable to anybody except myself.
   
   I would never, ever go back to the old way of life of being a wage slave.

   replyreport
   1. 64

      Ramsa1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for sharing your experience, WriteAngled. I think that a lot of people have dreams similar to yours but are afraid to take the plunge. Good for you that you did, and I'm happy that it is working out well for you.

      replyreport