After mindlessly working a day job for years, I've finally decided to take the steps to leave it and make a real change in the world! This is why
I am working in a company that does consulting and computer programming. It is a small company and, despite we work a lot, the atmosphere is relaxed and fun. The boss is a great person and gives me almost total freedom to manage projects and daily tasks. The paycheck is not brilliant but it is above the market average, for the type of work that I do.
Despite having a job that many would envy, after thinking a lot, I decided that I want to leave it, not to change to a better paid one or with better perks, but to do something much more important. Here are my reasons:
Time
The time spent on the job, including travel, is about 10h / day, which translates to 62.5% of the 16 waking hours of the day! In a broader perspective, considering that average work 21 days/month and 11 months/ year, the total time consumed annually is about ~ 40% of the year’s 5840 waking hours. This is equivalent to 6.3h of work a day EVERY day of the year, including holidays, vacations and weekends. And these are only the working hours. Another crucial component of this equation is the extra hours, a recurring need in work my type of work, which combined with the problems and concerns that I bring home, eat up much of what remains of my time.
It goes without saying that all this investment of time has a profound impact on my personal life. The little time I have left after a working day is spent juggling between the daily tasks and giving the required attention to the important people in my life. The weekends serve mainly to replenish energy and deal with pending issues. It was in this rat race that weeks quickly turned into months and months into years, and I found myself looking back and thinking where did all the time go...
Mindset
The main goal of any business is to make money, everybody knows it. In the company where I work, the main strategy to achieve this goal is to serve the customer well. It's an honest approach, one of the oldest and solid, and I'm not against it at all. However the old cliche "the customer is always right" seems to have a negative effect on my mindset.
In many situations, I saw my ideas being ignored or undervalued simply because the customer had a different view of things and was not open to other perspectives. This forced me, in most of these cases, to adopt approaches that I knew in advance that would not work or were inefficient. As these scenarios repeated, I felt increasingly discouraged and I found myself rejecting responsibilities - "The idea is not mine so, if it goes wrong, is not my fault." On the other hand, as I was not getting to see the outcome of my own ideas, I have lost several opportunities to learn and improve, and I pretty much took over the role of a blind performer. All this hindered the expansion of my critical and creative thinking and made me less responsible for my actions and more subject to the will of others.
Purpose
While the other reasons I mentioned are overcomeable, to some extent, by seeking other jobs less time-consuming and more decision-making driven, the intrinsic purpose of the job has proven to be the decisive factor.
When I started working everything was new, I learned a lot, on a technical and interpersonal level. I was applying what I have studied and meeting new people and different realities. However, over the years, I began to question my actions and I began to feel more and more that, taking the monetary issue, there is no purpose in what I do. I'm not contributing to our evolution as a species, nor saving lives nor helping people in any meaningful way whatsoever. I know that I am indirectly contributing to the economy of my small country, helping a bit to society’s prosperity. But is it worth continuing to work on something that has such a reduced and even hypothetical impact? Wouldn’t my time be much better spent on projects more actively directed to the common good?
Picture 1: Source
Thanks for reading this far!
This is the first post in a series that describes my journey, to leave my day job and create an organization with the aim to make a positive impact on the world. In this post I told you what are the reasons that led me to want to do this. The next series of posts will talk about the approach that I will follow and the steps I need to achieve the goal. The road will be long and difficult but I am determined to prevail and I would like to be able to count on your support.
And what do you think?
Have you ever felt that your job drains most of your time and energy, leaving you with little to no time for what really matters? Have you ever felt frustrated by being forced to do what the clients/bosses want, instead of using your own reasoning and experience to solve problems? Share your questions and opinions!
Do you want to know more about me and my work? Consult my blog.
See you soon!
Ricardo
Hey Ricardo, The choice you made is very hard but also very rewarding.
i really wish you to have allot success.
I think i felt the same when i decided to start my own company :)
Hello Miguel! Thank you for your support!
It's nice to know that you had a similar experience and succeeded in making your vision come true.
i'm still busy being a drone... but it's all good (-:
I think the fact that you admit you are a drone, don't make you much of a drone! ;) It's hard to "break the chains", is there anything, in particular, that is preventing you to doing so?
haha, yeah maybe (-: no, my job is pretty good actually, flexible, so I can't complain. it's a good fit for my family too, which is most important for me in my life right now. there will be another future phase of life that will be different too, for sure... life is about phases i have learned / peace
Yeah man that's cool. We should do, above all, what we think it's best, given the knowledge we have. Do what you believe in mate! =)
Cheers!
Great, let the Force be with you. :) Wishing you the best luck my friend, i appreciate your endurance and effort to do what our world deserves. You are an example to follow for sure.
Thanks bro!!! I'm counting on you to help me succeed! =)
I respect your decision and resolve to make a difference in the world. It's a noble goal to have, but possibly a rocky road to walk.
When we understand on the fundamental level that evolving as a life form is exactly what we're designed to do, it gives us literally, the meaning of life.
I will be looking forward to your journey and progress in achieving your goals. Lead by being a positive example, and you'll find like-minded people to join your cause ;)
Thank you very much for your support!
I can see already that we share some ideals. The main reason that made me take this path was the realization that I am part of something much greater than myself, Life. With this awareness, I came to the conclusion that, if every other human is also part of it, it would make a lot more sense to devote my time helping humanity (and life) thrive, instead of wasting it in a meaningless job. My mid-term plan is, as you say, to find like-minded people and start an organization to spread this mindset.
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