wildchocolate

Last year at about this time, I found myself in an uncomfortable position where I was not satisfied in my job. I didn’t see the future career path to be at all what I had imagined when I took the job, and it felt like I was running on the wrong track. It was a good job by all accounts - a large respectable company with good compensation and benefits and nice people. But something just didn’t feel right. Kind of like if you had been looking forward to a vacation for months, imagined how perfect it would be, only to get there and realize the hotel isn’t what it looked like online, there’s nothing to do, and the weather is bad. You’re still on vacation, and you can always switch hotels, make the most of it, and go to the beach in the rain. But it’s just not the same.

The best way to describe it is to say that I didn’t look forward to work in the morning, and I looked forward to the end of the day as soon as it started. Looking back, I can see that I never should have taken that job. I wasn’t supposed to be at that place, working as basically a drone in a sea of other drones, on less than exciting projects. This was my fault — I should have seen it.

Knowing When to Leave

Knowing when to leave is the first step. I believe there are people out there everyday who wake up feeling the way I felt, but they never figure it out. They never reach the conclusion that they’re in the wrong career, going down the wrong path, selling themselves short. A lot of people probably chalk it up to environmental factors, or think it’s the company. They think they will be happier if they just switch to the competitor who has golf outings on Sundays and free pizza on Fridays.

Wake up! If you don’t look forward to work, in fact if you dread going, you have a much bigger problem. For me, it took reflecting on what really made me happy, and digging deep to find what I was searching for in my career. What I realized was that not only was I in the wrong company, I was in the wrong industry!

Finding the Courage

It takes a certain kind of person to be able to put financial stability behind happiness. Not everyone can do this. Admittedly, it did not come easy for me. I had to search for the courage to leave a stable career that left me feeling empty, and pursue a more rewarding, but uncertain future.

The way I look at it you really have two choices here. You can either stay and try to make changes that will most likely not help, or you can find the balls to leave.

For me, the choice was obvious. I needed to leave. I needed to pursue my passions and try out my ideas. If I didn’t do this, I would never feel satisfied. I would always read about other start up founders who made it work, and be jealous of not only their success, but their life.

What I learned from making the jump is that it’s absolutely essential to have confidence in yourself. I’m sure that to be a successful entrepreneur you have to believe in yourself. If you can’t do that, you won’t be able to leave.

Another critical element is support. I was lucky in that I was not alone in this entrepreneurial pursuit and therefore had someone supporting me who was making the same major jump. If you’re going it alone, talk to family or friends. Knowing that people support your decision and are behind you makes it a much easier decision.

High Risk, High Reward

Sometimes you have to take a risk in order to get what you want. Yes there’s always the possibility that things won’t work out. But here’s where your confidence comes into play. You have to be able to say, I know I can do this, but if it doesn’t work out, I will be able to get through that and find another job. If you can’t say that, then you aren’t ready to take the risk.

So far the rewards have been far beyond what I could have ever expected. I wake up and I can’t wait to work. The first few months of that felt like an epiphany. And it hasn’t gone away. I know what I want, and I am on the right track, running my race now. I have trouble stopping at the end of the work day. There’s nothing better than loving what you do, challenging yourself, and reaching for your potential.

For those people who haven’t yet started their careers: don’t sell yourselves short and don’t give in. It’s all much easier if you start on the right path.