I am currently an environmental engineer working in Chicago. After 6 years of college (two degrees) and over seven years of working in the field, I have built a comfortable trap for myself. As I read through the descriptions of sidewalkers and slowlaners, I could see a bit of myself in both of them. I started as a sidewalker, and transitioned to a slowlaner. It's time for me to transition again, this time into the Fastlane.

I joined the Fastlane Forum to help me find freedom, for me and my family. I have a 6 day old son, my first, and I want to have the time to watch him grow instead of spending 10.5-12 hours a day at a job, trading my time for money. As I write this I am on leave for two weeks for my son's birth. I get exactly zero days of paid leave. All of this time is either vacation time I have accrued or will be unpaid leave. This is after working as a professional for over 7 years, over 2 years with my current company. I have always known that being an entrepreneur was the better path vs having a job, but the experience of having a child has really opened my eyes. I know I need to find a better path than the one I am on if for no other reason than for my wife and child.