Quit $450k job to go fastlane: smart or not?

[MJ DeMarco]

one of the top most liked comments below is depressing that so many people think that way. There's nothing worse than thinking you're owed something for nothing. Well maybe the victim mentality he's shown.

Poor Shiva, has to take responsibility and be an adult. The perfect socialist moron ready to vote.

True entrepreneurs are passionate about seeing a smile on their customers face or seeing raving 5 star reviews.

Passion for adding value and changing the world is about as general one can get... and the more generic and broadbased your passion is, the better it would serve you. The narrower you get, the worse.

 

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[Kevin88660]

"no one is handing out 2M in four years for us"

Yeah, life is very unfair.
Why doesn't someone hand me $2M?

Why do I have to work for a decade to become a top engineer? Can't someone just send me the money?

Statistically speaking to get such a job offer among thousands of applicants is already a feat that is more harder that being a successful business person, judging from failure rate.

If you are already a high achievers in corporate world there is reasonable chance to believe that you have been shortchanged working for someone else.

 

[DarkZero]

Nowadays people who preach this nonsense are social media nobodies, dead blog bloggers, authors with books to sell, and newbie entrepreneurs who don't know any better.

1000% percent. I consult for online entrepreneurs and brands and every time I see this type of messaging I either tell them to run, or I run.

There are just too many things wrong with it.

It teaches the wrong mindset.
It tells people that they can do what they want just because they have "passion".

I remind every single one of them that there are people who own landscaping businesses who don't love landscaping but they are making more money than them.

Then I get deeper and tell them unless they have massive brand equity across multiple platforms and channels and their client acquisition channels are dialed in, they will never be able to truly monetize that message simply because the market awareness level of the people they are trying to reach are...

broke.

 

[Jav100]

I think another reason why he has left a job to pursue his own business - its incredibly tough to work on a side business while holding down a full-time job. I work in tech as well and people call, email, text, slack you among a 1000 other ways to stay connected.

I also can relate because I am in a similar position myself - I'd love to leave my job too but estimate I'd have a runway of a year or two depending on how aggressive I get with spending based on savings. I would also give up health insurance which is tough with a child. I wish I was more serious and focused about my own biz in my teens, 20s, 30s...

My job right now is fairly comfy and not too stressful so I am making it a point to try and carve out an hour or two a day to work on my side biz and another hour or two at night and more hours on the weekends. I am seriously underpaid so it is getting very tempting to get another job and easily increase my pay but I know that will distance me even more from getting out of working for someone else.

Also remember the $450K is big money, but thats BEFORE TAX another reason why I am still wanting to go my own business for tax advantages and most importantly freedom.

 

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[Two Dog]

This guy so needs to read your books MJ! Do what you love and "Action faking" (I suspect) meet! Eight months and the guy has NOT found a "reliable income stream" as a senior software engineer! Would you like fries with that?
This is so classic,"Although I'm just starting and don't have any dependable streams of income yet, I'm going to trust the process that if I do work that energizes me, good things will happen." OMG! Like I said, he needs to read your books.
They won't post the story of him going back to a job he doesn't like to pay the bills. Living in the Bay Area isn't cheap. GLTA
I quit my job as a Netflix engineer making $450,000 a year. The money wasn't worth the boredom.

I don't read his story like that at all and highly doubt the next chapter will be taking another corporate career gig.

Don't you see that by publishing such a story he's ALREADY generating incredible media buzz about himself?

Unless you happen to be in the peer group of developers like Lin, you honestly can't imagine how talented, dedicated, hard working and success driven they are in every way imaginable. Those positions are few and far between and take an immense amount of work to achieve at such a young age. Such people will succeed doing literally anything. He could be running a cupcake empire in three years.

To my mind, his decision to walk from what seems like a dream job to outsiders is completely reasonable and understandable. Your entire sense of self worth derives from the quality of your work. Being bored and unsatisfied leads to crap results and the first person disappointed is yourself. His ability to recognize that and jump into the entrepreneurial sea without any experience is pretty amazing. Most of his peers will spend decades in the same crap position and do absolutely nothing other than complain about it. Or worse, not complain about it but simply accept that's how life must be.

I've walked the same path myself. Boredom and lack of motivation come in many disguises. It happens to lifelong successful entrepreneurs as well as lifelong career employees. However, I do agree that he would benefit immensely from reading MJ's books. That's why I'm going to track him down - how hard could it be - and send him a copy of the first one. ;-)

 

[Two Dog]

Found him on Twitter and messaged him the following: "I kindly suggest reading M.J. Demarco's Millionaire Fastlane . It helped me tremendously in my Entrepreneur journey. I'm not being paid to mention this either. Just some friendly advice. Looks to me like you have a good start. All the best!"

Well, there you go. Good on you. I wrote my post before reading your follow up note.

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

Statistically speaking to get such a job offer among thousands of applicants is already a feat that is more harder that being a successful business person, judging from failure rate.

If you are already a high achievers in corporate world there is reasonable chance to believe that you have been shortchanged working for someone else.

I agree, a guy with a $450,000 salary is probably pretty damn smart and could have kicked a$$ if he were confident enough to go into business himself. But, it's not for everyone, and be glad it's not!

Also, that being said, a lot of people who are highly paid in the corporate world do NOT have the skills required to run their own business and would fail miserably.

 

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[Mathuin]

I agree, a guy with a $450,000 salary is probably pretty damn smart and could have kicked a$$ if he were confident enough to go into business himself. But, it's not for everyone, and be glad it's not!

Also, that being said, a lot of people who are highly paid in the corporate world do NOT have the skills required to run their own business and would fail miserably.

Exactly.

Brains vs Balls

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

Exactly.

Brains vs Balls

Brains and balls = king shit

 

[Lionhearted]

Sure

I don't read his story like that at all and highly doubt the next chapter will be taking another corporate career gig.

Don't you see that by publishing such a story he's ALREADY generating incredible media buzz about himself?

Unless you happen to be in the peer group of developers like Lin, you honestly can't imagine how talented, dedicated, hard working and success driven they are in every way imaginable. Those positions are few and far between and take an immense amount of work to achieve at such a young age. Such people will succeed doing literally anything. He could be running a cupcake empire in three years.

To my mind, his decision to walk from what seems like a dream job to outsiders is completely reasonable and understandable. Your entire sense of self worth derives from the quality of your work. Being bored and unsatisfied leads to crap results and the first person disappointed is yourself. His ability to recognize that and jump into the entrepreneurial sea without any experience is pretty amazing. Most of his peers will spend decades in the same crap position and do absolutely nothing other than complain about it. Or worse, not complain about it but simply accept that's how life must be.

I've walked the same path myself. Boredom and lack of motivation come in many disguiseft happensd reading MJ's books. That's why I'm going to track him down - how hard could it be - and send him a copy of the first one. ;

I don't read his story like that at all and highly doubt the next chapter will be taking another corporate career gig.

Don't you see that by publishing such a story he's ALREADY generating incredible media buzz about himself?

Unless you happen to be in the peer group of developers like Lin, you honestly can't imagine how talented, dedicated, hard working and success driven they are in every way imaginable. Those positions are few and far between and take an immense amount of work to achieve at such a young age. Such people will succeed doing literally anything. He could be running a cupcake empire in three years.

To my mind, his decision to walk from what seems like a dream job to outsiders is completely reasonable and understandable. Your entire sense of self worth derives from the quality of your work. Being bored and unsatisfied leads to crap results and the first person disappointed is yourself. His ability to recognize that and jump into the entrepreneurial sea without any experience is pretty amazing. Most of his peers will spend decades in the same crap position and do absolutely nothing other than complain about it. Or worse, not complain about it but simply accept that's how life must be.

I've walked the same path myself. Boredom and lack of motivation come in many disguises. It happens to lifelong successful entrepreneurs as well as lifelong career employees. However, I do agree that he would benefit immensely from reading MJ's books. That's why I'm going to track him down - how hard could it be - and send him a copy of the first one. ;-)

I found him on twitter. I'm sure he can afford his own copy of the book so if he's ready he will purchase one. I have always found that people never value something they got for free (even if it's of high value). But you never know he might just read the first page and be sucked out of the matrix! Good luck.

 

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[kebman]

Well, depending on how much he was able to save up, he could potentially retire on a salary like that, and sure as hell if he moved to, say, Asia. Perhaps he could do odd jobs, and then just slow burn the rest. Wouldn't be a luxurious life, but hell, when I think about what I really need in life, it's not a whole lot, but freedom comes in very, very high, and long before luxury!

 

[AceVentures]

The guy left a high paying job to bet on himself.

Cheers bro, good for you. I hear you. I quit my high paying job to bet on myself. 2 years now of being on my own. It's not easy, but it's the most exciting way to live life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

For all the criticism I see in this thread, what I see most is people that haven't bet on themselves and live in fear. They couldn't understand why someone might walk away from 450k/year to live life on their terms.

We're all on the pathway to death. Don't ever forget that. You can shit on this man for walking away from a meaningless life to pursue something else, but I bet you 95% of people wouldn't dare.

Sometimes you have to cross the bridge to see what's on the other side. Some people never cross the bridge.

 

[Lionhearted]

The guy left a high paying job to bet on himself.

Cheers bro, good for you. I hear you. I quit my high paying job to bet on myself. 2 years now of being on my own. It's not easy, but it's the most exciting way to live life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

For all the criticism I see in this thread, what I see most is people that haven't bet on themselves and live in fear. They couldn't understand why someone might walk away from 450k/year to live life on their terms.

We're all on the pathway to death. Don't ever forget that. You can shit on this man for walking away from a meaningless life to pursue something else, but I bet you 95% of people wouldn't dare.

Sometimes you have to cross the bridge to see what's on the other side. Some people never cross the bridge.

A high paid wage slave is still a slave. It depends on what you value the most. For me, freedom is the ultimate goal. I would totally take a $450,000 a year job over a $30,000 a year job, but I would have a plan and an exit strategy in either case. The high salary would not be my end goal, freedom would be.
BTW I'm sure as I said before, this guy will be fine regardless of what happens to his plans. How many people do the hard work required to get a $450,000 a year job? Not many, but he DID!
.5% of workers, or around 913,794 people in the United States made a half million or more in income in 2021. He's already the top .5% Congratulations!

 

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[Two Dog]

Sure



I found him on twitter. I'm sure he can afford his own copy of the book so if he's ready he will purchase one. I have always found that people never value something they got for free (even if it's of high value). But you never know he might just read the first page and be sucked out of the matrix! Good luck.

Excellent point. And you're right. I should know better. I do know better.

About 15 - 20 years ago, I was still loaning business books to peers who never read them and never returned them. I started writing my name on the cover. I started adding a Post-It saying "Return to Chris by XXX". Soon enough, you could get pretty much any book on Amazon for a few bucks, so I started buying the books online and having them shipped. It took far too long to realize what you just said, but the penny eventually dropped.

Whenever I'm talking or coaching someone nowadays and a useful book title comes up, I'll say something like "This is an excellent book that will help you immensely. You can buy a used copy on Amazon for four bucks. If you're not motivated enough to to invest four dollars and read it, there's nothing I can possibly teach you that's going to help your business."

Excepting my kids (kind of a skewed audience), I'd say maybe 1 out of 50 people actually do it.

 

[Guyfieri5]

The guy left a high paying job to bet on himself.

Cheers bro, good for you. I hear you. I quit my high paying job to bet on myself. 2 years now of being on my own. It's not easy, but it's the most exciting way to live life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

For all the criticism I see in this thread, what I see most is people that haven't bet on themselves and live in fear. They couldn't understand why someone might walk away from 450k/year to live life on their terms.

We're all on the pathway to death. Don't ever forget that. You can shit on this man for walking away from a meaningless life to pursue something else, but I bet you 95% of people wouldn't dare.

Sometimes you have to cross the bridge to see what's on the other side. Some people never cross the bridge.

$450K a year with those kinds of benefits and the pressure he got from family would make that step very difficult. It's not easy walking away from a successful career into the unknown like that. I agree, he should get some credit for getting out of there and starting his own thing. Even if he fails at least he went for it. Most people in his position would never consider breaking free and charting their own course.