New Job
Yesterday, I cleared out my office, and this morning I quit my job.
Why I quit my job is a
discussion I'd rather not have online, but suffice it to say that the
company was changing in radical ways that were going to require talents
different than what I have to offer, and one of the first changes was a
30% paycut. I elected to go it on my own.
As of this morning I am now the sole employee of Atl-Connect Internet Services,
a company that until now had been something more like a hobby and less
like a job. For several years, I've run Atl-Connect as a
part-time-mostly-in-the-evenings affair. And we've done pretty
well. The company has grown steadily (if slowly), but has always
suffered from lack of attention and focus. Last year was the
worst for that; I was travelling to New York nearly every week on a
contracting assignment, and Atl-Connect took a back seat in a major way.
But all of that's about to change. I've got plans to clean up the
website and re-focus the company primarily on site development, email
and web hosting, and (to a lesser degree) connectivity. We're
going to streamline our offerings and clarify what it is that we do (I
do have a partner). Already, I've got a handful of prospects in
the pipeline, so I'm feeling positive about where this is going.
I'm also terrified, because I just took a major big-league leap of
faith. Fortunately, I've got friends who have done this before,
and I have good advisors at my disposal. I feel certain it's
going to be a wild ride, but I'm looking forward to it.
Now, I just have to finish clearing out my office at home so that I can
get a real workspace set up. Pass me another trash bag…there's
big-time cleanup to be done here!
9 Responses Leave a comment
Let me tell ya, I'm right there with you. The economic downturn of these last few years has caused corporations (within my experience) to cut staff while increasing duties, leaving the survivors to bear all the weight and the managers to become whip-bearing task managers. I'm reminded of the frog analogy, that if you put a frog in hot water it will jump right out, but if you put it in warm water and gradually turn up the heat it will stay there until it boils to death. The “turning up of the heat” has resulted in a significant decrease in quality of goods and services in exchange for higher volume with less effort. It has also caused a significant decline in creativity of both product development and daily responsibilities. I used to imagine ways to make my job easier and more efficient while using the products my company creates, but the overbearing micromangement, “metrics”, and whip-waving makes me feel more like a mule rather than positive contributor to my work environment. That last straw has been settling heavier and heavier, and I just know its gonna break the camel's back real soon. I hope that someday I'll find a small software shop that values quality and creativity and promotes artisanship letting their employees “do their own thing”.
In the mean time, I wish you the best in your new endeavor. Knock'em dead!
Thanks, Steve. I look at it this way: I don't have a choice but to be successful now…I've cut off all avenues of retreat! And if you know anybody looking for web/database programming (primarily ASP and PHP, SQL Server or MySQL), let me know.
Good Luck! I did a similar thing over 3 years ago and have never looked back.
Thanks!
Good Luck! I did a similar thing over 3 years ago and have never looked back.
OH MAN! Wow, good for you! That is beyond cool, and ever so sexy! Men with your kind of confidence land a lot o' sex… oh wait, that might not be your point…
Seriously, my former employers burned me out last year in the same way. More and more responsibility, micro- MICRO- managing, every employee had about 2.5 jobs, we all worked at minimum 60 hours/ week, etc. The pay rate didn't even matter, the working situation was that unbearable. No amount of money could help a person sustain that kind of stress for a long period of time.
I'll admit, I would've left earlier if it wasn't for the money. But once I burnt out, I learned that yes, there were more important (and fun) things than lots of money. And all that money was useless for buying time, anyway.
Your courage has bought you some time. Spend the time wisely. Avoid a devastating mid-life crisis and miserable old age by pursuing your dreams now. Even if it doesn't work out, there are plenty of other employers out there who would kill for a self-starter like you. You will earn much respect and learn many lessons by starting your own full-time business.
Be brave. Treat people with respect, but don't worry about burning bridges. You'll never be going back over that road again, anyway. No regrets. Rock on, 'Wiz, rock on!
Good luck, Eric. I did the same about a year ago. It has been working out well for me. The first few months were tight, but business has been picking up steadily, and now things are going well. Stick with it, and I am sure you will succeed. If there is ever anything I can do to help, just drop me a line.
Best regards,
Jamie Jamison
jamie at jamiejamison d0t c0m
For Eric or anyone that is considering a resume writing service, I have a small review of Monster.com's service here. I am very satisfied with the result.
Wow. I am impressed that you were doing what you were doing part-time! You always seemed like a full-timer to me. Let me know if there is anything we can do to help the transition. If you want to bounce a couple ideas around or get some feedback or whatever don't hesitate to reach out.
Good luck!