For me, this Steve Jobs quote helped take the leap:
“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.”
Oh man this feels like me in multiverse, only difference is that I haven't made the decision. Will watch how you go during your break. But I truly feel and belive it will be worth it! Good luck
Our in-laws will never understand such a decision. If I had listened to mine, I would still be working at my first job, earning $1K a month—because changing jobs or taking time to reflect was too risky in their eyes.
I’m glad you’re following your gut and discovering what truly matters to you. And that extra time with your kid? Absolutely priceless.
Yeah... It's a combination of being a different generation, and having different interest 😅 They try to minimize the risk for their daughter and grandchildren, without taking account the huge payouts it will offer.
Kudos to you for "escaping the 9-5" and doing what you feel is best for you and your future, Anton. Totally get that feeling, as a lot of the same thoughts you brought up were what I felt when I wanted to stop enforcing that I need to write _every_ week. It freed me up to do other things, like coding more, building things, and share more about what I am excited about learning.
Wishing you the best on your journey and with manager.dev. I know that if I was an EM, I'd be all over it
Doing something similar, currently have moved into the fractional CTO space so I can have more flexibility and work 3-4 days a week. It’s taken a good 7-8 months but now up and running with a great roster of clients :) looking forward to following your journey!
Yeah there’s definitely a feast-famine cycle for sure, once you’ve got clients and you’re busy think it can be tricky to make time to keep the pipeline ticking over. What I really wanted to do is work part time, but fractional sounds better :)
You’re right that fractional EMs isn’t really a thing but for many reasons I think it actually should be. One of the experiments I’m running with a startup client is me on a few days a month providing high level strategic thinking, and then also working with a junior engineer who’s building the app, providing guidance and coaching kinda in a fractional EM role. It’s working pretty well so far, and definitely is something I think could scale (junior + fractional EM for less cost than a senior hire is appealing for startups)
That's really brave and fascinating at the same time. I truly am rooting for your happiness and success.
Only few things I would consider:
- There is lot of thinking & planning that needs to be done. Looks like you took a year to do that.
- Make sure you have put the plan in motion, before you quit. There are lot of things to figure out before you are ready to start. You can do those on the side while you work
- Make sure you have planned for medical expenses. In US, the marketplace is expensive.
- Making connections and building your network is essential in doing anything on your own. Start early and you can start while you are working
- Set up your plan to succeed without the burden or stress of taking care of your family while you have no steady income (your job)
Last of all, best of luck! Give it all you got, and keep pushing. There will be days you will question your decision, but just remember the "why" you went down this path. Cheers.
Awesome piece and super exciting Anton, I went part-time not long ago to focus on consulting and working on personal projects and it was the best decision, investing in yourself is something you'll never regret.
When you described the mission behind your projects, I felt that 'come alive' part in you (from the quote) :)
Good luck, Anton!
Also, thanks for mentioning my Vipassana article!
Thank you! I definitely feel that part in myself too :)
Really great and open post, thanks for sharing!
For me, this Steve Jobs quote helped take the leap:
“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.”
Great quote, thank you ❤️
Oh man this feels like me in multiverse, only difference is that I haven't made the decision. Will watch how you go during your break. But I truly feel and belive it will be worth it! Good luck
Thank you Wulele! :)
I plan to share periodic updates in the newsletters
Good luck on your journey! Looking forward to what's next for you!
Thank you! 🙏
"take time to explore and figure out what I REALLY want"
What a bold move bro. I admire that, all the best for your exploration and hope you find out what you're looking for!
Thank you!!
Gaps in resume are something people who have done it are looking for now.
Maybe not in the traditional sense.
But I’ve worked with directors and VPs who know what boost to the human psyche those major gaps on the resume has done. They actually appreciate it.
Interesting, I haven't encountered that approach yet. Seems very healthy and reasonable.
Our in-laws will never understand such a decision. If I had listened to mine, I would still be working at my first job, earning $1K a month—because changing jobs or taking time to reflect was too risky in their eyes.
I’m glad you’re following your gut and discovering what truly matters to you. And that extra time with your kid? Absolutely priceless.
Yeah... It's a combination of being a different generation, and having different interest 😅 They try to minimize the risk for their daughter and grandchildren, without taking account the huge payouts it will offer.
Thank you Rafa!
Kudos to you for "escaping the 9-5" and doing what you feel is best for you and your future, Anton. Totally get that feeling, as a lot of the same thoughts you brought up were what I felt when I wanted to stop enforcing that I need to write _every_ week. It freed me up to do other things, like coding more, building things, and share more about what I am excited about learning.
Wishing you the best on your journey and with manager.dev. I know that if I was an EM, I'd be all over it
Thank you my friend! It's hard to combat inertia, and I feel you made the right choice too :)
Doing something similar, currently have moved into the fractional CTO space so I can have more flexibility and work 3-4 days a week. It’s taken a good 7-8 months but now up and running with a great roster of clients :) looking forward to following your journey!
Nice! I always assumed a fractional role would be quite taxing, similar to freelancing - always on the look for new clients.
I also don't feel I can pull off a fractional CTO yet, and I don't think people look for fractional EMs 😅
Yeah there’s definitely a feast-famine cycle for sure, once you’ve got clients and you’re busy think it can be tricky to make time to keep the pipeline ticking over. What I really wanted to do is work part time, but fractional sounds better :)
You’re right that fractional EMs isn’t really a thing but for many reasons I think it actually should be. One of the experiments I’m running with a startup client is me on a few days a month providing high level strategic thinking, and then also working with a junior engineer who’s building the app, providing guidance and coaching kinda in a fractional EM role. It’s working pretty well so far, and definitely is something I think could scale (junior + fractional EM for less cost than a senior hire is appealing for startups)
Interesting thought!
An offering to save your seniors time by mentoring the juniors and take care of some annoying things 🤔
Will think about it 🙃
This took some balls. Good luck and I can't wait to see where this takes you!
Thank you Kacper! I'll update about the progress :)
That's really brave and fascinating at the same time. I truly am rooting for your happiness and success.
Only few things I would consider:
- There is lot of thinking & planning that needs to be done. Looks like you took a year to do that.
- Make sure you have put the plan in motion, before you quit. There are lot of things to figure out before you are ready to start. You can do those on the side while you work
- Make sure you have planned for medical expenses. In US, the marketplace is expensive.
- Making connections and building your network is essential in doing anything on your own. Start early and you can start while you are working
- Set up your plan to succeed without the burden or stress of taking care of your family while you have no steady income (your job)
Last of all, best of luck! Give it all you got, and keep pushing. There will be days you will question your decision, but just remember the "why" you went down this path. Cheers.
Thank you Rupak!
You are welcome and go take what you deserve. And, keep writing! Best of luck.
It's great you took that step in a very thoughtful way, not as an impulse decision. Good luck!
Thank you Suresh! Yeah, it took a while to make that decision :)
Awesome piece and super exciting Anton, I went part-time not long ago to focus on consulting and working on personal projects and it was the best decision, investing in yourself is something you'll never regret.
Thank you for sharing your journey!
Thank you Greg! I didn't know you took a similar step :)
I'm curious to hear about your personal projects 🙃
Yes! Absolutely, I'm happy to share more :)
That's a courage step, and I know it will be worth it for you!
Good luck man :)
Thank you! And thanks for the inspiration to make it :)
:))))