Should I stay or should I go?

September 6, 2011 in Just a Job with 24 Comments

Would your advice to Doug be different than mine?

“Dan, I’ve been working as an IT network administrator for the past 17 years which I greatly dislike.  I currently make a little more than $40K on a salary.  I have lost all passion at my job and dread going to work every Monday morning.  A few years ago I had a taste of self-employment when I was not employed full-time and greatly desire that freedom to work at home again.  I currently have a part-time business and make close to the income I make on my job.

When is the right time to quit a job? Should I just keep working my job forever and grow my business at the same time and endure the job I don’t enjoy’? Or should I quit my current job and grow my business and increase my income?”

******************************

I don’t hear any reason for continuing your job.  You don’t make enough for being an IT network administrator, you dread going to work every Monday morning and you have a side-line business that’s making close to your salary??

What’s keeping you there?  You dislike your job and you’ve already created a responsible transition in having a business up and running.  How about if you quit your current job, enjoy the freedom of growing your own business and increase your income.  You have nothing but green lights pulling you forward.

You might consider the words of the great philosopher Johnny Paycheck when he said, “Take this job and shove it.  I ain’t working here no more.”

 

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  • Livinluvinsharing42day

    Well I agree, unless you are on the debt free coarse and have a goal to obtain. If your it job will allow you to start your own business debt free its worth the wait. Always remember THE SECRET to LIFE IS FIND A JOB YOU LOVE THAT YOU WOULD DO EVEN IF IT DIDN’T PAY!
    Goodluck it’s your choice.

  • Livinluvinsharing42day

    Well I agree, unless you are on the debt free coarse and have a goal to obtain. If your it job will allow you to start your own business debt free its worth the wait. Always remember THE SECRET to LIFE IS FIND A JOB YOU LOVE THAT YOU WOULD DO EVEN IF IT DIDN’T PAY!
    Goodluck it’s your choice.

  • Livinluvinsharing42day

    Well I agree, unless you are on the debt free coarse and have a goal to obtain. If your it job will allow you to start your own business debt free its worth the wait. Always remember THE SECRET to LIFE IS FIND A JOB YOU LOVE THAT YOU WOULD DO EVEN IF IT DIDN’T PAY!
    Goodluck it’s your choice.

  • James

    Are you kidding? 17 years as an IT network administrator for 40k a year when the average is 78K. Oi vey! I can see why the passion is gone. It’s time to start living. Shuck the low paying, life-sucking, passion killing job and put your energy in your business. 

    In the words of Scott Gerber, author of “Never Get A Real Job”, in his dedication it reads “This book is dedicated to death of the “real” job. Die you miserable bastard”. Die indeed. You’ve killed enough dreams to fill a thousand grave yards. Time for you to be put to rest and for the dreamers to awaken.

  • Bryan Hart

    But Dan, what about SECURITY?! How can you expect him to be on his own? No benefits? No packages? How can anyone succeed without a “real job”?

    I figure you don’t listen to Dave’s show too often :) . But I am sure you would be interested in the second hour 8/25 broadcast where a father called in to have Dave help him talk sense to his adult “boy.” The son wanted to be his own boss and run his own business. The father’s reaction was similar to: “Let’s get real, I would love to do that too, but the only way to run a business is to get a real job and then do a little business on the side.” Apparently being an entrepreneur isn’t “responsible.”

    Dave was surprisingly gentle :-D

    Thanks for suggesting Think and Grow Rich. It’s very challenging.

    -Bryan

    • Anonymous

      Bryan – thanks for the note.  I can imagine Dave’s response to the Dad’s thinking that a job offer security.  Dave and I have had that conversation many times over the years we’ve both been entrepreneurs   

  • JaimeE

    I worked as an IT Specialist for 11 years. It was great and I worked with passion the first 8 years. The last 3 years was the horrific time of my life. I was afraid to venture out because of job security. Job burnout helped me quit. I went to other IT jobs but lasted a year. Why? No passion in it. I thought  doing a real job and doing business on the side would be the ideal situation. Now, I’m laid off and I’m working like dog to get my small business in video production going. Sometimes, it takes a layoff  or life changing event to head me in the right direction….

    • Anonymous

      Jaime – keep plugging on your passion.  It’s a whole lot easier to make money doing something you love than something you’re trying to do just for the paycheck.

      • JaimeE

        Thanks, Dan. Video is my calling and my purpose in life. The only way survive these days is direction from God who shows me where to go and teaches me patience through all of this.

  • Anonymous

    LEAVE NOW!

    I was in a similar situation; working full-time at a company for which I traded my time for money for 18 years.  In January of this year, a co-worker and I started our own business on the side with a goal to go full-time by the end of June.  We both resigned on May 6 and haven’t looked back.  Little did we realize what else we were trading for that paycheck.  I have clients tell me everyday how brilliant I am, a business partner who gives me more kudos in a day than I received in a year, and the ability to make as much money as I want.  It is tough to leave the security of a job, so I changed my mindset as to what a job actually means.  I started thinking of JOB as meaning: Just Over Broke.  It no longer meant security, it meant that someone else was determining my worth.  

    I only have two regrets:  first that I didn’t leave on January 1; second, that I don’t have more than 24 hrs in a day to do what I love.  

    Best wishes Doug!

    • Anonymous

      Lori – what a great story of following your heart and now experiencing all the rewards of being true to yourself.

      • Guest

        Thank you; we know we are blessed and are very grateful!

        After posting, I went through and read through the subsequent threads and realized there is more that I should share.  

        Approximately five years ago, my now business partner and I started a “debt diet’ group with several other women.   We followed Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover for guidance. Over the course of that time, everyone fell away from our group except the two of us.  I personally got rid of $42K of credit card debt and my business partner is completely debt free.  We are now nine months into our business and have yet to take out a business loan!  In fact, when we went into the bank to set up our checking account, they wanted to extend us a sizable line of credit because they ‘rarely see credit scores like ours anymore”.

        Additionally, (and you can check your sales records (-:) I ordered five of your Career Kits and shared them with the person who is now my business partner and several other people.  I listened to the CD’s over and over and went through the books several times.  In fact, I still get them out to keep myself in line.

        I believe your and Dave’s books along with the grace of God, created the ‘perfect storm’ for us.  It took all three to give us the ‘tools’  and courage to make the leap of faith.

  • Carmstr1

    I agree with Dan – unless you need to keep your job for its benefits.  The other caveat is that you need to be debt free when you quit a job.  Pay off the cars, get the mortgage down to something you can handle, etc…

    • Anonymous

      My experience has been that I can get out of debt a whole lot faster working for myself than by hanging on to a paycheck. 

  • Gavinjanice

    I agree with Dan because staying in that job makes it so that you cannot take your part time business to another level.   This is also where trusting God in meeting your needs is so important!  The just shall live by faith.  Faith in what?….

  • Chris Turner

    Get out. Life is too short and precious. Do what God made you to do. And don’t look back. (Luke 9:62)

  • http://www.thefrustratedentrepreneur.com Guy Madison

    I’m totally on board with Dan.  Take the plunge.  The only reason to continue doing both would be if you were trying to get out of debt and using all your side income to do that.  By only having the business to focus on, you should be able to dramatically increase your income.  No other distractions…like the J-O-B.  Good luck and God Bless!

  • Marty Wenger

    It’s way past time to bail out!  The ship may or may not be sinking, but you’ll be better off in something that doesn’t suck your soul every time you go out your door to “work”. 

  • Curtis Stewart

    You can always find a job, you cannot find your life. I would hit the drag up button (and have) and remind the people you are working for that you know that as a at will employee you can be let go with or without cause at any time for any reason or no reason and without any notice. But as a at will employer, you can drag up with or without cause at any time for any reason or no reason and without any notice.

  • MW

    Exactly, Dan. He has no reason to stay at his current job unless he’s living on the $80K each yearfro both jobs. If he can live on the $40K per year while he continues to grow his business, then he should leave the IT job and work on growing his business.

  • JToddCPA

    One caveat here is that not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. If you have 17 years of experience as an IT network administrator and you are only making 40K a year either you are lacking in skills or the confidence to go after the true salary you deserve. You don’t mention what your side business is but if it is the same line of work that your day job is then you need to determine what about your day job you truly hate – is it the work itself or the environment? Another red flag is that you haven’t taken the plunge already and left your day job to grow your business full time. Before you take that plunge, do some true introspection and figure out what it is that would help you gain the confidence you need to truly make your business successful, if it is a lack of technical skills, obtain those before taking the plunge, if it is people skills, time management or leadership skills, work on those as well – there are tons of great and FREE resources on the web to help you. Entrepreneurship takes more than just passion, it takes capital, and outside resources such as network relationships, and being able to sell yourself to everyone you meet. I’m coming from the viewpoint of a self-employed CPA who works with a lot of business owners.

  • Trk046

    You should turn in your two week notice monday. I quit my job two weeks ago. Freedom is better than the extra money. And I am making new contacts every day.

  • http://www.dougrenz.com Doug Renz

    Hello Dan (and friends),

    I was the person who wrote this question to Dan a few weeks ago. 

    I have to thank Dan Miller for getting me to this point in my career, reading his books, listening to his podcast and following his blog and website for the past few years.

    It has changed my life (for the better)!!  I can’t wait to meet you Dan some day and thank you personally.

    There are a few other people I have to thank for changing my career decisions/direction and that is Jim Cockrum and Dave Ramsey.  More to come about this on my blog.

    As of a few weeks ago, I am no longer working as an IT network administrator!!

    I now have a chance to come back after a few weeks away and comment on the blog post and continue the journey.   Seriously, after now working around and with my family… it’s been very awesome.  It’s just the beginning.

    I realize and accept that working for yourself is not for everybody and that finding the right work/job/calling goes together (employment or self-employment/business owner).

    Thanks again to your comments and feedback.

    Doug Renz
    doug@dougrenz.com

    • Anonymous

      Doug – how cool.  Thanks for your comments and for the update.  It will definitely be encouraging for our readers to know you took action and that you’re confident about the decision you’ve made.  Please keep us posted on your progress – and yes, I’d love to have you come to one of our events in Franklin, TN whenever you can!

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