I left my job in 2017.
People thought I was crazy.
“That is so risky.”
I saw it differently. I ran my own consulting company. One main client, side work when it came. People were still trying to hire me. I could pick up another contract in weeks.
I had two safety nets. Savings that bought me three or four years of runway. And skills the market wanted. The people calling it risky couldn’t see either one.
There was a gap between what they knew and what I knew.
I called it a mini-retirement. Three years off from client work. Jiu Jitsu, reading and biking around Atlanta.
By 2020, money was running low. Either make money or go back to work for someone else.
I built Trends.vc.
Even if I hadn’t, the net was still there. The worst-case scenario had an upside.
I could’ve stayed two more years and reached FIRE through the traditional path. But I would’ve missed years of exploration. I probably wouldn’t have started Trends.vc. I wouldn’t have the network, the product skills or the understanding of how I work best.
It’s almost 10 years later. Companies are cutting engineering roles. The market that couldn’t hire fast enough is contracting. The job I used as my backup plan is under pressure right now.
If I’d stayed, I’d be a software developer in 2026. The skill that was my safety net is accessible to everyone now.
Instead, I spent those years building products, writing and running experiments.
The people calling it risky saw my downside. I saw my options.
The “safe” path was the dangerous one.
🪂
What would your life look like in 10 years if you stay where you are?
