I Gave Up Dental Insurance

For the second time in less than a year, I quit a job. They were good jobs. Jobs that suited my degree, that paid well, that offered comprehensive benefits. With my most recent job, I could get four teeth cleanings a year. I love going to the dentist. You should hear how impressed my dentist is every time I crack open my jaw. I’ve got all four wisdom teeth! That’s a wonderful anomaly in the world of dentistry.

But I quit. I quit both jobs with no backups, no concrete plans for future streams of revenue. I gave up stability and health insurance and built-in, daily purpose. Also regular teeth cleanings. I gave those up, too.

I only regret my decisions a little bit.

I take that back. I don’t regret the decision to quit the first of my two jobs at all. I had been doing the same work for the same organization for three and a half years. Leadership was rocky, morale was low, and I was happy to get out. When I gave my notice, I didn’t have any job offers. I was going to work for myself and travel. Then I got a job offer for an even better job and I cried when I got the phone call. It was too good to pass up and I felt too fortunate to have gotten the offer. I didn’t pass it up then, but I’m sacrificing it now. I liked it and still I’m leaving.

I think most people dream of quitting their jobs. No matter how much you enjoy your work and your coworkers, your paycheck and routine, we all want out sometimes. I got out. It was difficult, and it was scary, and I’m not yet sure it was worth it.

Why did I quit? Mainly, because I want to work for myself. While I like the ease of getting cut a biweekly paycheck from a finance department, I don’t like the obligation that accompanies it. I don’t love spending 40 hours a week doing work for someone else when there’s work I’d rather be doing for myself.

I want to write. I want to write full-time, on my own schedule, about topics I choose. I want writing to be my sole endeavor.

It won’t be easy. There are a lot of writers far better than me who want to do the same thing, and even they are having a rough go at it. Chances of my success aren’t stellar. That’s why I quit my jobs. Because if I’m going to attempt something with a less-than-stellar chance of success, the sooner the better. I’ll need all the extra hours I can get.