Moving On

My short time as a product designer at Square reaffirmed that life is too short to feel one way and act another.

I joined Square as a product designer three and a half months ago. Last week I made the decision to move on.

I’ve always thought that the hardest decisions to make are the right ones. Leaving Saltspring, my partner, our dog and our families to head down from the West Coast of BC to join Square in San Francisco was that decision. Now, deciding to move on and go back home is that decision.

My years of freelancing remotely from a small island, with small teams, on niche design tools had left me curious about new challenges and opportunities. When the chance to join Square arose, it felt like the right opportunity, in the right place at the right time: working in Silicon Valley, with a big company that genuinely cares about its customers, on business tools and products with a broader scope; to pass it up would have left me wondering if I had made the right choice for the rest of my life.

Three months in, when I took a step back to assess things, I knew in my gut that it wasn’t the right fit. I strive to live honestly and transparently and at that point it didn’t seem fair to Square, or myself, to continue on when my mind was constantly drifting.

The simple fact is that I love my small, quiet island life, I love building niche design tools and my heart was back home with Kristi, Daisy and our family. Family and quality of life are what I value most and aligning my actions with these values is my top priority.

I try to stay conscious of how privileged I am to be able to make these decisions and I will be forever grateful to Square for the experience. Companies are representations of the people within them and Square has a reputation for being one of the best for a good reason. Regardless of the amount of time I spent there, the people I met and the camaraderie among colleagues will be my fondest memories.

I’ll be taking a short break, camping in Tofino for a few days with Kristi and Daisy and then getting back to what I enjoy most, building design tools from the comforts of home.

This is life and it’s awesome.