Today I walked away from $89,000.
--
Modern liberty is hard to define and your job is hoping that you don’t try to discover your personal definition. Technology has produced modern sweatshops that numb our ambitions with 401ks, competitive salaries, and free lunches. These perks gently wrap a blindfold for us, then take our clammy hands and lead us to a comfortable seat near the crowded event horizon of conformity.
This post is not for the complacent. It is not for the happy. It is not for the satisfied and the settled. To you — I show my envy. I want to be you.
But I am not.
And I’m learning to be ok with that.
So, I left my iOS developer job to pursue liberty in a form that feels most honest to myself and who I want to be.
I’m fully aware that my chase for freedom and creativity outside of a cubicle and a steady 9–5 might be a treacherous dead end. It might just be an addiction to risk and the adrenaline that comes with it. I understand that maybe I’m just too immature to appreciate the life that a steady job can afford me. I also understand that I simply might not be there yet at this point in my life. I don’t deny that someday, the steady 9–5 could be exactly what I want and what I crave, especially when I have a family to look after. When those days come, stability is what I will desperately desire. Those days are not here though, so why fit myself into a shape that is incongruent with my true self?
This last year, I lived that steady life in a nice apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey. Hoboken is full of fun bars, delicious restaurants, and all the beautiful, young successful people you can imagine. My apartment was 1 block away from the subway and the ride into Manhattan was about 10 minutes. My office was in a beautiful WeWork co-working space next to Union Square. It was stocked with rotating kegs, it had an espresso machine, and it even had a shuffleboard table (which I got pretty good at). My coworkers were wonderful and my company was too.
By some people’s standards, I was living the life. And admittedly, this is what I had been working towards for the past couple of years. I wanted to be in the exact position I found myself in. But when I arrived to the place I had strived for — the apartment, the salary, the Manhattan job — I realized that I swallowed the pill that society cooked up for me and I didn’t like how it made me feel.
When you have that realization, do you have the courage to go to your boss, your family, your friends, and most importantly, yourself and say, “I want to change,” or do you sit still and let another day go by?
I worry at this point that some who may be reading this might find their emotions treading into “bratty millennials don’t understand hard work” and “emotional marshmallows” territory. I get that. A former version of myself would be confused as to why I would be walking away from this job. My highest paying job prior to this was in a touring band that paid a $10 per diem which afforded me the delicacy known as the $5 foot long and the luxurious accommodations of a motel room for 4 guys. And this motel room I speak of — those were on nights where we splurged. Otherwise, we slept in our passenger van under the parking lot lights of Wal-Mart.
Being poor motivated me to make money. Now making money has motivated me to find liberty.
What do I do now?
I want to find out what liberty and the pursuit of happiness looks like in the digital 21st century.
Maybe you’re curious too. If so, I hope you follow my journey as I try to build my wings during my free fall. But be forewarned, I can’t guarantee a happy ending. I’ll try my hardest though, and at the least, I hope I can inspire some of you along the way.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying quit your job. But ask for that raise. Or ask for that new position. Or start writing that damn novel. Or start learning that new skill like copywriting, CPC advertising, or programming. Or finish that side-project!
The first steps in my journey will revolve around these two words: Action and Finishing.
It’s easy to come up with ideas and “what ifs”. It’s hard to take action on them — and it’s even harder to finish them.
With that said, it’s time for me to start taking some action. And I’ve decided that this action will revolve around my immediate value.
If you are in a similar boat, or want to row alongside me, I recommend sitting down and jotting down what immediate value you have (and yes, you do have value). Figure out what you’re good at and leverage it. Our boat has a hole in it and we need to start moving quickly. It’s urgent! Getting that first little taste of success will motivate us to stay in the boat and be comfortable with getting our feet wet.
Action
I’ve been making iPhone apps for years and I know that programmers are in high demand, so I want to help others learn this skill. I remember what it’s like to be a beginner and I remember what helped knowledge stick, and what didn’t. Using that experience, my skill, and a little bit of courage, I’m ready to take my first step.
I am launching my own online, Swift programming classes. By the end of each class, you will have created a fully functioning iPhone app. The app will be on your phone and ready to be shown to your friends and family. Click here to sign up if learning to program is something that you’ve been curious about or want to get better at.
And that’s it. That is my first step, my first action.
I have more ideas and plans — but those will all roll out in due time. I encourage you to follow this blog if you’re interested in the ups and downs of this adventure. I will be posting with my progress, successes, and failures. And if you’re doing something similar, let me know. I’d love to watch your journey too; we can inspire each other!
I left my job to find my freedom.
Let the search begin!
Please feel free to leave comments if this post stirred up any thoughts, feelings, criticisms, or advice. I’m happy to hear it and answer any questions.
If you found this post valuable, please help share it with others by clicking recommend ❤
Get in touch and follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/alanscarpa
