The Day I Quit My Corporate Job
Last Friday, I finally took the leap and did something I’ve been dreaming about: quitting my corporate job.
It was really refreshing. I put in two weeks notice. There wasn’t anything crazy that happened. Just a quiet resignation email, quick coffee chats with everyone who I wanted to keep in touch with, and a countdown.
10 more days. 9 more days. 8 more days. You can imagine the rest.
It felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. But on the final day, the fear of financial instability hit me hard. I was a whirlwind of emotions—relief, excitement, and, if I’m being honest, sheer terror.
Because here’s the thing: I don’t have a safety net. No other job to jump to, just a couple thousand in my HYSA (High Yield Savings Account, if you don’t have one, you should open one!) and no side hustle bringing in steady income. Even worse, tariffs are increasing the price of everything.
The first hour that I walked out of the office, it hit me hard. I don’t have a job anymore. Was this the right choice? Does my mental health and chasing my dreams matter more or having a stable job for the rest of my life? To this day, I still don’t know if it was the right choice to make. I’ve made a million different decision tables trying to weigh the pros versus the cons, and every single time, the pros have always came out on top. However, it still doesn’t sit right with me.
The Fear of Financial Instability
Quitting your job is scary. It’s better when you have another job lined up, but for me, this wasn’t the case.
I’ve spent the past month preparing for this moment—cutting expenses, preparing for what I have to do in the following weeks and mentally preparing myself for the shame that I’m about to receive from my parents.
What if I can’t make enough money to support myself? What if I can’t get a job anymore? Isn’t it easier to get a job when you have a job? What if the market crashes and my business doesn’t work out? What if I’m making the biggest mistake of my life?
There hasn’t been a moment that has gone by without these worries going through my head. In the midst of all this chaos, there’s one constant that remains. Fear is natural. I’m taking a step to chase my dreams. I’ve been reading and preparing for this moment for the past 6 months and it’s time that I finally took a step towards what I truly want to do. It’s a sign that I’m stepping out of my comfort zone.
If I didn’t take this step, I would still be at the same job, working on a salary until I grow old and retire.
The 21-Day Entrepreneur Sprint with Dent Global
Thankfully, I quit my job with a plan in mind. This plan doesn’t help with any of my financial concerns, but it’s been a move that I’ve wanted to do for a while.
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a podcast episode where Ali Abdaal interviewed Daniel Priestley. I’ve been listening to a lot of Ali’s Deep Dive podcast, where he interviews successful entrepreneurs and other people in the space. His interview with Daniel Priesley is one that I’ve gone back to multiple times, on the different steps to take when growing your business from nothing. As I listened to it more and more, I started to wonder what this Daniel guy does.
After a Google search, I found out that he was the co-founder of Dent Global, a company helping entrepreneurs build their platforms. I quickly found something called the 21-Day Entrepreneur Sprint—a program designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs build a business from scratch in just three weeks.
I immediately knew this was my next step (this is not sponsored!). I’ll be starting this tomorrow, and documenting my experience trying this out for the next 21 days! I loved having the idea of a plan, accountability, and the experience of getting the exact lessons that a successful entrepreneur preaches!
Starting this Monday, I’ll be diving headfirst into the sprint. It’s a really scary month, but I believe that with consistency, effort, and my passion to make this world a better place, building a sustainable and successful business is guaranteed.
I won’t lie—I’m nervous and scared out of my mind. But I’m also excited. This feels like the push I’ve been waiting for.
Why I Quit: The Breaking Point
Quitting my job wasn’t a sudden decision. I’ve been planning it for months, but the last few months helped me put some gas on the brakes.
Most of the people are great, but the idea of being in a role where you’re only considered for promotion after 5 years seems insane to me. This doesn’t even guarantee the promotion, but you’re only considered for promotion, amidst the politics throughout a corporate lifestyle. There are long hours, low pay, and meetings to try to get the bare minimum out of others that you work with.
The breaking point came when I realized I was sacrificing my dreams for a paycheck. Ever since graduation, I’ve been coming home exhausted to try to build a side project to help me escape this 9-5. I’ve started a blog, tried print-on-demand without a single item sold, and I’ve read endless books on how to become financially free. The issue is, I’m still way too tired. I put in at least an hour each day to try to build something of my own, but I haven’t seen the fruits of my labor yet.
Maybe I was putting my energy into something that wasn’t working, but I’ve learned so many lessons from each one. I feel like I’ve been half-assing these efforts. I knew this had to change.
So, I started planning. I saved as much as I could, started reading every day, planning out how each month would work, and now, here I am.
My calendar is already blocked out down to the minute, making the most of every single day to build the business that I’ve always wanted to have. I’ve incorporated time for everything that I’ve wanted to get done, including fixing up that blog, starting a YouTube channel, and marketing the app that I’ve been building with a few friends.
No matter what, this is a risk that I’ve committed myself to. There’s no looking back now.
The Reality of Living with Parents
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: I’m living with my parents.
I’m grateful for it.
Living at home means I can focus on building my business without worrying about rent, food, and other utilities. But it’s a really difficult place to be. There’s nagging, judgment, and reminders that the economy is in a horrible place. It wasn’t even until today that I found out that our finances were a lot worse than I had imagined. The nagging voice in my head that says I should have never quit this job, but it’s a little too late now.
Thankfully, writing this post has been helping me process these emotions. This is really my emotional diary where I’m laying it all out for you to see. One small reminder that gives me a bit of ease was actually something I got from talking to Deepseek. “Life isn’t linear, and sometimes, you have to take a step back to move forward.”
The Scary (but Exciting) Road Ahead
As I write this, it’s Sunday night.
Tomorrow morning, I’ll officially start my journey as a full-time entrepreneur.
I’m seriously scared. The fear of failure is heavy now. The weight that was on my shoulders from work disappeared only for a new one to form. The fear of financial instability is the worst of it all. But also, this is my first step to no longer working a dead-end job. I’m taking a leap to do something that I’m passionate about.
Here’s what I’m focusing on as I take this leap:
1. Embracing the Uncertainty
I don’t have all the answers, and that’s okay. There are things that I simply need to wait to find out, and I’m too young to be close to having all the answers yet. Who says I’ll even know the answers to half my questions a year from now? What I do have is a plan, a support system, and the determination to figure it out as I go.
2. Trusting the Process
The 21-Day Entrepreneur Sprint is designed to help me build a solid foundation for my business. I haven’t started it yet, but it’s a portion of my life now that I look at as an anchor to keep me on the right track. In addition to that, the concept of consistency provides solace. Every content creator preaches the necessity of consistency and it’s always been a weak point of mine. That changes now.
3. Celebrating Small Wins
I’m not expecting to build a six-figure business overnight (I would love to though..). Instead, I’m focusing on small, achievable goals—like landing my first client or launching a website. Every win is a step in the right direction.
A Message to Anyone Feeling Stuck
If you’re reading this and feeling stuck in a job or situation that doesn’t fulfill you, I want you to know this: you’re not alone.
Leaving the security of a corporate job is scary. But so is staying in a place where you’re unhappy.
The decision I made to leave my corporate job was one that I wanted to take, but it might not be the same decision for you. I’m lucky to not have to pay rent and still have somewhere to sleep at night, which made the decision a little easier for me.
As always, you don’t have to have it all figured out. I’m starting to look at life with a different set of eyes, to take it one step at a time.
For me, that step was signing up for the 21-Day Entrepreneur Sprint and committing to building a business that aligns with my values. For you, it might look different.
But whatever it is, don’t let fear hold you back.
Wish us luck.
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