The saying goes like this, “Follow your passion and you will never have to work a day in life” . Those who take this phrase too seriously and find courage to leave their stable job for following their dream will tell you that’s it’s not as simple as it sounds. This article talks about the various situations that crop up and how you can cope up with them better.
Chase your own dreams instead of working to fulfill someone else’s. This is a clichéd line that we get to hear every now and then from motivational speakers around the world. Even Steve Jobs, the great visionary who single handedly turned around the fortunes of beleaguered Apple making it the most valuable brand in the world, once said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
While this sounds quite true and inspiring, the fact remains that same size doesn’t fit everyone. While a regular a day job is far less glamorous than running your own company, and having people work for you, but not everyone goes on to become a Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. Does that mean, one should stop trying? This is a complicated question with no straight answer and hence, here are some points that one should keep in mind before giving up on your day job to follow your passion.
There Will Be No Free Lunches
When you quit your job, you are actually saying no to a whole bunch of things that includes, employer pension fund, free health and accidental insurance coverage, free meals and transport and other allowances. Starting your own business will not only lead to lose of your monthly source of income but also add to your expenses in form of the insurances that you will have to buy, the food you will now have to eat outside and savings that you will have to do for your old age.
There Will Be an Immediate Loss of Social Circle
For most of us our office is just not a place to work and earn money. It is also an important part of our social life, as our colleagues sometimes become our most important friends. In fact, many of us who have been struck by cupid in office also find their life partners here. The simple reason is the amount of time we spend in an office is humongous, 9 to 5 daily from Monday to Friday, with the same set of people. When you quit your job, it will create a vacuum as far as social life is concerned, as you will lose touch with your colleagues-turned-longtime friends. That’s a huge cost to pay.
Going Back Will Be Very, Very Tough
Why not leave your job to simply try once doing something you love or believe in? You can always come back to the office life if it doesn’t work out, right? The sad truth is, no. Finding a job for a fresh graduate is at is very difficult. However, once you have a break in your career, it becomes all the more difficult to get your foot in the door, especially, at the higher level, where the opportunities are limited and competition is fierce. Even if you think of joining back at the entry level, you will only manage to get second priority to fresh graduates who are considered more in tune with the changing industry and hence more suitable for the job.
Think and Evaluate
Before you actually shoot the resignation letter to your manager, it will be good to have a reevaluation strategy at place. Quitting a job has a lot of financial and social repercussions as well. Without the financial cushion of your monthly paycheck you will be left totally vulnerable towards the uncertainties of life. It’s better to have a cover in place beforehand rather than run for cover when the weather turns rough.
People sometimes quit a job in a momentary euphoria, without even giving the future a second thought and later wish someone would have told them about the not-so-easy situations that one has to face after ditching a successful career path for starting from scratch. Whether it’s a business that you are going to start or a new career path, you will have to start all over again, like an entry level graduate. Thus, considering the heavy stakes, it’s only fair that you take a pause and think twice before making the switch.
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