I just want to know...

[lydy]

I just want to know, how many of those people who decided to "follow their bliss" landed flat on their ass and wished they'd kept their day job?

Comments

[marsgov.livejournal.com]

Many people fail when they start their own business, or attempt a new career, or get married.

That certainly doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

[spacecrab.livejournal.com]

I can't say that I've wished I kept a dull dayjob, much -- because the process of natural selection usually results in my being canned from anything that I hate.

I landed not-quite flat on my ass when I quit being a clerk typist, in favor of following the Grateful Dead and writing poetry in coffee houses. The "not-quite" component was due to the fact that in the 1970s, San Francisco had a rather decent social services structure, food stamp program, and $300-a-month in General Assistance to the unemployed. That changed, and I eventually found myself without the money to buy new eyeglasses or shoes -- whereupon I took myself down to the local Federal Building, took a civil service test and became a clerk typist, again.

The second time around, I developed a plan -- went back to school and got a teaching credential. I was in my 30s. After I decided that I couldn't hack it as a full-time high school teacher, the rise of Bay Area Computer Fandom gave me another new career. When the free-lance computer journalist market dried out, I came up with a combination of writing, teaching, and geek-computer knowledge to start again.

The only advice/moral support I can offer from my own experience is to look for and apply for jobs you think you might like doing -- not ones you know you'll hate. Use school on an as-needed basis to convince people you should get a shot at those jobs. Deal with unemployment anxiety by looking early and often. Keep scouring ads and volunteer for interesting freebee gigs. (I got my start as a computer teacher by doing unpaid work for a local user group.) When you can't find an appealing support structure, try to change the rules. Volunteer to do stuff that looks like it might be interesting.

It's life and life only. Hope you get to Wiscon. I think I'm going, this year. (I have a membership, anyway.)

[cari-rose.livejournal.com]

I almost did. Maybe not my own business..but a better job. I landed hard and then succeeded. I wouldn't have if I hadn't tried.


Cari

Dreams and Reality

[(Anonymous)]

I tried to start a business once. The revenue couldn't cover the operating costs. I "moon-lighted" in order to finance the business and lived a ridiculously frugal life. Then I went out and got a decent job in telecommunications. Now I'm planning my retirement with the idea of trying to start my own business again. Maybe with the security of my pension, provided my pension survives until my retirement date, I will be able to live my dream again...