The Experiment
So begins the largest self-experiment I have ever performed. It has been two of the most productive weeks of my life. Who knew quitting a job could be such a constructive thing?
Let’s back up a couple of months. I’m working a job that I’ve wanted to quit for some time, but have been hesitant to do so. It’s early enough in my career that I’m worried about damaging it by leaving a job too early. There are, of course, financial concerns with living downtown Toronto without a job. Considering that I live a frugal lifestyle, money has never been the issue with me as it is with others.
More and more I had been irritated with the fact that my learning at home dwarfed my learning in the workplace. It’s absurd to me to think that a motivated and knowledge-driven person should have to feel like they live their entire lives in the evening. More and more, I found myself too drained in the evening to accomplish anything. If I’m truly motivated, why should I have to put up with that? I ask for a few things out of a job:
1. A learning environment.
2. Good people.
3. Creative direction.
The first two are obvious. When I say ‘creative direction’, I mean that I need to know that I can make change if I have the right ideas. I need to know that the company is legitimately open and interested in new ideas. This one is the hardest attributes to measure before one accepts a job. Nevertheless, if I am unable to make any creative change at my place of work, it is only a matter of time - namely, once I’m confident in my relevant abilities - until I feel under-valued at my workplace. It’s not a job trait that is immediately relevant, but it is one that will make me leave a job within a year of applying.
Suffice to say, #2 alone is not enough to keep me in my position. After staying on at the job for about two extra weeks in order to finish an upgrade I had been working on, we celebrated my last day at work with what was probably the most frustrating and mind-numbing day yet. Nevertheless, I was sad to leave some of these people behind.
It took me all of 48 hours to get started on phase two of The Plan.
…To be continued…
Sincerely,
Daniel Moniz
