Thanks for sharing Iwana. Inspiring and relatable! I love these goals: "A year to focus on myself (= reduced focus on work) and enjoy life. Explore alternative ways of working and financing life".
I've recently left tech too, with no plan - and connect with your desire to contribute meaningfully to environmental and social issues. But it's not easy is it! So far for me it looks like working for 1-2 days a week on a day rate using my previous skillset (to survive £), and doing a bunch of community gardening and horticulture qualifications to heal from all the years inside an office and excavate my true human self (as opposed to my...robot-capitalism-worker self!) . But not knowing what the next 12 months or even 6 months looks like sometimes makes me feel like a crazy person. V nice to hear from more people doing the same.
P.S. I can only find Work Shift written in German so also appreciate your summary!!
Hey Emily, so glad you found it inspiring and relatable! :) Sounds like we’re in a very similar headspace and life stage. It’s definitely not easy, but I think the key is giving ourselves time. And it sounds like you’re already taking the right steps to also build a kind of portfolio career around passion, impact, and just enough survival £.
I really believe it’s possible and that the uncertainty phase is actually a crucial part of the process.
Re: Work Shift, I just realized it's only available in German. Such a shame!
Great post. We all have the potential to design and build a way of making a living that gives us autonomy, so we can do work that is personally meaningful—whether that's making a specific impact or following our curiosity wherever it leads, and doing work that feels like play.
My perspective is that this should actually be a business. Jobs and portfolio careers are just specific business model, after all. But the semantics don't matter. The point is that how we make a living should serve us, not the other way around. And the first step is to start.
Thanks for sharing Iwana. Inspiring and relatable! I love these goals: "A year to focus on myself (= reduced focus on work) and enjoy life. Explore alternative ways of working and financing life".
I've recently left tech too, with no plan - and connect with your desire to contribute meaningfully to environmental and social issues. But it's not easy is it! So far for me it looks like working for 1-2 days a week on a day rate using my previous skillset (to survive £), and doing a bunch of community gardening and horticulture qualifications to heal from all the years inside an office and excavate my true human self (as opposed to my...robot-capitalism-worker self!) . But not knowing what the next 12 months or even 6 months looks like sometimes makes me feel like a crazy person. V nice to hear from more people doing the same.
P.S. I can only find Work Shift written in German so also appreciate your summary!!
Hey Emily, so glad you found it inspiring and relatable! :) Sounds like we’re in a very similar headspace and life stage. It’s definitely not easy, but I think the key is giving ourselves time. And it sounds like you’re already taking the right steps to also build a kind of portfolio career around passion, impact, and just enough survival £.
I really believe it’s possible and that the uncertainty phase is actually a crucial part of the process.
Re: Work Shift, I just realized it's only available in German. Such a shame!
Great post. We all have the potential to design and build a way of making a living that gives us autonomy, so we can do work that is personally meaningful—whether that's making a specific impact or following our curiosity wherever it leads, and doing work that feels like play.
My perspective is that this should actually be a business. Jobs and portfolio careers are just specific business model, after all. But the semantics don't matter. The point is that how we make a living should serve us, not the other way around. And the first step is to start.
Good luck!