If someone offered you one million dollars, would you take it? I bet you would emphatically say, “yes, most definitely, without a doubt!”
I never thought I would pass up that much money, but one day I did. I’ve given up $1 million worth of income over the past seven years, and I did so by quitting my six figure job.
If you are saving, investing, and dreaming of financial independence, you probably think I’m either crazy or a complete idiot. After I made the decision, I might have agreed. Since quitting my six-figure job and walking away from a high paying career, I’ve experienced many complex emotions.
A Little History
Growing up, my mom left her job to stay home with my brother and me. As a kid, I wasn’t aware that this was a decision my parents had made. It was just the way our family worked. Every weekday dad drove to a job in the city, and mom stayed home. It was the only world I knew.
Stay-at-home parents were common in my community. None of the moms in my neighborhood worked in traditional 9-to-5 jobs when I was a child.
Then one day, my mom talked about going back to work. I was nine years old and mature enough to let myself in and out of the house alone. (Latch key kids were all the rage back then.)
The Lesson I Learned
That’s when my mom first mentioned her decision to stay home. It was a simple explanation, straight and to the point. Her job wouldn’t cover the cost of child care, so she quit, but now that my brother and I were older, she could return to work.
It’s interesting how my nine-year-old brain internalized and interpreted my mother’s words. I created a mantra of sorts inside my head: after giving birth, a low salary was the only reason to quit your job.
Over the years, I heard this message echoing back to me repeatedly. Women told me they didn’t earn enough to continue working. Many said, “by the time I pay for daycare, I have little to nothing left.”
Many of those women wanted to stay home with their children, but none framed their decision in that context. None of them listed desire as the number one reason for leaving the workforce. Instead, they always mentioned money as the primary reason for staying home.
Quitting a High Paying Job
So imagine how conflicted I felt when I made six figures and decided to walk away from my high paying job. Didn’t people quit their jobs because it didn’t make financial sense to continue working?
I didn’t fit that mold. In fact, I lived the opposite of that. I made too much money to quit my job. In the beginning, walking away seemed like an impossible decision to make, and giving up a high paying job was out of the question.
At the time, I didn’t know anyone who had purposefully left a high paying position.
My female role models at work all remained in their jobs after the birth of their children. No one I knew left their professional careers to raise kids.
I didn’t meet any fellow software developers on the playground. Yet, after being laid off and lining up a new job, I still chose to leave the workforce and willingly quit my six figure job.
I was and still am incredibly proud of my prior career. There is something gratifying about being a female in a male-dominated industry. Sometimes, I still miss the pride I felt in my former role.
Regret Quitting a High Paying Job
So, was it a mistake to give it all up? Did I make a bad decision when I chose to quit my six figure job?
I asked myself that question for years.
I asked every stay-at-home mom I met about her prior profession. I scoured the Internet for stories about other women who gave up high paying careers.
Then silently memorized the article on Grown and Flown when I couldn’t find any. Would I, too, regret quitting my job to stay at home with my children?
$1 Million in Lost Wages
Why was I so conflicted? Because I spent the greater part of my life obsessed with money. I wrote a blog about personal finance centered on maximizing earnings, saving as much as possible, and investing for the long haul.
My weekly routine consisted of clipping coupons, searching sales circulars, increasing my income, and nickel-and-diming my way to $1 million.
I began working at fifteen and worked throughout high school and college. I was proud of that fact. Who was I without a job? After years of growing our net worth, I found it difficult to stop focusing on wealth accumulation.
Then there was the question of lost wages. What did seven years out of the workforce cost my husband and me? I estimate around $3 million.
At least $3 million! It amounts to over $1 million in lost wages over the past seven years alone. Add on additional compounding for an extra thirty to forty years, and holy mackerel, that’s a lot of missed moola!
And of course, the longer I stay out of the workforce, the more significant that number looms.
Leaving a High Paying Job for Happiness
My situation is unusual but not unique. I was searching specifically for stories of happy, stay-at-home parents who left high paying jobs, but now I realize I should have widened my net.
There are hundreds of reasons people quit high paying jobs to be happy. Each story is unique, but the reasons are all similar.
Most of us walk away from a high paying job to find a deeper purpose beyond our six-figure careers.
While I still don’t find a lot of highly paid parents exiting the workforce, I have discovered an entire FIRE community full of individuals who are leaving money behind.
That’s the case for anyone who considers early retirement, isn’t it?
Do I Regret Quitting My High Paying Job?
Do I regret quitting my high paying job? More specifically, do I regret leaving my job to be a stay-at-home mom? Not at this point. Will I regret it 30 years from now? I don’t think so.
I have many thoughts on the subject (some still conflicting), but I know life shouldn’t be taken for granted. My heart pulled me in this direction, and thanks to significant savings and a spouse who continues to work, I’ve been given the option to stay home.
That’s a personal choice, and it doesn’t reflect on the choices other women make or the fact that many women don’t have the luxury of choice at all.
I don’t worry about money anymore, but sometimes I still fear for our financial futures. What if we get sick or need long-term care? Three million would certainly cover the cost of those bills. Will I regret the decision in the future? Perhaps, if I’m still blogging, then I’ll let you know.
The truth is life is all about choices. I love so many aspects of staying at home with my children, and I don’t regret spending the last seven years outside of a cubicle.
If you handed me $3 million on the day my son was born, would I have felt differently? Most definitely, but thankfully that didn’t happen.
Luckily, I recognize that life is about so much more than money.
Walking Away From a High Paying Job
In retrospect, I wish my mom had said, “I stayed home because I would have regretted leaving you behind each day.” Or “I stayed home because I cherished the time I spent with you.”
My mom could have said, “I didn’t do it out of necessity, but rather out of desire.” Staying home was her preference, so these things all would have been accurate, and hearing those words would have completely changed my mental model.
I wish money hadn’t factored into the way she spoke about that decision at all. I wasted too much time second-guessing my decision for ridiculous financial reasons and feeling guilty for passing up so much cash.
Quit High Paying Job To Be Happy
Choosing happiness.
Long-term happiness didn’t reside in bigger paychecks, long hours, or high-level promotions. The success that I thought might make me happy didn’t.
At the root of it all, my work life and my dream life weren’t compatible with one another. I wanted to leave my high paying job for less stress and more time with my children.
After quitting my six figure job, I mistakenly focused on what I’d given up. Instead, I should have focused on what I received in return.
That’s when it dawned on me. I didn’t give up three million dollars. I left my high paying job for time with my children and exchanged my next promotion for a better quality of life.
Leaving a high paying job for happiness isn’t easy, but that’s precisely what I did.
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That’s so interesting, I don’t think I would have considered the impact of describing that choice to my child if you hadn’t discussed it. My family definitely didn’t have the choice so I hadn’t ever thought about discussing it as anything but a foregone conclusion that we would both work unless we had enough for both of us to retire comfortably.
We can’t afford for one of us to stay home with the kiddo and I physically couldn’t do it myself, but I hope that at some point, we have the choice to prioritize our family over money a lot more. Then again, we have a decent balance right now, considering our means and our need to save for the future, so I’m not unhappy with the choices we’ve made. We did a lot of work before JB to put us in a good position, and it was worth it. May our choices today be good for the future, like our past choices were.
That’s an interesting observation to make. I have no idea why my parents decided to share their decision with us. Maybe I did ask them about it, but I just don’t recall that part of the conversation.
I know your health prevents you from staying home now, but I wonder if things would change as JB gets older. Life is a lot different, (energy wise), with a nearly eight year old than it is with my four year old.
Had we made different decisions with our money and careers earlier in life I definitely wouldn’t have felt comfortable staying home. I like to say we were always saving for a purpose. We just didn’t know what the purpose was until my son was born. Like you, I hope our future choices are as good as the ones that led us here.
I am considering returning to work soon and my biggest fear is finding the balance between work and home!
What a beautiful post. This really hit home for me. I still have my six-figure job but I’m very near the point of giving it up and I’m currently struggling with the doubts, fears, and angst of walking away. I recently performed the same calculation in my head – I’ll be giving up millions to walk away from my job – not to mention the friendships and the satisfaction I receive from my job. I’m trying to balance those emotions with the opportunity cost of NOT quitting my job. What might I be giving up in terms of relationships, adventures, and satisfaction if I don’t leave and sail off into the great unknown? I find myself being very risk averse and this is a tough decision. I really enjoyed reading the thoughts of someone who is already on the other side and has already walked through the door.
Hi AJ,
Thanks for your comment. Leaving the workplace is an extremely difficult decision to make. I was sobbing as I typed up my letter to my new employer. There are things that I have loved about staying home, but there are also pieces of me that felt like they were missing for a little while. It is definitely a big adjustment to make. Feel free to contact me if you’d like to know more about my transition and what went right and wrong.
Wow, so much of this hits home for me. Thank you for writing this. Like AJ I also still have my six figure job and I’ve been there over a decade to get to the respected position I’m in. I have a 15 month old who is very social and seems happy at daycare but against my choice my job is getting bigger with cross country travel requirements. We’re also ttc baby #2. Aside from the travel and the work stress I’m super fortunate to work from home most of the time. And yes I still take my daughter to daycare fulltime, duh I dont know what kind of jobs people have and work from home with a toddler! But I wish I could do that! Anyway, my situation all in all is pretty good but my heartstrings are being tugged to stay home with the upcomming changes in my position. I’m not sure my hubby is on board. We aspire by his grand plan to be fire/firo in the next few years. Hes worked so hard to create this plan. So part of me says just hang on until then but I fear I’d miss some of the most important years of my babies lives. I’ve worked hard my entire life so sahm life is the great unknown for me. Part time isn’t an option and with where we have chosen to live, once I’m out, im out because there isn’t much opportunity here, I had to bring my job from the city. I feel more conflicted as I type this! Would love to hear how things are turning out for you and the other commenter on here. Thank you!
Oh Conflicted, I can feel your stress through the words you typed onto this page. I’ll be perfectly honest. If I hadn’t been laid off I probably wouldn’t have quit my job. My previous job was super easy. Like you I had the flexibility to work from home. I was good at what I did and I thoroughly enjoyed solving problems and writing code. When I lined up the ‘new job’ I never wondered whether or not I would really follow through with it, but once I held my son in my arms everything changed for me. The other day, while driving home from the beach, my seven year old turned to me and asked, “mom, do you ever regret your decision to quit working to stay home with me.” I answered that question without an ounce of hesitation. I told him, “I know in my heart I would have regretted sitting in a cubicle much more.” Having said that, this is a HUGE decision and a very personal one. This decision didn’t derail our goals for FI, because we had a lot of money saved and my husband continued to work and earn enough to cover my lack of salary. I think it’s important to ask yourself how long you would be out of the workforce and whether or not your skills will fade while you are away. Part of my decision was also based on medical problems from my past. I had a near death experience in my late 20s that forever changed my outlook on life. Quite honestly, I know that nothing in life is guaranteed and I didn’t want to miss out on the good stuff just for the sake of saving up money. The time with my kids has been worth the loss of $3 million, but that isn’t the same with everyone. Also, my husband was actually the one urging me to follow my heart and stay home. I can imagine the stress if you and your spouse are not on the same page. If I were you I would spend some time reflecting deeply on the decision. I am happy to chat more if you think it would help. This post may also help: https://www.onefrugalgirl.com/8-steps-to-take-before-becoming-a-stay-at-home-parent/
Thanks for your thoughtful post. I’m debating leaving my six figure salary and my son is 11 (not a newborn lol)! I know it sounds a bit crazy but I keep thinking that I’m missing too much in these few years I have left with him before he goes off to college. I do work from home often but I am a workaholic and have a difficult time putting the work away and add the travel and it just makes me sad. We would be fine on my husbands income but I provide our healthcare so that’s really a worry and of course the opportunity cost of my healthy income and impact on our savings and retirement. We do have a nice nest egg saved but I still worry. Plus add college expenses- I still worry even with our 529.
Then there’s the personal guilt.. why should I “retire”? I’m only 47 and people just have to work. I know I would figure something work-ish to do since I can’t sit still but to have more flexibility and not miss the cross country meets, Tkd practice, etc is also super important to me. And let’s be honest… I have some personal struggles with leaving my executive position and finding some random part time work… will people think less of me, etc.
I would love to hear your thoughts and appreciate stumbling onto your page. Helps to know others have similar struggles and challenges. Thanks!!!
I completely understand your predicament and feel as though I am in a similar situation right now. My youngest will start kindergarten next fall. I want to work in some capacity, but I know that my workaholic personality will make it difficult to put in the minimum number of required hours or to walk away from my job at the end of the day. I think some people can walk away from work more easily than others. When I worked I worked a lot. We didn’t have children at the time but putting in an extra five or more hours a day was normal for me. I also worked from home and found it difficult to separate the boundaries between the working day and my ‘off’ hours, so I completely understand where you are coming from. It sounds like we are similar in this regard.
I wonder if you could set up a clock in your office or some other means to truly alert you to the end of the day. Something that says, “get off that computer or phone” and go spend time with your family or more items around your home office that remind you of your son so that you’ll stop working to spend time with him? Maybe you could even ask your son to come get you at a certain time of day so you can see him and remember that work is just work and you can return to it tomorrow?
It sounds like you are also struggling with the idea of finding a lower paid part time job that provides flexibility while giving up the high salary of your current position. I completely understand that. It sounds like your work provides personal satisfaction and a feeling of success. That is really hard to step away from. In fact, it has been the hardest part of walking away for me. I believe the pride of my job was more important than the money. I am currently considering returning to work at my son’s school, which will pay me far less than my old salary and still require a whole lot of hours onsite when I used to work at home in my pajamas.
If I were you I would start with a few job related questions. For instance, would it be possible for you to start looking for part time work while you are still employed or possibly transitioning your current job to part time work? If you know you want to work in some capacity and don’t feel pressured to leave right away than it probably makes sense to start looking for opportunities now. Rather than quitting your job to become a stay-at-home parent figure out what types of opportunities might be available to you. Maybe you can figure out a way to get the best of both worlds (more time with your son and a high paying part time position).
One last thought, which is morbid and terrible, but it may or may not help you decide. Last week I faced a false positive on my annual mammogram. As I read the report and contemplated my future two thoughts came to mind. First, I am so glad that I spent the last eight years at home with my children. Second, how could I get even more time with them if breast cancer was looming in my future. Not once did I think, “hmmm I wish I had worked and stowed more money in my bank account or spent the last eight years in a cubicle.”
I’ve definitely had doubts over the years, but that solidified my decision more than anything else. I hope that this helps and I’m happy to correspond if you have any other thoughts or questions.
Thank you. Mine is 11 too. I am teaching healthcare and know well enough that these are the rumbling years. If I am all the time tied to my laptop and work, how do I leave an enjoyable childhood/teenagehood (of what is left) for my only child. After going to secondary school and Uni, he will understandably drift away….it is now or never. But then I think – what about me? After he is gone, if I live too long, will he be happy I did this for him? My husband supports me leaving the job as well.
I don’t know if our kids will be able to verbalize their happiness. It took me three decades to recognize the value of my own stay-at-home mom. Can you create flexibility within your job to get the best of both worlds? The ability to work from home or work part-time for example? If not, what does your heart tell you to do?
I really enjoyed reading this as it’s hard to find others in similar situations as us. I’ve been working for the same company going on 12 and a half years now also making 6 figures. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today and have always been taught to be a hard worker and to become successful. I currently have a 3 year old with another on the way very soon. After having my first, my definition of success has changed. Success isn’t about status, money, big homes, fancy cars. Success to me is financial freedom and being able to support yourself and your family financially with a career that works around your schedule. To me time and flexibility is more important than $. My plan is to quit my job after I return from maternity leave and look for a part time remote gig with obviously way less pay. I’ve put in enough time and effort at my job and I don’t want to miss out on the early years of my kids. My husband and I have been budgeting and planned for this to allow me to do so. The only downfall is if I do decide to return to the workforce full time in the future, it would be hard to land another gig with a 6 figure salary. There are no part time options at my current company, and I’m ready for a change as it’s starting to feel repetitive and stagnant. When I bring up this conversation to others they think I’m crazy as people would do anything to earn this salary, benefits, and even a pension. Just looking to get your thoughts for reassurance that I’m not making a wrong decision.
I can completely understand where you are coming from. I commend you on making this decision before the birth of your second child and focusing on your budget and finances before actually quitting your job. If I were you I would do exactly what you are doing, but then you already know that, because you’ve read this post. I do think others will think you are crazy, but your definition of success no longer fits the norm. “Success isn’t about status, money, big homes, fancy cars. Success to me is financial freedom and being able to support yourself and your family financially with a career that works around your schedule.” That is exactly how I feel. I am privileged to feel that way, because of all of the time and effort I put into the first twelve years of my career. We were able to save a ton of money and my husband continued to earn a bunch without my paycheck these past eight years. This is definitely a personal decision and one that only you can make. It is hard to take a lower paying job when you know you are capable of earning more and that has been the hardest part of my decision. When I do return to work I know that I will not earn the six figure salary I was used to. Having said that I wouldn’t give up my time for my children for that money. Not everyone feels that same way and that’s perfectly fine. In fact, it’s great! But if you have your finances in order and your heart is telling you to step away from your career than you should definitely consider doing that. One question I would ask. Do you have the skills to find another job in case you change your mind six months down the road? Sometimes we need to know a backup plan is possible in case we take a big leap and regret our decision. Do you feel like you could find another high paying job if six months after the birth of your second child you changed your mind?
Appreciate the feedback. To answer your first question if I were to still have the skills set to find another job if I decide to change my mind, the answer is yes I would as my goal is to still find a part time gig so I wouldn’t completely have a gap in my work history. As far as your second question, I do not think I’d be able to land a high paying job as I’d be taking on a lesser stress and lesser paid part time job and it’d be harder to negotiate based on the salary history reflecting a decrease in pay.
That make sense. Do you plan to continue in the same line of work or is your plan to do something else completely different for the next few years?
Completely different less demanding role.
Hi.
I am in the same position you are in. I make 100-200k per year and I have put money away because I knew I wanted to retire early. I paid off my house and have a small rental.
I am scared to quit because I feel people would kill to have an income like mine. But I put in 20 years and this job is getting super stressful and stagnant.
So, in my opinion you are not crazy. Your buying time with the money you will give up.
It does feel strange to give up what others might want. I suppose the real question is: what do you want?
MS – Since you plan on working part time after the birth of your next child I think you could try it out for six months or a year and see how it feels for you. If you really dislike earning less pay you could return to a more stressful/higher paying job at some point in the future, but I bet you will find peace in the balance of having less stress and more time with your family. I think it makes all the sense in the world to spend time with your family now if you can. Forget what other people think of your situation. Remember that many people are working to buy stuff they don’t need. If you can stick to your budget and make it work financially I think you should take the leap to a less stressful job for at least a little while. Then reevaluate after six months to a year on that lower paying job. If you don’t like the way it feels your skills won’t be too outdated to return to something that pays more even if it means switching to another company to do so.
I also make a six figure salary and do have a high stress job at times but do have flexibility at times. I have 4 young kids (one in school) and I make the majority of the income and carry the benefits. For years I hated my job while I worked my way up the ladder and hated my husbands as he didn’t make enough. He loves his job and I do now too. We are finally at a place where I can leave and we will be fine (budget will be tight and we won’t be saving or saving for retirement) but we will survive and be able to pay for private health insurance and deductibles it needed. Once our home is paid off which is in 5 yeRs we will be saving again. I feel I am making a huge financial mistake but also feel I am letting many down And if something major comes up might be letting my kids down financially. I have ran my budget so many times as I think about this a lot and have for years. . I also don’t know if I want to be at home full time. My only times to even try this out were maternity leave when I felt overwhelmed. I don’t get a lot of time off and even when I do am usually working. I think about leaving and trying to be at home for 6 months to see if I would like it but am very specialized and know if I leave I like I won’t find a position back and likely not even close to what I am making now. I think what I would love to do is non-profit work or Comintern but that wouldn’t be full time. I have respect a nice title and paycheck but those items don’t matter. I live a simple life in a small home and want be happy. I haven’t liked my job or company for years. I spent countless hours thronging about leaving or what my next career or job should be Cause I’m not happy. But I don’t know if I should stay at home
Or if that would make me happy or what at all I wnat to do in my next job. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you. So happy to read this blog and know other women have been here and share their stories. Thank you!
Undecided – Congratulations on being in a financial place to make this decision. A lot of families don’t even get this opportunity so give yourself a minute to reflect on that and pat yourself on the back.
I have a few questions for you. First, have you looked into part time jobs in your area or possible work from home options? Anytime someone is considering leaving their job for part time work I advise taking a look around while you still have a job. This takes the pressure off of finding something, but also provides you with time to look for something that might be the perfect fit. It sounds like you aren’t sure about quitting the workforce all together, but that you are dissatisfied with your current job. There is no harm in looking around for other opportunities and I would highly encourage you to do so.
Second, how long have you worked in your current job? Is there any way to work part time in your current position? Sometimes it’s possible to cut back a percentage of time. Maybe not 50% but maybe 80% or maybe putting all of your hours into 4 days a week rather than 5? Could you talk to your boss about flexible options that would give you more time with your family? Sometimes we like a job more if we don’t have to commute every day or if we can have more flexibility over our schedules.
Third, you didn’t mention your age, but paying off your mortgage in 5 years is HUGE! Are you aggressively paying off your mortgage now? Could you contribute less to your mortgage so that you are saving more in your bank account and providing yourself with a safe buffer of money in case you need it? I know it’s hard to lock up the money in a mortgage where you can’t easily access the money, but that might make your financial situation feel less risky.
Lastly, the question of whether or not you will like staying home probably cannot be answered until you try it. I will be honest there are things I love about staying home and things that I don’t like very much at all. I am happy to discuss those in more detail if you would like to hear more about my story. You may or may not relate to them.
Thank you for the insight and questions. To answer your question, I have been at my place of work for
7 years. I hAve asked about part time and work from home and it is always after the next project or most recently was after the new year which will be here soon. I should push more and try this option as you are right that I may like my job more if I am part time. My job is not fulfilling and I don’t like the culture or the work place I am at or the direction they are going. I think I would be very happy doing something where I am helping others, non-profit, or in general not be behind my desk and working in corporate. I job hunted in my industry for a long time with the intent to work
Part time or at least have more flexible
Options. I was offered several jobs but once I started asking about these options it ended. I think I will have to find something completely different to do part time. Nothing similar or related to what I do today.
I am 33. I have worked really hard to be where I am at financially. We live well below our means. It started as both my husband and I were
Buried in student loan debt when we got married which our payment was very similar to our mortgage. I decided we were going to tackle those right away and after they were paid off have continued to live the same way but did add children. So this is how we have been working so that I have the option to stay at home. Yes we have paid more towards the mortgage and are also on a 15 year mortgage.
Yes it is hard to know if I would like to stay at home and be fulfilled without trying it. I would
Love to hear more of your story or insights.
Thank you!
Paying your house off by age 38 is incredible! Congratulations on making such amazing progress. My husband and I have two months remaining on our mortgage and I cannot wait to kiss that monthly payment goodbye!
I was 34 when I decided to quit software development for awhile, so I am at almost the exact same point in time you are now.
As for work it sounds like you are ready to quit your current job, because you don’t like the culture/not fulfilling/etc. Those might not be things you can work around by going part time. Still I don’t think it hurts to talk to your boss about going part time if you think it might be a viable option. Again, you might not hate those things so much if you aren’t going in 5 days a week 😉 If you are really serious about leaving then you can say I will either leave or work part time and see what they say.
Having said that I completely understand your desire to do something different and meaningful. Especially if you have already searched for options in your current line of work and can’t find any. I often struggle with what to do when I return to work. As a former software developer I know that the development life cycle can be really stress and time consuming. I too feel the need to simply earn less at this point in my life while pursuing a more meaningful job.
This post provides a little insight into the financial and marital implications of quitting your job too.
I love being home with my children. Not everyone will feel the same way, but even I have felt bored and isolated. I do miss feeling smart and solving complex problems like I did as a software engineer. I think a part time job would have solved many of my problems. Also, make sure you pursue something of your own. Even if it’s just a hobby. Make sure you don’t feel just like ‘mom.’ You still need to have passions and interests and to pursue them. For me that has been writing.
Hey there,
I stumbled across your post and wanted to say thank you because it really resonated. I too still hold a six figure job, have a well established career and flexibility working from home. BUT, I have three kids all under 4 (3.5, 2, and 7 months). I knew when I had my daughter, our third we would need to consider my taking a break. Over the course of the last year we have prepared by eliminating any debt, have no car payments and a healthy savings so that my husband can cover us on one salary. However, as this impending decision comes closer I panic about actually having that conversation with my employer because work and having an income is all I know. The other side is a bit scary even though I know it’s what is best for our family and my mental well being. So I prep for the day in a few months when it’s time. So thank you for the affirmation and sharing your story!
Thank you for leaving a comment. Leaving my job may have been the hardest decision I’ve ever made, but it was also the best one. If you have any specific questions or concerns about leaving don’t hesitate to ask. It’s a huge leap from gainful employment to a life without a paycheck.