Bon Journal

Leaving Corporama

"How does it feel to leave the corporate world," asked my dinner companion.

"Interesting that you ask. I was with several employees of a large US corporation last night and we talked about this."

It is not easy to leave a permanent, full-time job with a big company to face an uncertain future of either unemployment or self-employment. You are conditioned to receive a regular income. You are conditioned to do your job and not have to dream up new ideas, become self-initiated, and find new ways of making money.

You have to change your attitude. And that is not easy, for it's been shaped and conditioned by the values of the company you were working for and all your colleagues.

How long has it been now? 17 months.

First, there's getting used to not seeing regular income.

Then, there's getting used to not having a regular schedule.

You might run into an identity crisis. For so long, you have associated yourself with the company. Who are you now?

I started to interact with people that have left corporama and people who have never been employed by other people. The more examples of successful transitions I saw, the more convinced I became of it.

That certain, regular cashflow you were used to is not something to underestimate. It's the bedrock of your very existence. Without that certainty, that regularity, everything else in your life looks different.

But don't let it daunt you. It need not be daunting.

20 November 2003 Thursday