I’ve been working for many years, so I have had a variety of jobs. Last year I quit a job before finding a new job, so everyone around me couldn’t understand my decision. But I knew what I was doing. Now I’m able to travel overseas while working online. 😉
- Why did I quit my day job?
Before the pandemic started, I had a high-profile job at a prestigious university. Because of the pandemic, the university made the entire team of our department redundant – the organization couldn’t afford to keep so many staff members on the payroll (we didn’t have enough new students). Consequently, I became a retail worker. Selling clothes became my day job.
Frankly, I genuinely love fashion and I’m really good at sales. Yet the quality of people that I was working with in that company is too low and very disappointing. Every day there was an episode of drama due to the conflict amongst staff members, so clearly, the culture of that company is toxic. Further examination indicates that their management team don’t have good people skills. Honestly, without people skills, none of their technical skills would work, which is unfortunate but true. In fact, I absolutely like their products and customers, but nice products are everywhere & customers wouldn’t stay at the store all day every day for 50 years, whereas the culture of the company will stay there probably forever, which is something that I can’t change.
Life is short. Hence, there is no reason to do something that I can’t stand. As a result, I came up with a plan to travel overseas while working on the Internet. Then I send my resignation letter to the managers while the senior manager was on annual leave (they definitely didn’t want to lose me, so I kind of had to resign under the radar). On my last day, my line manager asked me, “When are you going to start your new job?” My answer surprised her, “I don’t have a new job.” She gave me a farewell gift (a beautiful pearl necklace) because she totally appreciated my contribution to the team. I said thanks and left.
- How I planned my escape so well:
First of all, I sold all of my useless possessions to get ready for my trips. I read Marie Kondo’s books and decided that excess possessions are absolutely counterproductive for building a meaningful lifestyle. More importantly, if I would like to pursue a remote lifestyle, I can’t keep any useless things.
Second, I figured out a practical way to make a living when I travel overseas. I’m never a fan of 9-to-5 jobs because I’m too creative to sit in a boring office all day long every single day until I retire. As I’m quite worldly, I know there are a large number of options if I’m willing to explore them. When I was working for the university, I was teaching creative writing and academic writing. I know most writers make a living by teaching students how to write. In contrast, I can monetize my writing quickly and easily because my writing is more flexible – I can write promotional materials and commercial articles efficiently. Now I’m a freelance copywriter, so I can work online while traveling overseas. 😊
“What kind of calculated risks have you taken so far in your life?”
