Hi, I'm Pablo, a 24yo software engineer based in FL.
My background: I went to university for Computer Science (CS) and graduated debt free and landed a job at a large defense company while still living with my parents. I choose CS simply because I was good at math and science and knew it paid relatively well. Programming can be challenging, mentally stimulating, and fascinating which is what I've learned to like about it. I've been working Full Time at my job for just over 2 years now and here are the pros and cons that I see:
Pros:
- Flexible Hours
- Relatively low expectations
- 15 minute commute
- Good benefits
Cons:
- Processes slow progress down significantly
- Little incentive to work at a high level since merit based salary increases are around a 2% more increase in salary a year
- A lot of mediocracy program wide
- Having to sit down inside for hours is not align with my ideal lifestyle
I've felt subconsciously I dread going in to work some weeks and have to drag myself to get the bare minimum done so I won't risk being reprimanded yet I have a strong sense of ambition and have been identified as a top performer in 2023. I typically save more than 50% of my income and save it in a high yields saving account and currently have a high 5 figure nest egg.
I bought a handful of finance books since I knew I wanted to continue learning how to grow and The Fastlane Millionaire was one of them. I read at it during a time where my current project at work was coming to an end and I was going to need to transition onto another team and from the first few interactions with my new team I saw people who had no passion, looked and sounded burnt out, and there was a lot of oversight on the team from management which all just turned me off to this team. After telling my manager about it I was told she will try and pass my feedback onto the management so the team could get improved but that there wasn't any other work at the time I could do instead.
As all this is happening I read Fastlane and it was very compelling. It made me believe I was capable of a different life where I could be in control and I could work hard and have my compensation reflect that. It made me believe I could change the life of my parents if I just worked for myself doing everything to provide the most value to the world. This made me conflicted because I immediately felt like I needed to quit my job. I felt I was wasting time at my job just doing the minimum but having to be present in case I was needed. I feel that I am only in my career for the money and stability and I feel that I don't value short term money and stability more than long term money and stability.
I read Fastlane 2 weeks ago and these last two weeks I've been wrestling with the idea of just quitting my job without a plan, because I don't have a plan. If I quit, I'd just take some time to rest, then focus on reading more, learning more, and finding a way to start building something of my own. It's been hard because most people around me don't share the same mindset regarding this situation, namely my friends, family, and coworkers. All this weighed over me heavily and my parents noticed and so we had a talk about it and they, slightly surprisingly, support me if I want to quit as long as I promise to make good use of my time. My best friend also supports me yet says to be cautions, and most of my coworkers, while some understand, most say to not quit and find something within the company that is a better fit or to have a plan before quitting.
I also want to note that I did the Weighted Average Decision Matrix exercise with the two options being quitting versus staying and the score was Qutting: 763 versus Staying: 601. Currently I'm still flip flopping between the two options. I would love to hear what other people have to say about my situation so any feedback is appreciated.
Best,
Pablo
My background: I went to university for Computer Science (CS) and graduated debt free and landed a job at a large defense company while still living with my parents. I choose CS simply because I was good at math and science and knew it paid relatively well. Programming can be challenging, mentally stimulating, and fascinating which is what I've learned to like about it. I've been working Full Time at my job for just over 2 years now and here are the pros and cons that I see:
Pros:
- Flexible Hours
- Relatively low expectations
- 15 minute commute
- Good benefits
Cons:
- Processes slow progress down significantly
- Little incentive to work at a high level since merit based salary increases are around a 2% more increase in salary a year
- A lot of mediocracy program wide
- Having to sit down inside for hours is not align with my ideal lifestyle
I've felt subconsciously I dread going in to work some weeks and have to drag myself to get the bare minimum done so I won't risk being reprimanded yet I have a strong sense of ambition and have been identified as a top performer in 2023. I typically save more than 50% of my income and save it in a high yields saving account and currently have a high 5 figure nest egg.
I bought a handful of finance books since I knew I wanted to continue learning how to grow and The Fastlane Millionaire was one of them. I read at it during a time where my current project at work was coming to an end and I was going to need to transition onto another team and from the first few interactions with my new team I saw people who had no passion, looked and sounded burnt out, and there was a lot of oversight on the team from management which all just turned me off to this team. After telling my manager about it I was told she will try and pass my feedback onto the management so the team could get improved but that there wasn't any other work at the time I could do instead.
As all this is happening I read Fastlane and it was very compelling. It made me believe I was capable of a different life where I could be in control and I could work hard and have my compensation reflect that. It made me believe I could change the life of my parents if I just worked for myself doing everything to provide the most value to the world. This made me conflicted because I immediately felt like I needed to quit my job. I felt I was wasting time at my job just doing the minimum but having to be present in case I was needed. I feel that I am only in my career for the money and stability and I feel that I don't value short term money and stability more than long term money and stability.
I read Fastlane 2 weeks ago and these last two weeks I've been wrestling with the idea of just quitting my job without a plan, because I don't have a plan. If I quit, I'd just take some time to rest, then focus on reading more, learning more, and finding a way to start building something of my own. It's been hard because most people around me don't share the same mindset regarding this situation, namely my friends, family, and coworkers. All this weighed over me heavily and my parents noticed and so we had a talk about it and they, slightly surprisingly, support me if I want to quit as long as I promise to make good use of my time. My best friend also supports me yet says to be cautions, and most of my coworkers, while some understand, most say to not quit and find something within the company that is a better fit or to have a plan before quitting.
I also want to note that I did the Weighted Average Decision Matrix exercise with the two options being quitting versus staying and the score was Qutting: 763 versus Staying: 601. Currently I'm still flip flopping between the two options. I would love to hear what other people have to say about my situation so any feedback is appreciated.
Best,
Pablo
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