Comments on: Does it hurt to have a fall-back position?

By: robin

robin — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 01:58:17 +0000

Yeah, Michele, you definitely made the right move. Bold, as usual!

By: Michele

Michele — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 01:15:10 +0000

Fall back plan??? Not anymore! I finally cut the cord of my 17 year job two years ago – of course I did the “I’ll just work 6 months of this year and put the money in savings just to make sure I can do it.” Talk about a safety net complex. I’ve been very fortunate to have the support of many wonderful clients (Robin), so my passion is now also paying the bills and putting food on the table. People always say what a brave thing it was to leave a job after so long. I say just take a deep breath and jump…and hopefully you don’t break an ankle when you land. Remember – if you love what you do, it will show through in your work and you won’t have any choice but to be successful. And….success doesn’t have to be measured in dollar signs.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 18:17:43 +0000

I’ve kind gone with a fall forward position. Never finished college. I dropped out and formed a band, became a standup comic, ran an ongoing comedy show and covered all that with such lucrative jobs as cook, window manufacturer, mover, shoe salesman, record store employee with a goatee, X-ray/mamography machine installer, etc.

Which is a logical transition to my current fly around the country and install software job.

For me, the security has to be there. The emotional and money support is crucial. Like Barry, without it, I would be crippled.

Reading some authors’ backgrounds, Piers Anthony had a wife who supported him. Robert Jordan ended up in the hospital for about 6 months with nothing else to do. I’d personally prefer being the kept man rather than the hospital stay, but either would be something.

By: Lizzie

Lizzie — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 16:47:07 +0000

My mom always told me that unless I wanted to be a doctor, lawyer, or the like, it didn’t matter what I went to school for because no one ever really uses their degree anyway; it’s just there to prove you went to college because that’s what you have to do nowadays. So here I am, attending one of the most expensive universities in the country, working toward a degree in an incredibly interesting subject that has nothing to do with my desired career path.
Fall back plan? Hell to the no!!! I’ll figure it out as I go.

By: Barry

Barry — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 15:57:36 +0000

I think it depends on what KIND of fall-back position you have.

When I decided (FINALLY!) to toss my day job and fling myself headlong into the world of writing, I did it in as cautious a manner as I could — I set a “retirement date” a year in the future and began saving up money at that very moment, in anticipation of a tough slog after I quit my job. I lined up some freelance gigs so that I’d have some bread on the table no matter what.

So I still had something of a safety net, but I wasn’t totally relying on the fall-back position of my day job any more. Honestly, if I’d just said, “Screw it!” and walked out with no money saved up and no freelance work on the horizon, the stress would have been crippling and would have prevented me from getting any writing done anyway.

I guess the most important thing is to know your own limitations and foibles. If you don’t mind not knowing where your next paycheck is going to come from, then more power to you — go for it. If you DO mind not knowing, then that doesn’t mean you can’t take the plunge. You just have to plan for it.

By: robin

robin — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 15:34:46 +0000

Wow, Lady T–a bold move! Good luck finding something that will satisfy you both financially and personally!

By: Lady T

Lady T — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 14:33:16 +0000

I quit my job nearly a year ago,mainly because the demoralizing atmosphere was affecting my health(and my boss would say things to me like”I gave you a $1 raise because I felt sorry for you”,which really made me wonder about all the other times I recieved a raise and added work responsibilities). I’ve never left one job without having another one to go to before(a fallback of sorts)but they’ve all been retail work and I’d like to have a job that lets me do something I truly love and pays well.

My last job I held for eight years. That’s a pretty long time to stay in one place nowadays,I guess. I’m still looking and hoping to get something soon. As to Catherine’s theory,it holds water. I know I stayed in several jobs way too long just to keep the status quo.