Quitting your job can't be the answer -- or can it?
I just read about how this quy quit his job, became a professional blogger and moved to Mexico. Well, I can't quit my job. Now can I? People who quit their jobs either have husbands who support them or they have some disability where the government helps them. He has a disability. True, he could have ended up in a nursing home instead of on a beach in Mazatlan, but quitting your job in times like this could be both unwise and irresponsible. Quitting your job just can't be the answer. Or can it?
A couple of weeks ago, I was informed my job could end at the end of the month. The end of the month is pretty close, like a week from today? OK, well, I have never tried quitting my job and taking up full time blogging. Not that I haven't quit jobs. I've quit a lot of them, but later ended up finding another one. I've always had a job or collected unemployment.
Is that my problem? Not reckless enough? I thought I had been pretty reckless, running off to Mexico and teaching English in a boarding house in Mexico City, for example. Running off to Buffalo and doing pastel portraits in a tobacco shop? Yeah, I did that and ended up as a go-go dancer, raped and finally on a bus back to Kansas. I've done reckless. The thing is I have even had jobs I liked. Like when I was a singer and a professional musician and like when I was a reporter. So I keep looking for jobs. I don't quit jobs. Not anymore. I can't quit my job. Or can I?
No, I cannot quit my job. Why? Because if they lay me off, I can receive unemployment. It's not that I am relying on the government to take care of me. It's that money, some money, at least, is required to pay rent and electricity and student loan and car payment and without an income a person can become homeless. I don't want to become homeless. I sang, played the piano and praised Jesus at the mission the other night in front of a bunch of homeless people.
A guy told me, "You I could listen to all night." Does that mean I should go get a job playing in a bar? You have to measure these things. Do I go play somewhere and hear people tell me things like that? Or do I listen to the still, small voice? Homeless is not cool. But not wanting to be homeless does not mean I don't want to help people. I want to help people all right. I want to help them find God and people who need to find God are everywhere, even on jobs that are not the fulfillment of your dreams.
The answer, he said, was to want to help people. That's how he became able to quit his job and become a professional blogger. He says, "You can do this." Maybe I can. But not by quitting my job. What are the odds of someone doing that and succeeding?
Not saying it's impossible, but I venture that many people who have tried that and failed. I say working at anything is better than being unemployed. I don't care how good a writer you think you are. I don't care how much you want to help people become a professional blogger, quitting your job could be both unwise and irresponsible.
Not that I fault the guy. I admire him, actually. He said after he quit his job he blogged from 8:00 a.m. until midnight every day. Sure. I'd love to do that. Who wouldn't? I can't though because I can only use the computer at the library for two hours daily. Someone might say to me, "Don't you have enough faith to quit your job and let God take care of you?" Sure, I have enough faith to do that. The question for me is, "What does God say about it?"
In case you want to read this guy's blog, here it is:
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/05/18/how-to-quit-your-job-move-to-paradise-and-get-paid-to-change-the-world/
A couple of weeks ago, I was informed my job could end at the end of the month. The end of the month is pretty close, like a week from today? OK, well, I have never tried quitting my job and taking up full time blogging. Not that I haven't quit jobs. I've quit a lot of them, but later ended up finding another one. I've always had a job or collected unemployment.
Is that my problem? Not reckless enough? I thought I had been pretty reckless, running off to Mexico and teaching English in a boarding house in Mexico City, for example. Running off to Buffalo and doing pastel portraits in a tobacco shop? Yeah, I did that and ended up as a go-go dancer, raped and finally on a bus back to Kansas. I've done reckless. The thing is I have even had jobs I liked. Like when I was a singer and a professional musician and like when I was a reporter. So I keep looking for jobs. I don't quit jobs. Not anymore. I can't quit my job. Or can I?
No, I cannot quit my job. Why? Because if they lay me off, I can receive unemployment. It's not that I am relying on the government to take care of me. It's that money, some money, at least, is required to pay rent and electricity and student loan and car payment and without an income a person can become homeless. I don't want to become homeless. I sang, played the piano and praised Jesus at the mission the other night in front of a bunch of homeless people.
A guy told me, "You I could listen to all night." Does that mean I should go get a job playing in a bar? You have to measure these things. Do I go play somewhere and hear people tell me things like that? Or do I listen to the still, small voice? Homeless is not cool. But not wanting to be homeless does not mean I don't want to help people. I want to help people all right. I want to help them find God and people who need to find God are everywhere, even on jobs that are not the fulfillment of your dreams.
The answer, he said, was to want to help people. That's how he became able to quit his job and become a professional blogger. He says, "You can do this." Maybe I can. But not by quitting my job. What are the odds of someone doing that and succeeding?
Not saying it's impossible, but I venture that many people who have tried that and failed. I say working at anything is better than being unemployed. I don't care how good a writer you think you are. I don't care how much you want to help people become a professional blogger, quitting your job could be both unwise and irresponsible.
Not that I fault the guy. I admire him, actually. He said after he quit his job he blogged from 8:00 a.m. until midnight every day. Sure. I'd love to do that. Who wouldn't? I can't though because I can only use the computer at the library for two hours daily. Someone might say to me, "Don't you have enough faith to quit your job and let God take care of you?" Sure, I have enough faith to do that. The question for me is, "What does God say about it?"
In case you want to read this guy's blog, here it is:
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/05/18/how-to-quit-your-job-move-to-paradise-and-get-paid-to-change-the-world/
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