From Software Engineer to Entrepreneur: A Journey of Financial Independence and Identity Diversification
In 2022, I was a software engineer at the US Department of Defense. On the surface, I had it all: a stable career, a good income, and the prospect of buying property. My family was proud, but I was deeply unhappy, experiencing an existential crisis that my work only exacerbated. This is the story of how I pivoted my career and ultimately found fulfillment and wealth, a journey that started by choosing a different path than buying a house.
Permission from Financial Milestones
The Trap of Unfulfilling Work
Many people stay in draining jobs not out of love for the work, but out of a lack of financial security. Building financial security provides options and permission to make different choices.
A Turning Point: Loss and Reflection
In early 2022, I was juggling house hunting with a newfound interest in early retirement. However, tragedy struck when six family members died in a car accident. Shortly after, my tech lead passed away unexpectedly, which was handled coldly by leadership at my job. These events forced me to confront the brevity of life and re-evaluate my priorities.
Growing Dissatisfaction at Work
I started to feel anxious about how I was spending my time. My workload increased significantly when I absorbed the responsibilities of a senior data engineer without any change in title or compensation. A move to a new office building only amplified my frustration when I was denied my requested office due to perceived company hierarchy.
Reaching Coast FI: A Milestone of Freedom
By April 2022, I achieved a net worth of $200,000, reaching Coast FI. This meant that even without further investment, my portfolio would compound to my full financial independence number by age 65. This milestone gave me the peace of mind and the freedom to consider alternative paths.
Calculating Your Coast FI Number
If you feel trapped in your career, calculating your Coast FI number can be empowering. Reaching this milestone opens doors to switching careers, working part-time, or starting something new, enabling you to prioritize your wellbeing and pursue your dreams.
Transition Bridges, Not Dramatic Leaps
Building a Bridge to the Next Chapter
A common mistake when changing careers is thinking it must be an all-or-nothing decision. Instead, consider building a "transition bridge." While contemplating leaving my job, I was offered a full-time curriculum developer role at a university.
Part-Time with Benefits: A Win-Win
Although the salary was matched, I ultimately declined the full-time position but negotiated a part-time role with benefits. This allowed me to work four days a week while pursuing my entrepreneurial aspirations of creating a financial independence journal and building my personal brand.
Leaving the 9-to-5
I gave my notice, expressing a desire to take a risk on myself and pursue entrepreneurship. My last day working full-time was in May 2022, but I stayed on part-time to hand off my responsibilities.
Unexpected Viral Success
In August 2022, I noticed a video on early retirement I created went viral and I gained a substantial following on Instagram. By the end of the year, my account had grown to over 215,000 followers, reinforcing that I had made the right decision.
Creating Sustainable Career Transitions
Career changes are often more sustainable through transition bridges. Here's how to build yours:
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Identify what you want: More time, different work, or better alignment with your values?
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Consider part-time or contract work: Employers may prefer this to losing a valuable employee.
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Experiment: Use your new time to explore your options.
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Run the numbers: A part-time salary plus other ventures may exceed your full-time income with better work-life balance.
The goal isn't to escape work but to design work that serves your life.
Diversify Your Identity, Not Just Your Portfolio
The Prison of a Narrow Identity
Diversifying your identity is just as important as diversifying your investments. Financial security means little if you're trapped by who you think you need to be.
Overcoming Internal Resistance
Quitting my stable job was challenging, despite my strong conviction. My family had made sacrifices for my success, and my peers were thriving in Silicon Valley. Leaving the traditional path felt like letting them down.
Key Concepts for a Fulfilling Life
Three concepts helped me overcome this internal resistance:
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The Odyssey Path: Design multiple versions of your life and choose the best one for you.
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The Portfolio Career: Embrace an ever-evolving career with multiple passions and interests.
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Identity Diversification: Invest in leisure activities, family, and hobbies outside of work.
These subtle shifts allowed me to evolve without abandoning my true self.
Freedom and Alignment
These lessons freed me to live my own dream. By building financial security, diversifying my identity, and creating transition bridges, I was able to reinvent my work and heal my relationship to my work. I now make career decisions aligned with my inner wisdom, not driven by scarcity or status. I don't want my job to be my identity or my career to feel like a prison. You don't have to wait until financial independence to make meaningful career decisions today.
Looking back, buying a house within an insecure career foundation would have only trapped me.
I'm curious, what is the one thing in your role right now that you feel like you're tolerating because you have to, but not necessarily because you want to? Sometimes simply naming it is the best way to start changing it.