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Fired to freelance: A journey
Two months ago, my phone pinged with a Slack message from my boss at 6:32 pm. It read “Hey, can we hop on a call for a quick chat?”
I was out exercising that evening. After stressful months of working at a high-growth startup and being compressed into place during covid, taking walks was my go-to coping mechanism (or one of them at least).
I knew what that “quick chat” was going to be about, and I dreaded it.
My partner said, “Don’t overthink it or you’ll just suffer twice.”
An hour later, still in my gym clothes, I joined a video call with my boss. And all my worst fears came true I was “let go,” with a “your work wasn’t the problem, we’re just looking for a different skill set.”
The startup I’d put my freelance dreams on hold for didn’t need or want me anymore. But it felt like I could breathe again for the first time in months.
People offered their sympathy, but I was happier than ever
The way I see it, working for yourself is WAY less stressful than working for someone else. And that comes down to three things:
- You can’t get fired. Relying on yourself is far less stressful than relying on someone else’s opinion of you.
- You can take time off when…
