Get Your Phil Friday - Round 53

The rumors I’ve been spreading are true.? I am employed no more.? My vocation has ceased to be. My role has expired and gone to meet its maker. Bereft of job, I rest with peace. I am an ex-employee.

Since more than a few people reached out with concerned messages, I thought I would use an article to explain why I’m currently on a DIY sabbatical.? Let’s start with the most common questions:

Are you okay?

• Yes, I’m 100% okay.? I’m not writing this under duress or from a rehab clinic.? Unless you count my couch as rehab, in which case I should be deducting a portion of the living room from my taxes as a home business.??

Are you sure you’re okay?

• I promise I’m not sick or otherwise impaired.? My family is good.? It is sweet of you to ask (or be morbidly curious about), but I’m genuinely doing well.??

What is a DIY sabbatical?

• A sabbatical is a planned, extended leave of absence from a job.? Since my company didn’t offer sabbaticals as part of the standard suite of benefits, I had to do it myself.

So you just quit your job?

• Yep, although I did give them a month’s notice first.? I didn’t suddenly pack up my desk toys in a bindle and hitchhike home.? There have only been two “how did you do that thing” questions so far, so the project offloading appears to be going well.??

Did you hate your job/boss/company?

• Not at all.? I was working on projects which didn’t excite me, and didn’t have the opportunity to pivot to something new.? What they wanted me to do and what I wanted to do just didn’t align.? Happens all the time in the corporate world.?

Were they being mean to you?? Is there anyone I need to stab?

• No, Mom. Everything is really fine.? You can put away the shiv.?

But the market sucks right now.? Why would you quit?? I thought you were smart….

• I figured there was never going to be a perfect time to take a break.? Rather than jump immediately to a new role/company, I decided to spend an extra, extra long time looking through the help wanted ads.? Plus I didn’t know what I wanted to do next, so now I’ve created time to figure it out.?

And your wife is okay with you being a couch potato?

• She wasn’t thrilled with the idea at first.? Or second.? Or third.? Eventually she came around to the idea once she realized it wasn’t a passing fancy.? It did help when I offered to take over the cooking and cleaning.? Gotta earn my keep somehow.?

Do you miss working?

• I’m still in the honeymoon phase of being out of work. It feels like an extended vacation, and I find myself glancing at my phone to see if any new Teams chats have come in.??
• I do miss a few things already, like annoying my coworkers and getting to solve problems on a daily basis.? There are only so many problems at my house I can create and then solve before my wife gets suspicious.???

When will you go back to work?

• I don’t have an end date in mind yet.? At some point I will stumble across a new path and get all fired up again.? Could be another corporate gig, it might be small business ownership, or it might be sitting in a park with a “Will Write for Food” sign (properly kerned of course).??
• If you understand what kerning is, then you’re my kind of person.??

It does sound pretty sweet.? Should I quit my job too?

• Not anytime soon.? It took me months to decide I would do it, and I still had doubts on my last day at work (and the day after that).??
• Most importantly, I wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t have the financial resources to do without a 2nd income for a while.? The conversation with your loved ones goes a lot smoother without existential terror thrown in.??
• If you are feeling tempted though, it’s probably time to get introspective.? I may have an article or two around here that could help.???

Will you keep doing a newsletter on Fridays?

• Probably not every Friday.? I try to keep my content on L.I. somewhat professional, emphasis on the somewhat.? I post a variety of content on Medium.com if you want a more unfiltered set of writing.? Reading my stuff is free, so you’ll get your money’s worth.?

Can I bug you on your not-at-all-a-sabbatical?

• Please do.? Feel free to reach out and say hi, send me a joke, or ask me for advice.?
• Fair warning - I will not start with real advice.? It will be bad advice, followed by humorous advice, followed by real advice once I feel I’m losing the crowd. ?