

Ask HN: Should I quit my job to go back to school? - jnich

I’m caught in a weird place with a tough choice so it would be great to hear some feedback.
I’m a product manager at a mid-size software startup (not in SV) earning 110K. The money is good, but I do not find my work fulfilling and wish I had more time towards my projects. I’ve worked at large tech cos before and started a company previously which was acqui-hired (not for much). One of things I’ve built generates a small amount of revenue right now. If I had some time to dedicate to that, I might be able to grow the business.<p>I haven’t finished the last year of my degree and want to finish it. I’m 26 years old (no dependents) and don’t think it would be hard very hard to find a job after graduating.<p>In order to graduate, I will likely have to drain my savings. So when I do graduate, I’ll be around net zero after tuition + monthly expenses.<p>There are essentially two options that I can see:<p>1. Go to school full-time. Work on my side project(s). Graduate in a year. Find a job I find fulfilling or if projects are doing well, focus on that. This will leave me in a fairly tight spot financially if I can’t find a job afterwards.<p>2. Continue working and finish school part-time. Quit and find something better after I graduate. Ignore side projects.<p>I really want to go with the first option but think it might be silly financially. What if I can’t find a job? What if the market goes through a downturn? This may just be jitters.
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AngeloAnolin
Your first paragraph alone seems to tell the whole story:

"The money is good, but I do not find my work fulfilling and wish I had more
time towards my projects"

I think you need to weigh in which of the options available would really help
you realize the fulfillment that you want. Do you want to finish schooling, or
do you want to work on a side project?

Believe me, a lot of people would want to be in your shoes right now. Your
statements borders on the edge of two spectrum - that is, you got a stable (at
least) and financially rewarding career right now without any degree under
your belt, and on the other end, you want to get a degree, sacrificing what
you currently have and by the end of your schooling, could potentially drain
your financial standing.

I know it must be a stretch, but would it be possible for you to add more to
your options? Option no 3 could go something like:

Continue working and finish schooling part-time. Dedicate some time to work on
your side project(s). After graduation, weigh in the options you have and if
you feel that working more on your side project(s) would provide you with the
happiness and fulfillment you need, then go for it.

I don't want to go to the notion of "following your passion" or "build the
future", etc. What I would suggest is for you to understand your situation and
choose what you believe would be the best option given all circumstances. Life
happens and as it evolves, it changes.

Best of luck.

P.S. Find the time to tell your story a few years down the road, and which
choice(s) you've made. Regardless of the outcomes, there's definitely a lot of
learning and good stories to share..

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JSeymourATL
> If I had some time to dedicate to that, I might be able to grow the
> business.

Perhaps a good question to ask yourself as you think about this-- What do you
really want? What are you trying to accomplish in life?

The answer might help you decide what is the highest and best use of your
time. You've already proven you can be successful without a degree credential.
Incidentally, if the credential piece is bothering you-- Arizona State has an
online program and accepts transfer credits.
>[http://asuonline.asu.edu/become-student/undergraduate-
transf...](http://asuonline.asu.edu/become-student/undergraduate-transfer-
students)

Relative to growing your business, I wish I read read Jay Abrahams when I was
working in my start-up >
[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89969.Getting_Everything_...](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89969.Getting_Everything_You_Can_Out_of_All_You_ve_Got)

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gamechangr
I would go with plan #2.

At the very minimum, you could do one more semester that way. Save a little
more and spend a little less.

There is no guarantee (or not even good probability) that you would exceed
100k in your new job after graduation.

You can literally go back to school anytime, but if you get caught in a
downturn (economy - btw -which most of my analyst friends strongly predict),
you could be in a very different situation.

Trust your instincts and go with the second.

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miguelrochefort
Let me give you some contrast.

I'm a 24 years old software developer without a degree, earning about 1/4 of
what you currently earn. Should I go back to school (3-4 years) to get a
degree so that I can become a product manager?

Assuming that OP can cover the cost of obtaining its degree in 6 months of
work (most likely less), it would take me 6 to 8 years.

~~~
AnimalMuppet
6 to 8 years of current income, or 6 to 8 years of post-degree income?

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TurboHaskal
Only if you want to lose leverage when negotiating your new salary after
finishing your studies.

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techjuice
It is nice to think of the what ifs but in life you must take risks along with
taking into consideration your short and long terms goals and seeing how they
fit with your current and future financial situation.

1\. Sounds nice in the short term, but in the long term you will no longer
have income to pay your required bills, nothing for saving or investing with
no guarantee that your degree will yield you the job you want in the end or
that it will even be useful to you when you graduate as you may want to do
something else a year from now.

Normally, people that have been their own boss don't do so well going
backwards and working for someone else, especially if they were very
successful at it. Yes, you might do OK for a little bit but eventually things
will change as the working for others mentality is no longer a part of the
type of person you are anymore. Normally this starts out with you thinking of
little ideas or new products you could be working on, you start to see the big
picture of what your current company is doing and how you could solve the
problem better if you could do it yourself or build your own company and team
to accomplish it. It starts small and that fire grows within you again. You
normally don't see CEOs or other executives revert back to the regular
employee roles because it is almost impossible for it to happen and if it does
your normally miserable until your back in a role of leadership, innovation
and risk taking.

Eventually the primal entrepreneurship spirit kicks in, and eventually you
will git bored of the regular day job as you will want to lead things your way
or with partners that have the same vision and are on the same path as you for
the short and long term.

2\. Long term it is always best to keep money coming in so you can invest it
now so it will give you a nice return down the road. Depending on how much you
invest and your employer contributes you could have an extra $30,000 or more
for money down the road along with decreasing the total amount you are taxed
for the year. Over time this adds up ($30,000+/year for 10 years = $300,000+)
as soon as you stop contributing to your future investments, the growth of
that number slows down. Sometimes you have do some of what you don't want to
do for a little while so you can do what you want to do.

3\. I would recommend going part time to school, working with your employer to
see if they can possibly do tuition reimbursement, along with continuing to
work on your side projects to help you find out what you have a higher
interest in (or find another employer that offers what you want). Once you
find something that interests you heavily and that you have experience in
(your side projects count as experience) then apply for a job more in line
with what you really want to do or start a company doing what you really want
to do.

4\. Since you have already owned and operated a business you know that
starting another business will give you more freedom than you will ever have
working for someone else. If you really want to have options you know you will
need to start a business again and make it successful like your previous
business. Though this time I would recommend making it more long term so it
can feed you and fuel your projects, allow you to shape the full direction of
the company, increase the income you receive the way you want, and allow you
to be in control of your free time.

Yes, starting your company is normally the harder route but you have done it
before and can do it again because you have experience doing it. In doing so
you will have more time for your projects and can even use that time to insure
they are bringing you money and growing your ideas. In the long term this is
normally always better for you instead of working on on your employer's
projects the bulk of your time while seeing very little financial profit from
the large amount of time you put in vs what they see.

Also note you are only making money when you are on the clock, when you own a
business you can make money in your sleep, have others making money for you,
along with dramatically increasing your free time to your like while still
making money. Your free time will become more valuable to you as you age,
start a family, buy a home, etc. If you want more free time you will have to
be in a position where you control the bulk of your time.

