

Ask HN: Giving up a lifestyle afforded by a $90K to $100K paycheck? - ronzensci

I am currently making about Rs. 20 Lakhs per annum (which provides a lifestyle equivalent to what $90K - $100K paycheck can buy you in the SF Bay Area.<p>I work in a senior technical role, lets say in a company similar to IBM Global Services (though much smaller- having about 15,000 employees). I like my job and the people I work with - even though I do end up working independently a lot on Research/Labs type of projects. I have been making reasonable progress and contributions but nothing spectacular.<p>Lately, I have been thinking of quitting this full-time job. The reasons are somewhat non-simple - but one of the reasons I've realized is that I don't feel full justified in making this paycheck. I feel that I would be able to deliver more value if I was not working full-time in a Global Services corporation but working independently on my own.<p>I have realized that given my skill level I will be able to continue in a global services corp. for many years to come- but I'm not sure if that role is ideally suited for me. I mainly work in open-source technologies like Cassandra, HBase (the entire Hadoop Stack) and in the past have worked on large projects related to the secure e-commerce payment authentication industry. Hence, I also have a good understanding of PKI, internet architectures, various web protocols, etc.<p>I am wondering if there is any kind of arrangement that I can offer my current employer- where I can tell that I don't want a monthly paycheck from them- but I would still like to work for them in a capacity which is relevant and useful for them?<p>Or do you feel that I'm completely stupid in trying to discontinue my paycheck and should just get my head straight and keep doing what I'm doing in the hope that someday this work will start becoming relevant?
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prodigal_erik
Markets clear. What you get isn't what's justified or fair, but what somebody
else would have been willing to offer. The guys signing your paychecks
probably know better than you what the competitive market price for your labor
is (because it's part of their job, and they talk to a lot more people about
it). There's a good chance that having you full-time, loyal, readily
available, and ramped up is worth more to them than what they'd save by only
hiring you in times of need, especially if they have to convince conservative
customers that long projects will remain predictable and under control. They
might think only having you part-time is a bad deal, if it adds risk for them.

Work is a big part of your life, and you should leave if you think you've
found or created a more rewarding job. But don't leave just because you don't
think you deserve what you're paid. By that standard they probably aren't any
more deserving of that money.

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atdt
I you're gnawed by curiosity or dissatisfaction, you should definitely try
this. The alternative is dismal -- perhaps it's prudence, but to you it'd
always be cowardice.

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blazzar
In your situation, it does not seem sensible to leave a well paid job without
something to move on to. When you say work independently do you mean you want
to consult to companies (including your current employer) or do you have
something else in mind?

