Anything can be achieved (OK - I'll never play for the NBA, but almost anything can be achieved).
You may have some legal issues regarding IP if you stay at the current gig and have any degree of intermingling of your 'work' and your 'side work'. You should probably review your current work contract, and perhaps seek legal advice on this point.
You will never have enough time for your side project if you're working full time for someone else. That said, many people working full time for themselves still don't have enough time. At least some of this comes down to being disciplined and focused. You can practice being disciplined and focused while keeping your fulltime gig, at least for a while longer.
"Burn rate" or "runway" - how much do you have in terms of savings to see you through? Are you independently wealthy, or do you need a steady stream of income? If so, calculate out how much you need, then determine what your comfort level is in terms of 'i could survive X months with $0 income'. My tolerance for risk isn't what it used to be - I'd want at least a solid year of expenses banked before I struck out on a venture. But you may be different - everyone is (kids, bills, etc).
As romantic as 'quit the day job!' is, have a strong plan in place first (imo). You can accomplish quite a lot 'on the side' while testing the waters before quitting the full time gig. Not everyone can, but many can.
You may have some legal issues regarding IP if you stay at the current gig and have any degree of intermingling of your 'work' and your 'side work'. You should probably review your current work contract, and perhaps seek legal advice on this point.
You will never have enough time for your side project if you're working full time for someone else. That said, many people working full time for themselves still don't have enough time. At least some of this comes down to being disciplined and focused. You can practice being disciplined and focused while keeping your fulltime gig, at least for a while longer.
"Burn rate" or "runway" - how much do you have in terms of savings to see you through? Are you independently wealthy, or do you need a steady stream of income? If so, calculate out how much you need, then determine what your comfort level is in terms of 'i could survive X months with $0 income'. My tolerance for risk isn't what it used to be - I'd want at least a solid year of expenses banked before I struck out on a venture. But you may be different - everyone is (kids, bills, etc).
As romantic as 'quit the day job!' is, have a strong plan in place first (imo). You can accomplish quite a lot 'on the side' while testing the waters before quitting the full time gig. Not everyone can, but many can.
I think we had a session on this at http://indieconf.com a couple weeks ago. :)