This answer is in response to a question about why I left my job. The question was deleted before I posted my reply below:
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It came down to asking myself these questions:
* Jeff Bezo's Regret Minimization Framework
Q: What will I regret when I'm 80 years old? What am I going to regret more: taking a shot at a dream and failing, or never having taken a shot at all? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwG_qR6XmDQ)
A: Taking a shot and failing.
* Future Utility Framework
Q: What's the realistic best case scenario end game? I.e. If I look at someone who's 15 years ahead of my in the same career path and has done a good job of getting promoted, recognized and rewarded, am I happy doing what he's doing in 15 years?
A: No.
* Money and risk
Q: I'm 25 with 3 years of work experience at a major international bank, what's going to happen if I screw this up and waste 3 years of my life?
A: I'll get a job at 28. I'll probably make less money, but 3 years of work experience isn't too bad.
Q: What if you never get such a sweet job? USD 100k is a lot of money for a 25 year old!
A: I don't have kids, I don't have a mortgage, I don't have debts and I do have a enough savings to tide me over for a few years. It means that I won't live with the same degree of financial freedom (e.g. watching my spending, going on fewer holidays, eating out less, etc.) but it's a price I'm prepared to pay.
For most people, the last few questions are going to be the most important. Being relatively young, not having liabilities and instead having savings definitely makes leaving your job easier.
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It came down to asking myself these questions:
* Jeff Bezo's Regret Minimization Framework
Q: What will I regret when I'm 80 years old? What am I going to regret more: taking a shot at a dream and failing, or never having taken a shot at all? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwG_qR6XmDQ)
A: Taking a shot and failing.
* Future Utility Framework
Q: What's the realistic best case scenario end game? I.e. If I look at someone who's 15 years ahead of my in the same career path and has done a good job of getting promoted, recognized and rewarded, am I happy doing what he's doing in 15 years?
A: No.
* Money and risk
Q: I'm 25 with 3 years of work experience at a major international bank, what's going to happen if I screw this up and waste 3 years of my life?
A: I'll get a job at 28. I'll probably make less money, but 3 years of work experience isn't too bad.
Q: What if you never get such a sweet job? USD 100k is a lot of money for a 25 year old!
A: I don't have kids, I don't have a mortgage, I don't have debts and I do have a enough savings to tide me over for a few years. It means that I won't live with the same degree of financial freedom (e.g. watching my spending, going on fewer holidays, eating out less, etc.) but it's a price I'm prepared to pay.
For most people, the last few questions are going to be the most important. Being relatively young, not having liabilities and instead having savings definitely makes leaving your job easier.