The Boring, Strategic Way I Left My 9–5

How I escaped my job without risking it all

Created using Chat GPT

I used to think I needed to make a grand exit.

That one day, I’d throw my office keycard on the desk, deliver a rousing mic-drop speech (maybe go viral?), and walk off into the sunset with a backpack and a dream.

What actually happened?

I quietly opened a Stripe account and made $23.

No applause.
No confetti.
Just me, a cup of tea, and a tiny email notification that whispered: this might work.

And that was the beginning.

Stuck doesn’t always look like struggle

Some people hit rock bottom before they change.

I wasn’t one of them. I had a decent salary. Good colleagues. Free filter coffee.

And yet every morning, I’d stare at my screen and think:

Is this really it?

I didn’t hate my job. But I hated how it made me feel:

• Boxed in.
• Creatively flatlined.
• Like I was renting my life to someone else’s schedule.