Follow my heart or follow my head/wallet

TJT_sl said:

I know its a stupid article that you probably read before but this broad has done exactly what you are intending to do.

Woman becomes Voice Over Success on Fiverr

Why not just do that until it picks up steam? I too have become kind of bored with Corporate Life and started taking on more interesting side projects that allow me to just use my skills (programming) to solve problems as opposed to endless meetings and dumb shit like that. I'll do it full time when/if it picks up enough steam.

Click to expand...

Yeah, there's no reason why he can't do both. Show me anyone successful in their field that didn't have to work 100 hours a week. Why not work both jobs, and see if the voiceover thing takes off? When I wanted to start my own business, I didn't do it cold turkey. First I worked 10 hours a week, then 20, then 30, and then full time. It's kind of hard to get off of that corporate teat at first. It took three years for me to figure out a way to do that without having a drop in income during the transition.

McFly_sl said:

The reason that I can't do both the new position and pursue the voiceover full steam is indeed what Tenks said



Today I spoke with several people who hold the same position they're considering me for and it was quite the eye opener. 70 hours is not uncommon (while presently I work a very comfortable 40 with no work on the weekends - and still I live comfortably). Weekends would be gone since I would be "on call" for customers. I think one gentleman I spoke with put it out there in black and white, he said "You have a lot of responsibility but no authority". In my current position it's reversed.

I do appreciate all the feed back here. Especially about Fiverr. I have been aware of them ever since I started learning, but there seems to be this stigma about the site from seasoned voiceover professionals that look down on it. They claim it cheapens the quality of content you might get from a voice over talent. Even so, I think it sounds like a way to gain experience as well as attempt to side some income.

Click to expand...

I don't get why it has to be an all-or-none proposition. Like Corndog says, good luck finding an entrepeneur that hasn't spent 100 hours a week in the beginning getting set up. If you are uncomfortable with it, you could always keep the job you have now, and do the voiceover stuff. But make it clear with your superiors that you do want to be promoted one day. Try to leave that option open. And hopefully it's not like at one company I worked at. If you passed on even one promotion, you were blackballed, and cut in the next restructuring. They said they only wanted hungry people, if you couldn't get a promotion every few years, they didn't want you at all.

McFly_sl said:

The choice before me is A or B.A)Get promoted and not have the time to pursue what I really want.B)Stay in current position and have a better chance at pursuing what I really want.

The first choice will not allow me to dedicate the time to what my heart really wants to do. The second choice allows me the time to do what my heart wants but comes by saying no to an assload more money.

"Needing 100 hours a week in the beginning" is a red herring. I know people who have spent part time hours making their business grow to eventually becoming self-sufficient. So I don't really buy that. As far as being blackballed, it's the type of company where I know enough to not allow that to happen, since I've turned down offers before.

Lyrical, I just want to say thank you for this feedback. It's genuinely helping me come to conclusions. Even if it only forces me to think about things from another viewpoint it truly does help. No homo.

Click to expand...

No problem.

It sounds like B is the only option there is. At the end of the day, you don't want to be there at the end of your life, wondering what could have happened. No one can blame you for chasing your dreams and failing. If you aren't going to be blackballed, and you can't stand the notion of working 20 hour days, then it sounds like you've already made the decision.

When I made the transition, it was not comfortable. My free time was me trying to get to the other place in life I wanted to be. I was OK with that, because I was passionate about it. I'd work during the day, and meet with business owners at night. Thank God, my wife was supportive of it.

Do you have support at home for this?

Kirun_sl said:

Any job I've ever taken in life "for the money", I've ended up regretting and quitting not too terribly long after.

Click to expand...

This. I remember the first time someone offered me six figures, I was so happy. Then I started the new job, and everyone was quitting because they worked you to the bone, and were extremely rude. I don't know if you've ever worked in a situation where everyone hates their job, and there is no joy, but I don't want to do that again. God forbid, if you smiled at work, they'd start yelling at you, just to make sure you were unhappy.

Lyrical_sl said:

This. I remember the first time someone offered me six figures, I was so happy. Then I started the new job, and everyone was quitting because they worked you to the bone, and were extremely rude. I don't know if you've ever worked in a situation where everyone hates their job, and there is no joy, but I don't want to do that again. God forbid, if you smiled at work, they'd start yelling at you, just to make sure you were unhappy.

Click to expand...

Instead he will give up a good job and regret it in a few months when this voice acting tangent doesn't pay out (Hint: It won't)

Vinen_sl said:

Instead he will give up a good job and regret it in a few months when this voice acting tangent doesn't pay out (Hint: It won't)

Click to expand...

I remember when I bought my business, and had people tell me it wouldn't work out. Eight years later, and last year was our best year.

Those that can't, criticize.

Lyrical_sl said:

I remember when I bought my business, and had people tell me it wouldn't work out. Eight years later, and last year was our best year.

Those that can't, criticize.

Click to expand...

Hey, I'm all for people taking a chance.

But,
I'll just leave this here:Why Small Businesses Fail: Top 7 Reasons Startups Fail and How to Avoid Failure

According to statistics published by the Small Business Administration (SBA), about half of all employer establishments survive at least five years and a third survive ten years or more. This is a far cry from the previous long-held belief that 50 percent of businesses fail in the first year and 95 percent fail within five years.

Click to expand...

Still a pretty damn high amount.

Vinen_sl said:

Hey, I'm all for people taking a chance.

But,
I'll just leave this here:Why Small Businesses Fail: Top 7 Reasons Startups Fail and How to Avoid Failure



Still a pretty damn high amount.

Click to expand...

High risk/high reward.

If you have no tolerance for risk, continue to waste your life away in a cubicle, for pennies. What's the point in living if you don't take risks?

Lyrical_sl said:

High risk/high reward.

If you have no tolerance for risk, continue to waste your life away in a cubicle, for pennies. What's the point in living if you don't take risks?

Click to expand...

Pennies. Lol.
Maybe others on this board. Not me.

Vinen_sl said:

Pennies. Lol.
Maybe others on this board. Not me.

Click to expand...

I'm sure.

People always say follow your passions, but for me when passions become jobs, they stop being passions.

Here's my story what I've done the last few years. Maybe it will help.

In 2012 I kind of got bored and burnt out of working in finance. So thought I'd try something else. I'd been playing a little poker and enjoyed that, so thought I'd give it 6 months or so and see if it had any potential as a way to earn a living.

Now a few years later i'm still playing poker full time but it is no longer a passion, it's a job and it's a grind. The first couple of years I really enjoyed throwing myself into it, learning new things and improving. But now... eh I don't know how long I'll do it for. It's gotten pretty stale, games are getting tougher with less recreational players to go around as popularity decreases. Plus it's pretty much close to solved so I can't really get much better, which is the part I enjoyed the most. I'll probably give it up after this year unless things drastically change somehow, which seems unlikely.
No idea what I'll do next. Anyone hiring?