Matt Gibson
4y ago
Welcome to my Social Blog
In January, I shifted down to 50% working for a corporate client. This is 3 years after I moved away from being a permanent employee into the wild west of contracting. I've had mixed success so far.
After 5 months, here is what I've learned about that transition in case you are thinking about making a similar change. Hopefully, this helps you walk into any changes with your eyes open and prepared for the challenge. Now, let's dive in.
#1: The mental challenge of giving up money today for potential gain in the future is hard
When you've spent over a decade building experience and your salary level, you get hit with the sunk-cost when trying to move to the unknown.
It's natural. You're giving up something you've put years of time and effort into, for an unknown reward. You'd be crazy not to question it.
This why I went 50/50 in terms of time. A soft play, a hedge. Dipping my toe in the water. But that isn't the best bet in my experience so far as...
#2: 50% of time doesn't equal 50% of time
It seems simple, I split half my day on X, and half my day on Y. However, work is clearly not as simple as that.
Without strict boundaries, it's also easy to see time, energy and concentration bleed into both parts of the day. And there is no better boundary than that of one day to the next. My advice is keep whole days free where possible.
Not all time is built equal.
Dependent on circadian rhythm, everyone has periods of the day with more focus, energy and clarity. To-date, my corporate client has been getting the best 50%, which means my 50% is < than 50%.
#3: A corporate career hasn't equipped me with the main skills I need for the future I want
It's humbling. Starting something new. You have passion, you have motivation. You want to change your direction. Then day one...BAM!
"I have no idea how to do this"
...and procrastination ensues...
My corporate career has given me many skills, and these do help, but they are supporting actors in the world of startups. I've realised there is much to learn, and whilst that's daunting, it's also exciting.
I've learnt more in 4 months than I have in previous 10 years working for some of the biggest companies around.