From overworked corporate zombie to freelance - scared but better

May 11 min read

Left my corporate job 18 months ago to do freelance consulting. Wife thought I was insane. Some months are tight money-wise and the lack of benefits stresses me out. But I'm actually seeing my kids before they go to bed now. I don't have panic attacks Sunday nights anymore. I can take my son to his midday soccer practices. The identity shift has been real though - I had to stop introducing myself as 'Senior Manager at [Company]' because that's not me anymore. I'm just... a dad who works from home. It sounds simple but it took real work to not feel like a failure because I'm not climbing some ladder. Honestly? Totally worth it.

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Comments(3)

TTommyNew DadMay 3

Props for making that jump. I'm still in the corporate zombie phase but stories like this make me think it's actually possible. How's your wife feel about it now?

JJoeRegularMay 2

18 months in and still thriving? That's awesome. The corporate grind was killing me too. Do you have way more time with the kids or are you just less stressed?

DDerek P.RegularMay 2

That's bold. How are you finding the work-life balance now that you're freelance? I've thought about doing something similar but the stability thing scares me with two kids.