Chapter 2: The First Steps

I knew I wasn't living the life I dreamed of, and I knew I needed a change. Here are the first steps I took to do just that

If you haven’t read chapter 1 yet and want to do so, click here 🙂

 

There’s a cavernous gap between uncovering a problem and finding a solution. And an even larger, much scarier gap between coming up with a solution and actually implementing it. 

 

I realized that I hated my job very early on. Like most jobs, however, there were aspects of it that I liked just fine. I loved my boss, liked some of my co-workers, and more than anything I enjoyed the money. I just hated the bureaucracy, I hated the company’s culture, and I hated the fact that I was required to go into the office in Iowa when my entire team lived in North Carolina or India. 

 

I also hated how my company conducted itself. My company didn’t have good values, which is important to me, and there was no hiding that the product I managed was meant to make money, not help anyone. 

 

Everything was done in a way that made me feel vacant. If there was a creative aspect I loved, then it was quickly filled with red tape and pointless extra steps meant to micro-manage me. The office I worked in, though completely glass with a modern interior, drowned me in cubicle walls that isolated me from anyone and everyone.

 

I knew that no one in my office cared about me, or would even really notice if I never showed up again. However, sometimes I wondered if the janitor who walked past my desk daily would notice. Even then, my absence would probably make her smile because it’s one fewer trash can to empty.

 

I worked under the constant reminder that I was disposable. It seemed everyone around me was getting fired, and it was made very clear that more people would be next. It was one of the most dehumanizing experiences of my life.

 

The only benefits they offered were hollow: money, status, and perhaps less boredom. Not purpose, fulfillment, a sense of community, or anything else. They expected me to put up with everything because of money. Well, I didn’t really care about money, so where did that put me?

 

I knew I Needed a Change... But That's All I knew

I didn’t jump to quitting right away. Actually, I’m writing this blog post at my desk in my office. It’s lucky no one cares I’m here because then they might notice I haven’t put a single formula into a single spreadsheet in over an hour. 

 

Before recently, I didn’t know what I’d do if I quit. Unemployment was a wall I didn’t know how to climb – or whether it was worth climbing at all. Yes, I hated my job, but at least it was comfortable. The monotony numbed me,  but is it worse to guarantee a boring life or take a risk on an exciting one? I constantly thought, maybe this is as good as it gets. Maybe this is what everyone means when they say adult life sucks.

 

Leaving wasn’t the only problem. I also had to worry about the stigma surrounding leaving.

 

I didn’t want to quit without a new job because people said an employment gap in my resume would make it harder to get re-hired. That meant the only way I could leave was by finding a new cubicle to feel vacant in. That led to a suffocating problem – I wanted to quit but I thought I couldn’t until I got a new job, but I didn’t know if I even wanted a new office job.

 

I felt like someone who just wanted to date around but was forced into an arranged marriage. What if I got a new job and it turned out worse than the job I have now? What do I do then? What’s worse, taking time off from my job and having a gap on my resume, or being known as the dreaded “job-hopper” jumping around from job to job hoping to one day find a fit?

 

The result was a lot of feet shuffling and no action. I knew the old saying “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good,” but there’s another side to that equation: “Don’t let good enough be the enemy of better.” My life was just good enough to make leaving seem too risky.

 

My life was bad enough to constantly want change, but good enough that I was scared change would just make it worse.

 

All around me, I saw people supposedly experiencing the same thing I was. They hated their job, or at least constantly complained about it, but would readily admit that they wouldn’t quit. Was this just some sacrifice everyone was willing to make? Why is this way of life so baked into our society?

 

I didn’t get it. I understand that the stereotypical life requires debt and stability to buy houses, have children, throw a $100,000 wedding, and get a Porsche during your midlife crisis, but why does everyone seem to agree that they want this? I knew I didn’t want a stereotypical life. I wanted risk, excitement, and unconventional levels of happiness. 

 

I realized that, if I didn’t want the same life everyone else was working toward, then I could make my own rules. That realization sparked the single most important question I’ve asked myself since graduating college:

 

Does an Alternative to Office Life Really Exist?

I dreamed of a life where I spent my free time being free. I wanted to travel often, not be tethered down by a lease or a mortgage. I wanted to live in communion with nature and see everything the world has to offer. I know, what a unique line of thinking, right? I know everyone wants this too, but we all also seem to come to the same conclusion: that’s not possible.

 

I thought the life I dreamed of required too many sacrifices, and because of that, it felt so out of reach. If a better life means more travel, how do I afford that? If it requires community, can I get that if I leave my roots? If I want communion with nature, can I keep the salary I make sitting in a cubicle? 

 

I assumed that everyone already asked those questions and collectively came to the same conclusion: it’s not possible, and it’s not worth it. That stopped me from looking into it further for a while. Even when I heard a potential solution, I didn’t truly consider it.

 

Eventually, I took a day off (mentally) and spent it in research mode. I watched one too many people live the life I’ve always wanted, and I itched to have my questions answered: are they really living like this, or is it a facade? Do they have real jobs, or are they doing it with their parents’ money or some lucky investment? Have they found community in their travels, or are they just happy being alone all the time?

 

I pessimistically wanted them to be more fortunate. I subconsciously wanted their life to be a sham because then I wouldn’t have to change and I could disregard their lifestyle once and for all. Part of me wanted to think life simply dealt them a luckier hand, another part thought it was possible. I needed to answer, once and for all, whether I could live a more perfect life.

 

That’s when I discovered my soulmate: seasonal and short-term work. Companies around natural wonders need seasonal work. National Parks, nature preserves, ski resorts, and islands all rely on seasonal workers. What’s more, these companies have short-term housing infrastructure in place to attract employees – the more remote a job is, the better and cheaper (typically free) this housing is.

 

This option checked all my boxes. I could get community with my co-workers, I wouldn’t need to sign a suffocating lease, I’d be working in nature, and the money/benefits package honestly wasn’t bad.

 

I’d probably make $20/hour instead of $35, but I’d erase most of my expenses. After all, most of my salary goes to rent, utilities, parking, wifi, and more – expenses that wouldn’t exist anymore. I figured I’d need to sacrifice money to get the life I wanted, but to my ecstatic surprise, I discovered my dream life without even taking a significant pay cut. 

 

The Current Plan

This put me down the path that I’m still following today, and I’m so excited to share it with you!

 

First and foremost, I’m not quitting my job… though I am letting off the gas. And, if everything works out, I’ll need to take an unpaid sabbatical to execute this plan further.

 

In a few weeks, I’m moving to a hostel in Montana that will pay for my housing if I work 20 hours/week for them around my 9-5 schedule. In my free time, I’ll be exploring, adventuring, hanging with my co-workers, and contributing to this idea – The Otherwhere Project.

 

Is this the best way to get promoted? No. Is it what’s best for my office career at all? Probably not. It’s a sacrifice, but one I think will be worth it.

 

I’m leaving my hometown to see if this life is right for me. This is a test-run of sorts. The work itself is unpaid, but it offers amazing flexibility and I get to keep my office job (although at some point I will have to decide between the office and the mountains). It’s not the more lucrative life of seasonal work yet, but it’ll do while I test the waters. If it all works out well, then I’ll apply to ski resorts for the winter!

 

To do this, I didn’t need any special connections or luck. I didn’t need to be rich or able to take off months of work (though I may choose to). I just needed to make sacrifices. The interview for this hostel was easy – just a message to the hiring manager off the Workaway website and a short Facetime. Setting up this website was easy too! Just took a week of free time and a willingness to be frustrated 90% of the time while learning.

 

I didn’t need to quit my job, I didn’t need to risk everything, and I didn’t need to make a permanent change. I’m just testing the waters if you will. Seeing if this type of life is for me. If a few months (or honestly, a few days) pass and I don’t like it, then I can return to the life I’ve always lived with fresh eyes until I get a new idea. 

 

But until then, my life will at least be full of adventure, nature, new experiences, and new people. And I love that. That’ll do for now.

 

 

 

If you're wondering EXACTLY how I'm doing this...

Thanks for asking 🙂

 

As I’ve said before, I want this journey to be completely transparent. My goal is not to make you envy my life, but to teach you how to make a life like this for YOURSELF. I started a new section under the Otherwhere Blog Series called the Field Guide Series. Check it out and let me know what you think!