I Quit My Full Time Government Job To Freelance

I was a full-time government employee from the Philippines. Saving a decent amount of money and living in my parents' home are the two things I'm grateful for. This part of my life contributed in how I was able to quit and pursue this.

When I was still employed, I just had this vague idea that I want to work from home and be creative. Deliver work in my home.

I Delayed The Decision For Almost Three Years

I almost quit in July 2018 to work with a friend's company. I took an extensive exam as an analyst but I failed. I thought it was the end.

It was too hard to accept that I won't be working with her. We were always talking about it. We were excited to be colleagues. She has been my friend for 6 years at that time.

After that incident, she grew cold to me. Or maybe I did. Then, I made an Upwork account. Getting my hands on Upwork was overwhelming at that time. SEO was so complicated for me. So I gave up.

The Mistake

At that time, I didn't create a Linkedin account. I was so confident with the thought that my friend can help me land a job with her connections. I didn’t ask my other friends. I didn’t have other plans, but just work together with her.

Yup, until now it's a big lesson.

I shouldn't have been discouraged by those incidents. I should have asked for help from my other friends. I was so isolated and foolish to even reach out. It can be ego or shyness.

I think it was the fear of people's opinion. Here in our country, working in government is a big deal. They expect you to grow old doing it. I cannot accept that.

It’s implied that quitting your job means your downfall, at least that’s how it has made me feel whenever I talk to people about it. Their faces become sad. They don’t know what they’ll say to you. That’s okay, too. They’re just reacting based on what they know and feel.

Now It Happened

I went back to thinking that I'll enjoy my work in government and I did. I enjoyed my colleagues, the activities we did, and the stability of money. I saved up a decent amount, too.

After thinking and being strong enough to do it, I finally quit. So glad I did because I got to know myself better than all those years.

And to me, it was so worth it.