When an egg is cracked from the outside, life ends. When an egg is cracked from the inside, life begins. All the good things come from the inside.
After working as an expert as a public servant for 6 years, I saw that they could not repay my contribution to the institution financially and spiritually, and I resigned. I added 2-3 extra qualifications to the skills I had 3 years ago.
The factors that make my decision to resign easier
Although I graduated in the social sciences field, I started learning data science with R and Python. My experience in my sector and my knowledge of English and Arabic were also the things that encouraged me to resign. It made this process easier for me to have knowledge in different areas against potential risks.
Although I have had no income for 2 years financially, I must also mention that I have decided to resign, saving money to support myself and my family. I think it could be 6-12 months for families without children.
After my resignation, I left Istanbul and settled in the Thracian region, where I could live more calmly and comfortably with my family. I have seen the great benefits of this decision in terms of creating time for myself and living in quality.
In my third job, I have achieved an hourly contract from Santa Monica, significantly reducing my post-resigning stress.
The importance of communication with clients
When I quit and started taking my first job as a freelancer, I realized that sometimes customer communication is more important than knowing the job description.
While not in black and white, you may not be able to get a job; even if you have excellent skills, I understand that I can quickly get the job with good communication.
This situation created a unique communication language and a qualified context for each customer. The feedbacks are excellent. I have managed to make a difference by referring to people's demands in their job reports in the style that is responsible and directly illustrates the expertise of the subject rather than explaining the subject matter, such as “I would recommend doing this, not this”, “this is the possible cause of that problem”.
I've had the experience of more than 10 years in 6 months
After a while, I realized that the jobs I received were improving me at an incredible rate. After that, I was learning new subjects and technologies without realizing it. Six months after my resignation, I experienced more improvement than I had in 10 years after university.
One of the most instructive things was that customers' problems and the products they needed didn't have what they theoretically told us in schools.
For example, the data they want to obtain is not from traditional, easily accessible, stable sources; it is distributed and unlimited, it has to be obtained from unidentified sources.
To do that, I had to offer creative and fast solutions that were unique to that job. This awakening convinced me that the skill needed to solve real problems and needs is not “know”, but “know and learn”.
The reasons why I'm a freelancer
The biggest reason I was aroused was that I couldn't get the value of my ability to create meaning and narrative in the institution that I've been working at for 6 years. Although I was trying to make a difference in my area of responsibility and build efficient systems, the response I received both financially and spiritually has been following an unsurprisingly downward trend for 6 years.
I decided that given that working under these circumstances would be insulting to myself and other creative people in the world, I should move on to a working system that I do, and not to other factors, but rather to a working system that I can determine.
What was the biggest obstacle in my head?
The pressure of the environment is not what it is thought to be, emphasizing the “Oww calm down” style. Instead, the walls of fear are seemingly light, but with horrific expressions: “Work as a public servant and freelance together”, “see if it brings money first”, “don’t neglect your doctorate”, “let it be a corporate company”, “What are you going to do with insurance?”
When even the most intimate of your friends said that you intend to jump off a cliff, they avoid encouraging you and having a share in your potential failure. However, the same people don't hesitate to give their lives greater harm by suggesting keeping you in the current inefficient system.
At this point, you are the person who knows the point where you come from and go to. Because of that, all the good things come from the inside, you need to learn how to make good things from your inside.
How do I exceed the stress of irregular income?
After ensuring my basic expenses for the next 4-5 years, I have dedicated 2022 and 2023 to a product. I started selling digital products through Fiverr, Etsy, and my website.
I'm already making revenue from this system of around $ 100 a week. I certainly think it's worth 1-2 years to explore the potential in this area. Rather than working for $500/day, selling 50 products per day for $10, seems to be a much more sustainable skill.
What do I miss about working as a salaried employee?
Well, I guess I didn't miss any part of it because I made a relatively lovely transition. This is more understood, especially regarding the 1-month-old salary in digital sectors, which can be achieved in 1 hour.
My future goals
I plan to capture a predictable volume in my product and consultancy work and relocate to Italy Amalfi after 2028. At this point, I want to live with my experience in data strategy, product it, and provide sufficient revenue streams.
