Work Optional – Feelings On My Last Day in Corporate
Work optional – feelings on my last day in corporate
My exit interview and last day physically at a company I had been at the last 10+ years before I took my remaining paid time off, was today. After 20+ years in corporate roles, this may be my last corporate career exit. No job lined up, and yes, I am in my prime earnings years. This was a deliberate exit six months in the making to allow for a fulfillment intent experiment with my remaining time on this Earth. No highs, no lows – despite the unfortunate timing with shitty market conditions.
I started the day with pilates, packed up my kiddo’s lunch, dropped her off, then drove to the office. After a few hours, I drove home, heated up leftovers and drafted this entry. I wanted to capture my thoughts and feelings as they happened.
How did market conditions impact my finances?
There had been recent turbulence in the market, spearheaded by angst around tariffs imposed by the new administration here in the US, in an economy already speculated to be more depressed than the year before, and today, it took another big hit. The chatter amongst my colleagues have been synonymous with the panic strewn across various news outlets and social media platforms. My investable assets dropped ~7% since 3/15/25, the last time I checked.
Investable assets above is defined as generally liquid and quickly deployable savings, investments, and other assets; excludes tangible assets (e.g. net equity in my house and other tangible items). This includes a taxable portfolio (primarily a taxable brokerage) and tax-advantaged portfolio (401K, Roth, IRA, 529, HSA).
Major indices fell ~5-6% in a day, as was summarized in a Barron’s post written by Connor Smith today.
Other articles from today:
• Marketwatch – Dow plunges 2,231 points into correction territory while Nasdaq enters bear market; S&P 500 books biggest weekly drop since 2020 as China retaliates on tariffs
• Independent – Stock market closes week in bloodbath as Trump’s tariffs cause historic two-day drop and wipe out $6 trillion
• WSJ – Dow tumbles 2,200 points, bonds rally after China retaliates against Trump tariffs
• CNBC – Dow drops 2,200 points Friday, S&P 500 loses 10% in 2 days as Trump’s tariff rout deepens
How did I feel about the market conditions, especially as I willfully walked away from my golden handcuffs?
Unremarkable. My feeling was still of content. Why? This had been a long time coming, subconsciously, even before it became a conscious need for change. I have always been extremely dedicated and took pride in my roles, but when I feel like that’s gone, I am not the type to sit around. This time though – I wanted to try a complete pivot.
The moment I knew it was time to go…
I have been to many funerals (personal and professional) by this time in my life and after each one, there were always moments of reflection. My most recent 10+ year tenure in corporate required me to interact with many colleagues from all walks of life from various departments in a large multinational company, which probably meant I was exposed to more untimely deaths. I would see them skipping out of the office one day and then gone the next. They would email or text me one day and then gone the next. I was used to layoffs and a quickly changing organization, but the sudden deaths always came as a shock. When you spend the bulk of your time awake working, your colleagues become your daily source of connection.
In the summer of 2024, one colleague’s death really hit home. She was a little older than me and left behind two little girls – her oldest was my child’s age and they had been friends at pre-K together. Even though she had seemingly already prioritized family above work, she still did not have enough time with her kids. As many times as I have heard that your time is limited, only then, did it finally sink in that my clock was ticking. I needed to make some major changes that were more closely aligned with my values and true desires, before time ran out. Tomorrow was not guaranteed and I wanted no regrets.
The thought never seriously crossed my mind to leave my corporate career behind or become work optional earlier vs later. But as it turns out, I was unfulfilled in many other ways and the reality was – no one was getting any younger. I was happy to part with simply knowing that I was quite capable of taking my career further had I wanted to. To be honest, if I wasn’t a single mom to a young child, I most likely would have. But being the primary caregiver and primary financial provider to my child as well as managing a demanding career and attempting to squeeze in a personal life was tough as hell. I wouldn’t recommend this combination to anyone. Is it possible? Sure. But again, tough as hell.
The decision and six month runway…
I had a feeling in my gut for a few months that it was time for a serious change but I didn’t know what was triggering it and what to change to. On the surface, I was on a roll. I knew some people wanted my job, and I was grateful to have become a promotable, coachable, and relatable employee with sufficient pay. I tabled the feeling for a few months. My colleague’s death (summer 2024) though, gave me a dose of reality at just the right time. It pushed me into putting major thought behind what was bothering me. I wrote down what all I still wanted to do with my remaining time on Earth, in the near future, and potentially down the road. I wrote down my values, my strengths, my weaknesses, who/what inspired me and gave me fulfillment, why and how. I wrote down which specific relationships I wanted to nurture and what new ones I may want to surround myself with. I began to analyze and track my net worth more regularly, breaking down in granularity what my investable assets and expenses were and may be. I forecasted possible scenarios, layered in milestones, and strategized. I envisioned what I would spend my time doing and when, with general estimates by year, by month, by day, even by hour on what a regular day might be, and how I would adapt as needed, and wrote them all down. I took countless notes and made many tweaks and modifications. For the first time in awhile, I had clarity.
In October 2024, I submitted my six month resignation notice, which coincidentally was on the day I was to decide whether I would accept an internal transfer within the company, one that I had aspired to move into in recent years. My decision came as a shock, given the transfer was already discussed up the chain.
What will I do with my time?
In the near term, I hope to focus my time on gratitude, enjoy the simple things in life, and go through a day with more intention and at a much slower pace. I will further my interests but mostly, I will make time to creating more memories and being more present for my munchkin and other loved ones. I’ve got a few trips and experimental projects with my time lined up as well and will reassess as time progresses.
Am I work optional and financially independent?
After I took a deep dive into my finances, unbeknownst to me, given I initially intended on retiring at around 65, I had reached Coast FI years ago. Given the number of scenarios I ran, I was within the work optional “regular” FI range. I’ll get into what that means in a later post.
Did I consult with a professional around my finances?
No, and maybe stupidly so, but as a DIY investor and avid learner, I crunched my numbers, layered in milestones/possibilities under various scenarios, and am confident I can make it work. After all, I am resilient and adaptable and given I’m only in my 40s – it’s unlikely I would never earn again.
What my quiet freedom felt like at the end of the day…
Tonight, I rest easy tonight knowing my child is home safe, stomach full, has a roof over her head, a comfy bed to sleep in, a friend over to play with, and for me, knowing all the incremental hard work from years past paid off and I am able to buy myself some flexibility to do as I wish with my time. I’m removing all the noise, focused on my intent, and moving forward with inspiration instead of desperation.
How did you feel as you made the choice to transition away from your W2? If you haven’t already, but want to, what’s stopping you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
