I Quit My Corporate Job To Run My Own Business (Updated 2024)
Last Updated on November 19, 2024 by Erin Donahue
Toxic work culture, burnout, the hamster wheel that is a 9-5. That’s what I left when I finally quit my corporate job to run my own business. After seven years in the finance industry, it was time to bounce! My time in corporate ended on August 3, 2021, but this date was actually years in the making.
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Back in 2019, into 2020, I had been building out my side hustle as a photographer in order to make it become my main hustle. Once the COVID-19 pandemic started and we were forced into a shelter-in-place, the time I gained while working from home helped me accelerate my timeline. During this time, I figured out an editing workflow that worked for me using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. I also invested in additional courses through Udemy and learned Illustrator, InDesign, and Premiere Pro to have new and creative skill sets to lean on. Once May 2021 came around, I, and millions of others, quit my corporate job in pursuit of a more fulfilling and lucrative career, as well as lifestyle.
Quitting My Day Job For My Daydream
I first caught wind of a digital nomadic lifestyle back in 2017, around the time when I went to New Zealand to celebrate my 25th birthday. I had just been introduced to the book, The 4 Hour Work Week, but I didn’t finish the book until 2020. While I was in New Zealand, I met a myriad of people who shared how they quit their miserable jobs and took a pay cut, but were significantly happier. This really got me thinking about what else was out there, but I couldn’t bring myself to take any sort of pay cut, especially being a female in the finance industry. Back then, resources for online opportunities were not as prominent or abundant as they are today. If I’m being honest though, I was a chicken sh!t to make the jump and take the risk.
Betting On Myself
Since then, photography, content creation, and the influencer marketing industry have exploded, which has shown me new and diversified avenues to make money on my terms. My whole life, I’ve only known the conventional lifestyle of a 9-5 and the steady paycheck that came with it. While I’m grateful for that stability, it was never a fulfilling situation for me considering all the mental and emotional burdens that came with it. Knowing that I’m innately a creative person, I finally felt ready to quit my corporate job and pivot into the creative world headfirst!
After seeing how many people successfully navigated their way through the hot mess that was 2020 (and 2021), it only solidified to me that the path of an entrepreneur is the one for me. There is no time horizon where I’ll turn back and reconsider going back to work in a corporate job. For me, this is do or die!
Where Did “Niredonahue” Come From?
To wrap up this first blog post, my website is literally my name, but my first name is backward. Nire = Erin. My site will work to be a landing page and resource for you that will encompass all things photography and travel-related. These two areas are my passions so it’s only natural to build on that momentum. This will include my photoshoots with clients, photo locations, and sharing tips and tricks. Additionally, I’ll also include travel destinations and how I book itineraries as I get more into travel hacking.
I’m excited for you to join me on this journey. To keep up to date with everything I share, follow along on my social media: Instagram and Tik Tok!
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