January 28, 2020
I did everything right. I earned nearly a 4.0 GPA in high school, studied computers and swam Division 1 in college, got my masters degree from Hopkins, and landed a high paying software engineering job at a hedge fund.
My hedge fund job was fantastic. Near six-figure salary, annual bonuses, a generous 401k match of 9% in addition to an annual 7.25% profit share. There were free monthly happy hours, free healthy snacks and drinks, and an on-site gym with complimentary daily fitness classes. I seriously could go on and on.
After landing this job, I was stoked. I was eager to go to work every day to learn and master this whole new world of investing and finance. I even secretly wanted to be the CTO and eventually the hedge fund manager one day.
đ Somethingâs Wrong With Me
But that excitement wore off over the course of the next three years.
I started experiencing weakness in my upper back that made it hard for me to do my job. Most of all, I could no longer lift weights, swim, or run like I so badly wanted to do. How was I going to fulfill my lifelong goal of completing an Ironman triathlon in this condition?
Dozens of doctors and specialists couldn’t diagnose me. I tried multiple chiropractors and massage therapists. I bought myself a new mattress. An ergonomic specialist assessed my work environment, and a keyboard tray was installed for my ergonomic keyboard and ergonomic mouse. I even tried a $1,200 ergonomic desk chair.
Nothing worked. I continued to experience weakness in my back.
đ©ș The Diagnosis
Finally, a day before I was going to quit my job, a neurologist performed an EMG and nerve conduction study on my back. He diagnosed me with a neurological disorder called Parsonage Turner Syndrome. I was simultaneously devastated and relieved.
The doctor told me to take three months off of work. During my leave, I had ample time to reflect on what I wanted in life.
I knew deep down that I really wanted to do something great that positively impacted many people. I realize thatâs vague, and I honestly still donât know what it’ll be. All I know is that I wasnât ever going to get this kind of fulfillment from my desk job.
While realizing this, I decided to go back to work after my time off. I lasted another five months before my symptoms returned to a level that I wasnât going to tolerate anymore. At this point, the only way to minimize aggravating my back and to pursue my entrepreneurial dream was to quit my job.
đ I Quit
So the time finally came where I quit my jobâa job that I dreamed about since CS 101.
Quitting a job, especially one that has great pay and all the perks, is not an easy decision. It was a combination of my back injury and my newly realized mission that gave me the courage to quit.
Itâs now clear to me that the pay and perks at my hedge fund job were the only things keeping me around. I felt secure there with a fat paycheck coming in every month.
But I knew I had to take matters into my own hands to avoid any future regret.
đ Youâre Going To Die One Day
I hate seeing people struggle through life due to a job they arenât happy with. Our time on earth is finite. Youâre going to die one dayâplain and simple. Anticipating the weekend on a Monday is a waste of your precious life.
The thing is, we all have the power to change our current situation regardless of what youâre dealing with. I truly believe that.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to be gifted with a beautiful loving family, fantastic friends, and a multitude of opportunities. In fact, some of you will call me ungrateful for quitting my job. There are millions of people who would trade everything theyâve got to be in my shoes.
đ„ But I Wasnât Happy
If you arenât doing something that you love everyday, then something is wrong. Yes, youâre going to have good days and bad days, but in the macro, you have to be happy with what youâre doing.
When I woke up, month after month, and no longer jumped out of bed to go to work, I should have known something was wrong.
Initially, it takes a great deal of internal reflection to take a step back and realize this. Then it takes a ton of courage to disrupt your life and make a change.
đ° Money Isnât Everything
I could ask for your sympathy at this point, but I donât want it.
I see my back injury as somewhat of a blessing in disguise. If it werenât for this injury, I probably never would have quit my job. More realistically, I would have continued to be blinded by the pay and perks at my hedge fund job and never realized my true calling.
A paycheck is great and certainly necessary for many situations. But for me, someone without any commitments or debt, I knew I could forgo a salary for a few years to pursue my ambiguous mission while doing a bit of traveling along the way.
đ My New Dream Job
Now that Iâm unemployed, I have complete control over my back injury since Iâm not expected to be at my desk from 9 to 5.
My short term goal is to write high quality blog posts on this website to give value to people searching for specific topics.
Thatâs just step oneâsomething that will allow me to be self-sufficient. But, as you know by now, I have bigger dreams.
Although my dreams are not well-defined yet, I want to position myself in a place to enable such ambitious goals. That way, when clarity reveals itself, I will be right where I need to be.
đ I Appreciate You
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Itâs visitors like you, who visit my blog and follow me on social media, that will ultimately enable me to realize my goals.
– Tony Florida