For the past four years I have worked in finance at a wealth management company in downtown Boston. Today is my last day. I started working there a few weeks after I graduated from college and thought it would be the industry I would work in forever. I soon realized I was not happy at all with my projected career path and had no interest in doing what I was doing. However, it was financial security so I didn't have the guts to leave. On top of this job I started getting my MBA in 2010 and soon after started helping out with a small startup backpack company. At the age of 25 I was basically burning myself out and loathed going to work. Moving forward to December of 2011, I proposed to my girlfriend of 3 years. Getting engaged was awesome, but for the first time in my life my financial decisions directly impacted someone else. Fortunately she has always been very supportive of me. After months of soul searching I realized there will never be a good time in my life to switch careers. There are always going to be unforeseen events that require financial stability. I finally made my decion 2 months ago and gave my notice. As soon as I did it I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I am taking a risk by forgoing an income for a while to help build a startup into a successful business and it is in the the industry I want to work in, the Outdoors. Specifically we make bags/ packs for fly fishing. All made in the US. The experience I gain from this venture will be invaluable. Although change is scary, I am in a much better place now and can't wait to begin this chapter of my life. Wish me luck! I also will never have to take a train into the city for work again. That also is a good feeling.
Congrats! That is great! Sometimes it just takes that leap of faith. You never know what the future holds, but at least you will be waking up every day excited for what the day brings you. You can't beat doing something you love and something that you have a passion for. I wish you the best of luck!
Happiness is worth more than $$$ IMO. Congrats I switched careers 4.5 years ago, taking a pay cut...and havent looked back.
Thats awesome Chart, glad you were finally able to break the chains and make the change. Good luck and enjoy every minute of it!
Wow, that sure is scary. It is obviously the right choice. Good luck, please let us know what the name of the bag company is. Kick butt man! Mike Sent from my iPhone
Good luck with the new endeavors! The older you get the more you'll find that happiness is worth far more than money. Make sure you keep us updated on the progress of your new company. I'm sure there's a few fly fishing guys here who may be interested in checking out what you have to offer.
Let me know when you get things rolling. If you have some good products to offer, I might be able to get them in the fly shop I work with.
For me the next best thing to hunting Big Deer would be hunting Big Trout with a fly rod and dry fly! Nothing like slipping up on a good feeding lane and lobbing some biscuits and gravy (one of my stone fly patterns) over a 2 footers head while he's sucking bugs down. Best of luck with the new business, and like the others said, keep us updated and let us know where to check your gear out.
Thanks for the kind words all. You can check out the gear at www.vedavoo.com. I posted the link a while back but there have been some new products added. There are also links to a few product reviews on the site. We would love feed back!
Hey man that's awesome!! I just started a new job in the line of work I wanted to be in. My 90 day mark hits on the 7th. I will be getting a raise of min 15%. It's a good feeling but, if I could be in the Archery industry, I would gladly leave and never look back. I know you will enjoy the new career and congrats on the engagement, new job and pleasure of working in the industry you enjoy most. Not very many people out there get to do that!!
If you're a start up and looking for exposure... you might want to contact these people. It's a one day deal with all kinds of nice presentations, lessons, from some of the best. In years past they've brought people in from Ireland, Oregon and all over the East Coast. Not a big thing... but all devoted to their flyrods. I just love it and I'm a newbie at it. Cheap publicity... but there are always some big shop owners from everywhere in attendance giving classes etc. If you think someone might be interested just contact them. You can go there and pick up any rod/reel combination you want and take it to the river for a try out. Instructors are usually exceptional. Tell them Dave from the Fish Creek Atlantic Salmon Club clued you in. Geoff is the head man. They do it simply for the love of the fishing. All proceeds are donated to whoever they feel. The past couple years they've been very generous to our effort to restore the Atlantic Salmon to a watershed where they vanished at the turn of the century. Check out Spey Nation 2012 and see all that are supporting and all the instructors. Usually a few hundred folks mostly dedicated to fly fishing. All free, no charge entry and a chance to win a couple really nice trips worth several thousand. Grand prize is a steelhead trip to Spey Nation Lodge in BC. 200 or 300 people and you too can win.LOL http://speynation.com/ Here's a partial of one of my favorite presenters from last year. He's the owner of a large fly shop in New Jersey. Andy Moy He can really make rod do some great stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahxEbgmS4ew
