Seven Lessons from Leaving a Job for a Passion Project

April 2 is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. A fact I didn’t know, and probably would not have cared about, a year ago.

But this year, people sent notes to wish me a happy Peanut Butter and Jelly Day.

A year ago, I left a really good job with a dream team at a totally fascinating company where I had worked for almost seven years.

And I am not a risk taker.

But I had a creative project that I needed to do. I was also itching to make a job change, but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do and I didn’t have the time or energy to do a proper search.

In a very uncharacteristic move, I left my job to write a children’s book, Peanut Butter or Jelly, and to plot my next career move.

Now that the book is published and I've settled into my new job, it's easy to look back and know that leaving was a good decision. But at the time, there maaaaay have been some freaking out.

Here are seven things anyone considering quitting a good gig should know:

1. Being selfish feels pretty darn good. At the risk of sounding like one of my kids (mine! mine! mine!), I didn’t realize how much I was craving a project that was only my responsibility. I was accustomed to working in collaborative, team-oriented environments that required a lot of consensus building and buy-in. It was incredibly rewarding to be solely responsible for writing, illustration, design, vendor selection, kid-testing and fulfillment. For the first time in forever, no one can take credit for a project except me.
2. If you’re a woman with young children and you quit without another job, people will jump to the conclusion that you want to stay at home with your kids. The purpose of sharing this learning is not to argue the merits of working in or out of the home, working part time, which way you lean, or to debate whether you can actually “have it all.” It’s just a warning that women may need to over-communicate the intent to return to work. I adore my children, but I also really enjoy working. My husband, who has also taken a break, hasn't been saddled with the same assumptions.
3. Creative projects can be lonely. While you do need to share the spotlight in a team-based environment, one of the many benefits of having a job is spending time with human beings. My “team” consisted of sandwiches with googly eyes. Sandwiches don’t schedule 1:1s or make you do PowerPoint presentations, but trust me when I tell you they also don’t make good company.
4. Taking a risk to pursue a passion makes you seem interesting. Quitting a job because I wanted to make a change doesn’t make for a good story. Quitting to self-publish a book does. As I mentioned, I am not a risk taker. While creating the book, I was also doing extensive research and reflection to figure out the next step in my career. I had coffees/lunches/meetings with 47 colleagues and friends, and talked to 24 different companies during my six months off. Quitting gave me a reason to reach out, but the book gave me something to really talk about.
5. You will second guess yourself. Change is hard, especially when you leave a job you like. Not getting a paycheck is scary, even if you have savings. When you don’t know how the story ends, it’s easy to think yourself into a hole. Just remember why you quit, what you set out to create, and trust yourself that the outcome will be good. Or at least you’ll have a good story to tell.
6. Kickstarter is awesome. And the people who back your project are even more awesome. I used Kickstarter to fund a bulk printing and I couldn't have had a better experience. It eliminates the financial risk and it gives you an excuse to reach out to your old summer camp crush and ask them for money. If someone ever sends you a request to back their campaign, please do it. Even $5. A Kickstarter campaign is a dream, and who doesn’t want to help someone else’s dream come true.
7. It changes who you are. During the Q&A session at a recent school reading, a teacher asked, "When did you realize that you were a talented writer?" My answer? RIGHT NOW. When you're a working parent, there isn't much gas in the tank at the end of the day, the end of the week, to pursue passion projects. The fantastic thing about taking a break to do a creative project is that even once the actual work is complete, you continue to reap the benefits of the pleasure it brings.

I’ve been back at work for six months and feel fortunate to have found the job I didn’t even know I was looking for. Even better than that, I got to add that I published a book (!) to my LinkedIn profile. A real book that is sitting on the shelves of over 1,000 children. A book that kids bring into school to read on their birthday because it’s their favorite.

And I did it. Because I’m a quitter.

Deborah Kelson is the Director of Marketing at AltSchool and the author of Peanut Butter or Jelly, a scrumptious story that explores the sticky relationship between everyone's favorite condiments—Peanut Butter and Jelly—as they angle for top billing in the name of their sandwich. Learn more, and cast your vote, at peanutbutterorjelly.com.