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Tadas Petra
Tadas Petra

Posted on • Originally published at tadaspetra.hashnode.dev

Quitting My Job With Only $150 Monthly Side Income

Why I left

Since I was in highschool, I never wanted to work a 9-5 job. I have been the person that likes to have control of what I am doing, and with the things that I build.

What I don't like about 9-5

  • A 9-5 forces you to stay there even when you have finished your work.
  • You rely on your boss and people above you to make you be successful.
  • The amount of work you put in doesn't directly correlate with what you get.
  • You don't have control of the companies future
  • There are a lot of corporate politics that you have to maneuver
  • You are not allowed to speak your mind freely, and really voice your opinions

Those are just some of the reasons, but there are a lot more. That is why I have always wanted to figure out a way to make money without working a 9-5. However then came university and internships, and one thing led to another, and I found myself at my last semester of university. During that last semester I started taking things a lot more seriously. I would wake up at 3am before going to class to learn web development, but nothing worked out so I ended up taking a job.

Now as far as a 9-5 job went, the job I had was as good as it gets. My boss was the best boss I could have ever asked for. He taught me more then I could ever image. He helped me quickly grow into a leader, but the passion to create something of my own and work on my own terms never disappeared.

How I left

Like I said, I have been trying to find a way to make money since the last semester of university. I have tried to create multiple startups which included trying to build a social networks site, then an app, then various other apps. But none of them had much success. Then at the beginning of 2020 I had realized while learning all these technologies I had learned a lot through all the failures and struggles. I decided it would be a good idea to put all this knowledge online.

Starting a youtube channel was always something I wanted to do. I actually started multiple channels when I was a kid, playing minecraft or some other games. But I never kept up and just deleted them after some time. This time I started one with a purpose. At first I didn't tell anybody that I started it, not even my girlfriend. But then I got my first 50 subscribers and I let her know, then it kept growing and growing. And now at over 7,500 subscribers it has grown bigger than I have ever imagined.

Now I know what you're thinking 7,500 subscribers is not nearly enough to be making adequate money and thus quitting your job. I fully agree with you. But like I said, this has been something I have wanted to do since highschool. So I have been saving up money this whole time I have been working, and just waiting for an opportunity to give it my all. There is a little of bit of promise I believe, and with my savings I have given myself a year of hardwork to make this promise a reality.

I have also been saving all my vacation days for this year, for a long trip. Instead I will now use this vacation for the month of December as a grace period to give it my all. And then my last official day of work will be January 15th, which will mark exactly 1 year since I uploaded my first video.

Whats the plan

As the title says I have a cashflow of around $150 a month. Obviously this is not even close to enough to cover rent for me. Like I said I have about a year of savings to give myself a real shot at increasing that number. Here are the following things I will be trying to do to get to that:

  • Keep growing my youtube channel - I have a lot of ideas that I think will not only help the channel grow, but help a lot of people learn a lot about programming.
  • Other ways to monetize related to YouTube - there are a lot of ways to monetize a channel other then youtube ads. For example sponsored videos, creating articles for the videos, affiliate links, patreon, etc.
  • Creating a Start Up - There is an app I have been working on for quite some time now. The goal is to finish it up early 2021 and release it. I am working on with one other person and the feedback we have gotten is very positive thus far.

There are a couple other methods I have been thinking about, but those are the main 3 that I believe have the most potential.

Conclusion

I know this is a big risk, but it is also the most excited I have been in my life. By the end of 2021 we will all know whether I have made the best decision of my life, or the biggest mistake of my life. Stay tuned for more on this journey by following along:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/tadaspetra

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tadaspetra

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tadaspetra

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tadaspetra/

My Website (work in progress): https://tadaspetra.com

And if you enjoy my work and would like to support me:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tadaspetra

Top comments (2)

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real_rijin profile image
Rijin Reji Thomas

It's 10-7 usually in India and no holidays on Saturdays, plus developers are so underpaid here. That's why I always look for opportunities abroad, but even I feel uncomfortable working under someone. Hope your future turns out to be better and successful.

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tadaspetra profile image
Tadas Petra

Thank you so much for those kind words 😊. And I wish you the best of luck too