Why I Quit a $450,000 Engineering Job at Netflix

"Watching millions of people die from COVID made me realize that tomorrow is not guaranteed. You could die from COVID before any of your dreams are ever realized. And the longer you put off a dream, the greater the risk that it never happens. So if there is anything you want, you have to go for it right now."

This para really hit me in the feels!! Thanks for sharing your experience , this was really insightful.

Has anyone done this that also has a family to support?

I don't think this is an idea that applies to everyone. If you need money, I think you should solve the problem first. The author should not need much money at the moment.

I think you watch too many Motivation Videos! You are trying to find passion in your work life, money should be the biggest motivation cause it gives you the power to find happiness anywhere.

After earning money everyone thinks about entrepreneurship cause it gives them options if it didn't pan out, but it hardly works that way cause your motivation will never be higher than a person who doesn't have money from start but trying to make his way to it.

My suggestion is don't write an article like this, it actually affects the young generation who are new to this world, they will start seeing the world from your perspective which will make their life quite miserable.

Everyone thinks that their life should be as they want at work, but why should it? If it needs to be that way then from day 1 become an entrepreneur rather than after some years of work when you have enough money to afford it.

If you love so much quote then quote me "Money should be the biggest motivation cause it gives you the power to find happiness anywhere"

Thank you, Michael Lin, for sharing your story. I can relate to it as I went through a similar experience before the Covid-19 outbreak. Unfortunately, my travel plans were cancelled. Wishing you all the best.

Hey 👋🏽 amazing article. Amazing that quitting your job turned out so something great, happy for you 😊

That was a very bold decision. But yeah, nothing matters more than mental peace and passion itself. All the best for your journey ahead!

That is a rare case you identified and managed to change your life in a great way. I wonder what would be your thoughts if it was Amazon in case of Netflix and you were given the role change for product management, would you be still doing the job or take a similar decision then?

I really appreciate your bravery in quitting a such high paying job. Not everyone can give that up...

Great one This is a really nice dream

Wish you best of luck and sucess

Would love to connect more with you. Would love to know if you're planning to start building products you love. I'm a builder and also a freelancer product designer

Amazing article.

Congratulations on making the hard decisions in your life and figuring out what you want in your life!

An inspirational post Michael, i guess and agree that even if we are little less off financially, we have to go for job or venture which gives personal satisfaction.

I really liked the article, it was very inspiring, even if I haven't been through something like that. Good luck with this new adventure ✨.

It's fascinating how we all have a shared humanity regardless of where we live, where we work and how much we get paid. I live in Nairobi, Kenya and I experienced the same feeling of demotivation and anxiety while working a role that did not fit my skillset - only that I didn't have the courage to leave at that time. I also waited for when they were laying off people for me to get a severance package, which gave me the freedom to transition from marketing to software engineering. Thank you for sharing your story - it's relatable and encouraging. I wish you the very best in your new journey.

This was very insightful. Thanks for sharing. I learned two things from this read. 1. Just take the jump. 2. I love your writing style and I think I'm gonna steal.

"The most dangerous things are heroin, and a monthly salary." - Naval

Amazing story Michael Lin

YES! This is the way! In times of pandemic, recession, and uncertainty. The riskiest thing you can do is try to "play it safe".

I also quit my well-paid developer job last year and focused on building a brand like others. Super scary at the beginning but terribly rewarding and I'm now in a much better position than ever.

Best of luck in your future projects Michael Lin.

Hey, great article! Those must've been anxious times so congrats on deciding to make the hard decisions you did and putting yourself first. And thank you for sharing your story :)

Linsanity!!!!! But awesome dude and way to go after your dreams! Never stop finding the best version of yourself!

This was such an insightful read! Off to read all of your blog posts :)

Hi Michael Lin, Haris here, I'm a front end developer mainly coding in react, next and react native, and I have been enjoying, my Bachelors is in electronics engineering but I was passionate about programming and building apps soo I started my career in software, and its been one and half year and I'm doing good I believe.

I have read your article and somehow I believe what you are saying is right but before coming to that point in my life I would like you to guide me if possible that how can i land a job in big companies like netflix.

Thank you Kind regards

What are you doing now? Are you doing freelance or starting your own company?

A relatable and insightful story! Thanks for sharing Michael Lin

good article

Wow, this is amaze of, I could relate to the anxiety one gets after missing work message

Lots of good wishes for you. TC

Amazing article! Definitely want to have an adventure like this in my life someday.

Great story!!

Thanks for sharing Michael Lin. I've learnt a lots from your story. Keep working on what you love and love what you're doing

Wow! This really takes a lot of courage and reassurance. I am only inspired and more.

Good read Mate. I had the same golden handcuffs or how I called them: Golden Cage. Happy for you

Great going! Keep growing Michael Lin

I did the same after burnout. The dilemma was very similar like you faved. Left the company for peace and spent time with family. It wasn't a smart decision according to my colleagues but I enjoyed it. I was happier doing nothing and playing with my dog. After sometime the desire to build things came back. And started applying for places and am preparing for interviews.

my goals are the same as you have explained in this artical.

Thanks

Thanks for this! Its an amazing article. Doing things which you are passionate about is a good thing. But the best thing is to figure out your passion. Like when you come to know that you are passionate about a particular thing and you are improving in that then it is the best feeling. Let's hope that things turn out to be positive. I am passionate about singing and I could say that I have learnt and improved a lot than my previous version within 10 months. Now it feels that I can't leave it.