As someone who writes in the personal finance/financial independence space, I’ve read a lot of stories about people pursuing financial independence and then leaving their careers. One interesting thing I’ve noticed is that people chasing financial independence often characterize themselves as being good at their jobs. You very rarely see someone say they want to reach financial independence and get out of the workforce because they’re doing a bad job at work.
I sometimes wonder how true these characterizations are. I know for me, as much as I’d like to think I was good at the jobs I had, the truth is, I wasn’t very good at them. Most of the time, I was just going through the motions. I imagine if I was actually good at the jobs I had, I probably wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to leave them. To be honest, I doubt I would have lasted very long at my jobs if I hadn’t left them first.
It’s not a matter of me not being able to work hard either. I’ve always had a bit of an obsessive personality, so putting in hard work and long hours has never been an issue for me. During my first year of law school, for example, I likely worked harder than anyone in my class, working 7 days a week for 10-14 hours per day. I did it because I wanted to do well at school and I liked studying law. But I could also work hard because of the way I controlled my schedule. Even though I had to work a lot, I still generally could do it in a way that made sense to me.
The working world was different. I struggled as an employee because the way I like to work didn’t mesh with the nature of the corporate jobs I had. The regimented schedules, the office politics, the constant status reports, the bosses looking over my shoulder – I didn’t fit well in this type of system. And so, I was a middling employee. All I was really doing was doing just enough to not get fired.Â
For me, financial independence wasn’t just about getting out of the workforce because I didn’t like my job. I needed to get out because I simply wasn’t that good at the jobs I had. Here are some of the reasons why I think I just wasn’t that good of an employee.
I’m Not Great With Set Schedules Â
The most obvious characteristic of basically any job is that it comes with a strict, regimented schedule. Sure, some schedules are more flexible than others, but the vast majority of jobs are based around general working hours. You start working in the morning, you work all day, and you end work in the evening.Â
I’ve always struggled with the regular 9-5 work schedule. It’s the main reason I enjoy what I do now, working for myself. I’ll likely never make as much as I could have made as a lawyer, but I control so much more of my day-to-day life, in a way that I never could have with my normal jobs.
The problem with normal jobs – for me at least – is that they forced me to live my life based on the needs of my job. I get it – jobs need us to work at certain hours because other people rely on our work, But it’s a reality I always struggled with. I think it’s one of the reasons I enjoyed college and law school and why I was able to do well in a school setting. Other than the few hours of class each day, the schedules were always pretty loose and I could generally craft my day to look the way I wanted it to look.
In an office, I always felt cooped up. I had to be there by a certain time in the morning, which meant my mornings were always terrible as I woke up and rushed to the office. I hated that I had to stay in the office the entire day. If it was nice out, I wanted to get out and bike and explore. The best hours of my day went to my employer and I only got to use what was leftover.
Some people thrive on schedules. I’m just not one of them. Work schedules always felt so arbitrary to me. And indeed, the last push I needed to quit my job and go all-in on myself was when I got a talking to at work for getting into the office too late.
I’m Bad At Doing Assignments I Don’t Care About Â
Jobs are tough because you have to do a lot of crap you don’t want to do. I hated getting terrible assignments that I didn’t want to do, but had to because someone gave them to me. My problem was with assignments I really didn’t like, I didn’t really do a very good job at them. I delayed doing them. I did them at the last minute. It showed in the quality of work I did.
Growing up, I thought that was what work was all about. You got paid because you had to do things you didn’t want to do. These days, I realize that’s a terrible way to think about work. Work is an important part of life. It makes up most of our waking hours. It shouldn’t be something we trudge through. And while we all need money to live, I don’t think any of us should trade our lives simply for money. Â
Of course, with any job or any work you do, you’re going to have to do things you don’t want to do. I think the difference is that when I was an employee, I didn’t control my assignments, which meant I had no power. But when I’m working for myself, if I’m doing something, it’s because I know it needs to be done and I know I’m doing it because it’s going to benefit me.
I Don’t Like Having To Put On A Work PersonaÂ
One of the things that a lot of people don’t think about with any job is that it requires you to put on a sort of show while you’re at work. I always had to have two personalities during my employee days. There was my real personality – the one that I have when I’m with my family and friends. But then there’s also my work personality – this fake persona I had to have at work. This fake persona is one you all probably have too – a sort of upbeat, go-getter, eager to do whatever the boss needs you to do.
I hated having to put on this show. It might not seem like that big of a deal, but I found it tiring. It made me feel inauthentic. And when you’re a minority like I am, you’re often forced to craft your work persona to match your bosses – typically old, white men with very different life experiences than the ones I had.Â
Working for myself means I don’t have to deal with putting on this fake persona anymore. Since I work online, I barely have to put on any personas at all. I’m just me and I don’t have to pretend that I’m anyone else.
I Hate Dealing With Supervisors And People Looking Over My ShoulderÂ
I hate having people looking over me. I know employers need to do it because they have to make sure things are getting done, but for me, I just want people to leave me alone and let me do things my way.
This is where I struggled. Bosses always wanted status reports. All of my jobs had constant meetings to go over what we were doing. I loathe meetings. The constant status reports and meetings usually made me look bad too because I wasn’t good at keeping up with the timelines my bosses wanted.
I think this is one of the reasons I liked college and law school. In those settings, you got an assignment, you had a due date, and how you went about getting your work done was your business. No one hassled you or made you check in with them. You just got what you had to get done by the time it was due. And if you didn’t, it was all on you.
These days, I don’t have any real due dates for anything. If there is a due date, it’s one that I’ve set for myself. I have a business partner who hassles me sometimes, but it’s not the same as a boss looking over my shoulder. For the most part, I do my thing without anyone bothering me.
Final ThoughtsÂ
When I was reading these financial independence stories, I sometimes felt bad about myself because I wasn’t a superstar employee. It always seemed like the people writing about financial independence were superstars at everything – good at work, good at life, good at money,
I like to try to paint an accurate portrait of myself. I wasn’t some amazing, superstar lawyer who, despite how amazing I was, found myself dissatisfied with my career and then turned to financial independence because of how awesome I am. For the most part, I was a middling employee, doing just enough to hopefully not get fired.
Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you’re just going through the motions at work, hoping to not get fired and turning towards financial independence as a way out.
If you are like me, let me tell you, it’s okay if you’re not that good at your job. It’s not a personal failing on your part. When we don’t do well at some things, it’s often because it just isn’t a good fit for us.Â
I was always out of place as an employee in the corporate world – a round peg trying to get into a square hole. And even though I wasn’t the best employee, it didn’t mean I couldn’t do well at something else.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Upgrade ($150) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $150 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $150 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- Fifth Third Bank ($350) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($75) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $75 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Netspend ($40 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $40 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
- Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.25% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
I too think I am not a good employee. Like the Financial Panther, I was a big law lawyer and struggled to hit hours and put up with the BS. I thought my coworkers had zero respect for my time and most of the work was just complete wastes of time with endless made up deadlines and fire drills. Plus, the partners and seniors were colossal jerks and just outright mean a lot of the time: they’d lie, horde work, be intentionally vague so they could pad hours, etc. I got fed up with it all and it showed in my work product and was eventually let go…I just couldn’t hide it. I’m still an attorney but I constantly think I made a mistake going to law school. I’m thankful I went to a T14 for free since I don’t think I’d be able to handle everything if I had six figures of debt like many of my also miserable coworkers. I just don’t know what else I’d do for my career or how to find something better. I just know this ain’t it.
Thanks for writing this. I think it’s important to recognize that people excel at different types of works and/or tasks. And there ‘aint no shame in being honest about it.
After my 12th year working, I became a substandard employee. Therefore, I had to leave. Not fair to colleagues if I stayed.
But now, I’m a great employee of Financial Samurai! Haha. And I’m sure you are as well.
Sam
Haha, I think I’m a pretty solid employee now!
Another aspect of what does and doesn’t work for you. You may start in a job you love and are really good at. For me, that was accounting. Then I veered into accounting management. I was OK but did not really excel at this. Then I had a series of planning and other high-level assignments coordination roles that used my skills better and I liked those very extremely well. Moral of my small story, you can try different things but you may find you’ve veered into something that doesn’t use your strengths as well because it was the “next thing” on the career path. But if that doesn’t work for you, screw the common career path and create one for yourself, just like you did Panther! That is one thing I admire about you Panther, you kept making adjustments along the way until you found what worked for you. I think you are also finding as your life circumstances are changing that you also need to change and adapt with it. Life if full of that cycle of assess, adapt, re-assess.
Thanks ORG. Really enjoy hearing your perspectives as someone who’s presumably lived much more life than I have. Agree that life is exactly like you said – assess, adapt, re-assess.
What a wonderful post. Humility is a very under-rated trait in our present world of braggadocio, but you opening up about what did not work for you and why was humble and thus helpful to others. Thank you for having the guts to be honest about what failed for you in terms of a career.
The online world is very much a world of talking yourself up. I sometimes like to show the other side.
Ahh. I’ve been following you for a while. And this was one of the exact reasons I quit my career as a recruiter to pursue a business as an independent career coach- I just wasn’t good at the corporate recruiting gig.
I found, though, about a year or two into my own business that I wasn’t a great solopreneur either! I was really good at the role of career coach, but not great at the business side of making enough business to live off it. I missed working with colleagues too.
So I went back and did a lot of soul searching to find something that would fill both. I ended up deciding to go back to find a full time career that worked for me. I ended up going to grad school but now work as a tech researcher for a company. It turns out I am a great happy employee if I like what I’m doing, and good at what I’m doing, and work for a company that treats me well.
Very grateful for all the experiences and soul searching that led to this point.
Glad to hear you’ve found something that works for you! It’s hard to admit that you maybe just aren’t good at something and to have the understanding that maybe you need to do something else. I know for me to look at myself and say, well, I tried this law thing, I sucked at it, I gotta try something else – that was not an easy thing for me to tell myself.
Kevin, I think it is hard to love any job that you aren’t world class at. But if you find one that you can be incredibly good at then you will end up loving it, because mastery creates passion. I was lucky in that I realized in my early teens what my biggest talents were and determined what college major and job would let me excel. So I did love my job, and was highly rewarded by my employers because they feared losing someone they could not easily replace. You have done the same by realizing what does and doesn’t fit your talents and preferences and becoming a very successful voice in the personal finance world. I don’t think you are at all average at this and I think that’s one reason you enjoy it.
It’s an interesting chicken and egg problem. You get good at things you love. And you love things you’re good at. If you can get lucky to find these two things, that’s pretty awesome.
Kevin, thanks for writing this post. Lately, I’ve thinking a lot about my job and potentially shifting course. I don’t think I suck at my job but I know for sure I’m not a superstar. The truth is I don’t care about being a superstar because I know what it takes… ass kissing, time from family and dealing with political bs and bureaucracy. I don’t know what the future may hold but I don’t see myself working for this company for 10 years or more. I think what you said towards the end of the article was spot on. It’s ok not to be ok, meaning that it is ok not to be a great employer. What is not ok is for your job to take a toll on your personal life, physical and more importantly your mental health. Thanks.
Glad it resonated with you. I imagine there are a lot of people like us – just average employees just getting through.
HI—How about a post about your relationship with your business partner ?
I’m sure I could write something about how this blog works. I’m the one that writes everything and then I have a friend who does all the backend for me. If you’re ever at FinCon or EconoMe, you’ll likely see us both around.