Let me get something out of the way right off the bat. This website is not about making a lot of money, having a lot of nice things and never having to work again. The Great Office Escape is also not my model of bragging about “How I escaped the rat race and so can you.”
If you are tired of your job and sick of stressing out 9-to-5 every day while making money for someone else instead of connecting passionately with your profession, while making a difference in others’ lives then you have come to the right place.
The Great Office Escape has some great ideas and inspiration for you if you are:
- Tired of working 9-to-5 with long hours and little purpose
- Desperately seeking some freedom and space to relax and be yourself
- Sick of the consumerist lifestyle that offers promise but no real personal reward
- Looking to find a meaningful career that feels “right”
- Looking to truly make a difference in the world using your unique gifts
- Feeling alone in a world of hard-driving people who have nothing better to do than step on each others’ toes, compare cars and covet money and security
- In love with life and don’t plan on wasting it following the crowd through stale hallways and depressing cubicles
FAQ
Who is behind The Great Office Escape?
This website is a one-person show, though I have had occasional guest writers.
Who are you?
My name is Mike, and I am a self-employed web developer, designer and writer. I take a lot of pride in my work and attempt to give my clients the best experience on the web possible. (And yes, if you are interested, I would be thrilled to build a website for you!) I practice a modest lifestyle by following the practice of voluntary simplicity so that I can maximize my time to write, create, travel and embrace all life has to offer. In other words, I try to practice what I preach as much as possible!
How modest, exactly?
Well, I don’t own a house, any furniture or much more than my laptop and essentials. Getting me to buy new shoes is sometimes difficult! I live with a roommate in a beautiful home in Las Cruces, New Mexico in one of the nicest areas of town. And if you travel light, you can travel a lot!
And where have you been lately?
So far in 2009 and early 2010 I have been to Alaska (Fairbanks, Anchorage and a cruise off the coast of Seward), the Yukon, Alberta (Banff and Jasper National Parks), British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona (Phoenix and Tucson), New York (East Hampton, Albany and Manhatten), Massachussets (Framingham and Boston), Connecticut, Rhode Island, every state in the deep south (except Louisiana), Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas (Austin, Amarillo, San Antonio and El Paso). Generally I am on the road more often than I am at home.
How do you afford to travel like this? You must do very well!
That’s what The Great Office Escape is really about. I don’t trade my money for things. I also don’t work a job I despise so that I’ll make more of it. This is a prison that so many people have fallen prey to. They end up slaving away for their cars and homes, while deep down are very miserable. I’d rather make $30,000 a year as a freelance web designer than $100,000 a year as an investment banker any day. And I would argue that my lifestyle is far more interesting and “rich” than many people who DO earn over $100,000 a year!
When did you start The Great Office Escape?
I started this site as a blog in the fall of 2007 to help inspire me to a better life away from my miserable job. I was working as an administrative assistant at a financial firm and hated it. Working on this website inspired me (and some of my readers) to transform my life. I’ve come a long way in reaching my professional goals.
Is it possible to quit my day job and find a way to make a living doing something I love?
Yes!
How?
That is what I’m here for! There are plenty of resources on this site (over 100 articles) to help you:
- Find a career that will excite you and won’t put you in a desk
- Feel inspired to make major changes in your life
- Drastically reduce your consumption and save money for more meaningful experiences
- Use your natural talents and gifts for the greater good
- Reconnect with your lost inner child!
Great! When will I reach my dream job and dream life?
Remember – it’s all about the journey. As people we have such a tendency to value the end result that we often forget about the beauty of the life that is in front of us every day. Enjoy the process of connecting with yourself and “making your escape” from the old you! It can be hard work that takes months… and even years! From the date I started The Great Office Escape (July 24th, 2007) it took me almost 3 years of learning, growing and hard work to get to the place I am today. Do not expect overnight success, but know that if you keep working at it, good things can happen!
It seems like there are no careers out there for me. Can you help?
This post might help you out a bit, as a start.
Has The Great Office Escape ever gotten you in trouble with an employer?
Actually the reverse. I got a writing gig by showing off this blog last summer! The guy who hired me thought it was a very informative and funny website, even with the theme being “anti 9-to-5″! I wrote a nice piece about how important it is not to hide and to be true to yourself which explains this incident nicely.
Who designed this website?
I did. As I said, I am also a web developer and designer.
Loading ...