--- title: "Irrelevant Employment" id: "2329" type: "post" slug: "irrelevant-employment" published_at: "2011-06-19T17:27:52+00:00" modified_at: "2022-06-23T03:10:42+00:00" url: "https://johnpoelstra.com/irrelevant-employment/" markdown_url: "https://johnpoelstra.com/irrelevant-employment.md" excerpt: "I tripped across a few things yesterday that seemed related in one way or another. Julien Smith has a simple guide on how to quit your job in 12 easy steps. The quitting part might be easy, but the paying..." taxonomy_category: - "Productivity" --- [Skip to the content](#site-content) [John Poelstra](https://johnpoelstra.com) ### Bringing order to chaos and clarity to confusion - [One Conversation](https://johnpoelstra.com/) - [Podcast](https://johnpoelstra.com/category/podcast/) - [Coaching for Directors](https://johnpoelstra.com/coach/) - [About](https://johnpoelstra.com/about/) Toggle search field - [One Conversation](https://johnpoelstra.com/) - [Podcast](https://johnpoelstra.com/category/podcast/) - [Coaching for Directors](https://johnpoelstra.com/coach/) - [About](https://johnpoelstra.com/about/) # [Irrelevant Employment](https://johnpoelstra.com/irrelevant-employment/) [http://www.flickr.com/photos/axelhartmann/5057426733/sizes/m/in/photostream/](http://www.flickr.com/photos/axelhartmann/5057426733/sizes/m/in/photostream/) I tripped across a few things yesterday that seemed related in one way or another. Julien Smith has a *simple*guide on how to [quit your job in 12 easy steps](http://inoveryourhead.net/the-quick-12-step-guide-to-quitting-that-ing-job-you-hate/) . The quitting part might be easy, but the *paying the bills part* maybe not so much. Mitch Joel [points to an inspiring talk by Bill Taylor](http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/fast-change/) (co-founder of Fast Company magazine) about innovation and mentions Umpqua Bank (Portland, Oregon) and how it uniquely serves customers and the community. Taylor talks about the need for innovation and creativity to remain a vibrant and relevant. Last night I watched [The Company Men](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172991/) . The Company Men is a story about a company that failed to remain innovative and what happened to the people blindly following its path. It also speaks to the notion that if you make work or your company *everything*, you won’t have much if it disappears. This made me think of my friends Robin and Charlie who are grappling with what the right employment mix is in [Your Money or Your Life](http://frustratedfarmgirl.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/your-money-or-your-life/) . Innovation applies to how we live our lives and what we want our lives to be. Where is your life or company taking you? *[Image by glasseyes view via flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/axelhartmann/5057426733/in/photostream/) used under a [Creative Commons license](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/) .* #### John Poelstra John Poelstra coaches directors in finance and software. Trained through the Co-Active Training Institute, he has coached for more than 10 years, with over 520 clients and 3,150 sessions, including people at well-known Fortune 100 companies. In over 30 years of professional experience, he spent 25 in technology and finance: software testing, project management and team leadership at Red Hat and Dell/EMC, and finance as a bank auditor at Wells Fargo and a CPA at Grant Thornton. He hosts The John Poelstra Show podcast and is based in Portland, Oregon. [Author archive](https://johnpoelstra.com/author/john-poelstra/) [Author website](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-john-poelstra-show/id1130635146) June 19, 2011 [Productivity](https://johnpoelstra.com/category/productivity/) [Previous post](https://johnpoelstra.com/making-python-bugzilla-work/) [Next post](https://johnpoelstra.com/finding-the-911-memorial-at-logan-airport/) ## 1 Comment ## [Add yours](#respond) 1. [Felix Pleșoianu](http://felix.plesoianu.ro/) [June 20, 2011 at 12:41 am](https://johnpoelstra.com/irrelevant-employment/#comment-942) [Reply](#comment-942) Paying the bills is never easy since it involves, you know, *work*. But it becomes much easier once you stop thinking in terms of “my only option is a 9-to-5 job”. No it isn’t. Nor does it provide the financial security you’re probably after, except as an illusion. What does, then? No single revenue source will. So go out there and do many different things. If one fails, you should have several other options to fall back on. And please don’t feed me the “but I have a family to feed” line. What’s a family if you can’t rely on them for help in times of need? That said, cool links. And your closing question is spot-on. [Reply](#comment-942) ### 1 Pingback 1. [Five Recent Resonations | John Poelstra](http://johnpoelstra.com/2011/09/03/five-recent-resonations-3/) ### Leave a Reply [Cancel reply](/irrelevant-employment/#respond) ### John Poelstra [https://johnpoelstra.com/?attachment_id=3756](https://johnpoelstra.com/?attachment_id=3756) ### Work With Me I coach directors in finance and software who want to prioritize, delegate, and lead with clarity. 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