In part 1 and part 2 of this series, I shared some of my background and inspiration for writing, and in part 3, I unpacked the sermon that led me to a life-changing prayer. We pick up the story in the aftermath of the prayer that convinced me to take my writing seriously.

Reasoning

Rebecca and I continued praying daily about my career throughout Lent. We talked often, considering the pros and cons of writing full time and trying to find reason in the irrational direction we had begun to turn.

Here are some of the pros:

• Faith – We’d be taking one of our biggest ever steps of faith. We’d be growing our faith in God and Rebecca’s faith in me. I’d also be wrestling with my faith daily as I wrote.
• Witness – God could use this book to point people to Jesus. And for an introvert like me, who often struggles sharing his faith, this would be a great opportunity to spark meaningful conversations.
• Time – Rebecca and I would have more quality time together. I could take on a greater share of the household chores, and I’d have greater flexibility in my schedule for service opportunities.
• Creativity – I’d finally get to stop ignoring my inspiration.

Feeling good about the pros, we went to work on the cons:

• Money – We’d have less of it, significantly less. We’d have less money now, and we’d be putting away less money for the future. Down the road, even modest success as an author would be unlikely to replace the lost income. But . . . We don’t serve money, we serve God. With a few key cutbacks, we could manage on one income for the short term.
• Career – My reputation within the engineering community would diminish. Potential employers wouldn’t take me seriously after I explained the big hole in my resume. But . . . If I left my company in the right manner, they might welcome me back some day or provide me with a good reference. I’d still have many friends and colleagues in my field, so I’d know where to start looking if I returned to engineering.
• Risk – There’s no guarantee that I’d ever finish the book or that anyone would read it. Even if they did, there’s no guarantee they’d enjoy it or find it useful. I could spend a great deal of time and effort and fail to help anyone. It would be a huge risk. But . . . It would also be a huge opportunity. Taking this risk would grow us whether we succeeded or not. And if I did fall short as a writer, perhaps that experience would give me the peace of mind to reaffirm my commitment to engineering.

We noticed that most of the cons were fear-driven and worldly, whereas the pros were hopeful and better reflected our values. As Rebecca and I reasoned with each other and prayed with God, the answer I received that first night only became clearer. The next question was when:

Carving out the time to write would only become more challenging in the future. If we waited until after we had children, we’d always find excuses to push the start date further back. If we waited until our kids were grown, I might not have the mental stamina or the inspiration to write.

But if we did it now, we might just finish before Baby became a full-time job. And I could merge that giant hole in my resume with another, more easily-explained hole: stay-at-home dad. If I put my career on hold for children anyway, why not start a little early and give this writing thing a try?

The Decision

By Easter, Rebecca and I were convinced that the crazy idea to quit my job and write a book wasn’t just feasible, it was the right thing to do. Still, being risk-averse people, we set about minimizing those risks.

I used a week of vacation time as a trial run. I stayed home and read and wrote all day every day and loved every minute of it. It wasn’t easy, but with just one week of full-time work, the book started to take shape and seemed much more attainable. The more I watched and listened to that excited puppy called Inspiration, the more she ran around and performed tricks I had never expected.

At the end of the trial run, we made our final decision and braced ourselves for the dreaded aftermath.

The Aftermath

I imagined how the conversations might go when I told everyone that I was putting years of work on hold to write a book.

Stunned looks. Horrified grimaces.

“Don’t throw your life away.”

“You’re just another millennial snowflake.”

“Don’t even think of living off my daughter.”

“You’ll never work in this town again!”

Laughter. Mockery. Gossip.

Most of my ridiculous nightmares never materialized. I saw many stunned looks. But after the shock wore off, curiosity got the better of just about everyone I told. It turns out that most people like a good “following your dream” story.

My family was supportive. My friends were excited for me. My coworkers and my bosses handled my leaving better than I could have possibly hoped for. I actually felt more valuable to my company after I told them I was leaving.

Strangely enough, most people aren’t nearly as invested in our lives and judgmental about our choices as we imagine them to be. Most people can still root for us even if they have their doubts. Or maybe I’m just really fortunate in the people around me.

Two years have now passed since Rebecca and I made our decision. In that time, we’ve had our share of setbacks. But we’ve had more than our share of new joys and exciting challenges. We’ve grown closer together and closer with God, and I couldn’t ask for more.

The Story Behind the Book

So that’s the story of why I quit my job to write a book, but you may be wondering: what’s the story behind the book itself? Tune in next week for the fifth and final part of this series where I’ll give you a behind-the-scenes look at the novel worth quitting my job for.

Bonus Advice

Maybe you feel how I felt. You have a great job, but something is pulling you in a different direction. Here’s some free advice from my experience:

Be Patient but Proactive

I struggled with career discernment for a long time before choosing a different path. I have no regrets about that. Two weeks into my job, writing wasn’t even on my radar. Two years in, I still wasn’t ready to be an author. If I had lost patience and changed jobs, I’d probably still be in that second job and mulling a third. Most jobs are difficult when you first start, and patience is needed to gain a fuller perspective.

But patience does not preclude action. Be proactive by making the most of your current job, studying the potential alternatives, and taking measurable steps toward a decision.

I must admit that while patience is often a strength of mine, proactivity is not. It took numerous nudges from my wife, a rousing sermon series from my pastor, and many nights of prayer to finally get me moving.

Examine Your Motives

When you’re considering a drastic career change, it’s important to know why. Interrogate yourself:

• Why do you really want to leave your current job?
• Is there a challenging project or a difficult coworker or a demanding boss that’s making your current job seem worse than it could be?
• If you’re patient, will the situation likely improve?
• Are you well suited for your current position?
• How are you serving God in your work?
• What specifically will be better if you change jobs or careers?
• Will a different field better utilize your talents?
• What are the risks involved?
• Are they worthwhile risks?
• How will the new job better align you with your core values and priorities?
• How will you serve God in new ways?

Keep asking until you have good answers.

There will always be unknowns with a new career, but thoughtfulness ahead of time can give you greater confidence that you are making your decision for the right reasons.

Pray, Pray, then Pray some more

Prayer is one of the best ways to involve the One who has all the answers. But praying for discernment requires listening more than speaking. If I pray a quick request for guidance, then immediately open my eyes and go about my business, how can I expect to receive the answer? Even if I listen intently after praying, the answer may be a long time coming. All the stars for His solution might not align for another six months.

My advice is to pray consistently and expectantly until the answer is clear in your heart and mind. You may not be blown away with a specific prayer like I was, but God usually nudges you many times before He gives you the shove you ask for. If you pay attention to the nudges, you might know the direction to go long before I did.

Do a Trial Run

If you have the opportunity, try out your next job before you leave the current one. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to everyone, but if your dream job is free-lancing or self-employment, think of a way to test your appetite for the nitty gritty of that work.

In my case, I took a week of vacation to write full time. I tried to match that week as closely as possible to my vision of what would come next. This provided confirmation that I could handle my new job.

Had I reached the middle of that week and hit a massive writer’s block or discovered that I hated the quiet of being alone with my thoughts all day, I might have reconsidered our decision. It’s much easier to quietly reconsider before you tell the whole world your plans.

Don’t Burn any Bridges

When I left, I gave plenty of notice, I worked very hard for the remainder of my employment, I stayed in touch with my former coworkers, and I kept my license active. In other words, I attempted to keep every bridge open as I tried my hand at something new.

Some would call this a lack of faith or double-mindedness. But, in my case, God did not tell me to be a full-time writer for the rest of my life. He didn’t tell me to leave everything else behind. I believe that he simply told me to write. So, we decided to write this one book and see what amazing things He does with it.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5