Cubicle Escape In Progress
Mar

This is a guest post from Caleb Wojcik at PocketChanged.com
When I graduated college three years ago I thought I was doing the right thing by moving across the country and getting a desk job. I figured I “had it made” and now I just had to work until I was 65 so that I could retire.
I had always believed that the safe choice was always the right choice. Boy was I wrong. Despite the fact that my company compensates me well and I am treated with respect, I have always known that this career path isn’t for me.
The Grind
My passions don’t lie with my day job. They are aligned with helping other people do what they have always dreamt of doing, but for whatever reason I haven’t.
My 9 to 5 grind does not fulfill my passion. The countless meetings, emails, paperwork and corporate red tape are not what I want to spend the best years of my life dealing with. I am grateful to my company for the position that I have and I don’t take it for granted, but I recently made the decision to do something about defining my own future.
For the time being I still put in the required effort that my job entails. I put in long hours during the busy seasons, volunteer for additional work and genuinely cherish the relationships I develop with my coworkers. I don’t know of any other way to work than to keep at it.
It’s what I have done outside of work that has helped me escape the grind.
I used to come home from work and head straight to my couch. I would watch TV, play a video game or aimlessly wander around the Internet. This was time I spent to “unwind”.
I had always heard that it was normal to do this each day after work so I thought nothing of it. It only took about a month for me to tire of this same routine, so I enrolled in a twenty month long weeknight MBA program. A main reason was just for something productive to do with my time.
Another Dead End
Fast forward two years and I got another diploma. I wasn’t expecting a parade in my honor or anything, but deep down I thought a master’s degree would have the same impact on my life as the bachelor’s degree did. Literally nothing changed at work or for my career. It made me think to myself, what was all that effort really for?
It was at this point that I realized that a company is not going to watch out for me, see my talents, give me a challenging environment and promote my growth professionally. I don’t want to stick it to the man per say, as that guy has been pretty giving to me so far.
What I do want is to be the man. I want to be my own boss, make my own agenda, work when and where I want and work on the things that interest me most. It amazes me that this thought never crossed my mind in college.
It’s a constant struggle to put 110% into the job when it doesn’t fulfill my dreams of what I want to do with my life. Everyday it gets a little bit tougher to get out of bed, drive the commute and tell myself that everything is okay.
I know that I need to escape eventually for my own sanity, but how am I going to do it? The only way is by looking within.
Great Escape
I spent some time outside of work really thinking about where my passions could be used. I had developed a strong fascination for personal finance and development blogs. I mapped out what my own first few months of posts would be and really focused on my message.
One morning I woke up before work, wrote my future ‘Why I Write‘ page and bought my domain. Two weeks later I formally launched Pocket Changed.
My goal is to interact with readers that want to change their lives just like I have and am continually trying to. I want to help people get out of debt, build an escape fund and follow their dreams.
Through my writing and sharing my journey with others, I plan to fund my own escape. I would rather enjoy my work and make less money doing what I love than work a job that doesn’t align with my life’s passions.
I hope to be back at Ending the Grind in the near future writing a success story from the other side of the fence having helped countless people change their lives and built a sustainable business in the meantime.
Caleb Wojcik writes at Pocket Changed and is working to change how people handle their money, view their work and follow their life’s passions. Follow him on Twitter @calebwojcik.

Caleb Wojcik
Thank you Steve for the opportunity to guest post and tell my story of how I’m working to end the grind.
I look forward to connecting with fellow grinders and building businesses and lives we enjoy more than our current ones.
Thanks again!
Steve
Caleb,
I appreciate you sharing your story with us. You have a lot of good things going for you and I have no doubt that you will be successful online. I’m glad I will be able to watch your blog grow into a thriving business.
Caleb Wojcik
Thanks Steve! I look forward to not only seeing your blog grow but also help you achieve that growth.
Let me know anytime you need help with anything.
Patricia@lavender-oil
Hi Caleb
Thanks for sharing your journey with us. Great that your journey to your future has begun.
My blogging began seriously in June/July 2010. Although there have been bumps in the road, it’s good to be working towards my goal of a successful business.
Have met some amazing people along the way who are cheering me on. They also help with any tasks that I find difficult or am just learning about. And some have become dear friends.
Patricia Perth Australia
Caleb Wojcik
I agree that relationships are one of the most important parts to keep me motivated towards achieving my goals for my website and business.
Going at it alone may seem like the write thing to do, but in the end you will have spent more energy on things that don’t matter as much. When you work with others to bounce ideas off one another, collaborate on projects and give feedback you are much more likely to succeed.
Good luck on your journey Patricia!
Harriet`
When I read the title of this blog I actually thought you’d been jumping over the side of your cubicle at work!
Caleb Wojcik
Haha Harriet. No cubicle jumping took place.
The walls of my cubicle at work are a bit lower than in the picture though, so if attempted it would be a little less dangerous…
Debbie Beardsley
Reading posts like this one is very inspirational! Thank you for sharing your journey and I too look forward to reading more about it.
Caleb Wojcik
Of course Debbie! Thank you for the kind words.
Leah | Smart Goals for 20-somethings
Hi Caleb (and Steve)- I totally relate to this post because that’s how I’m living my life right now. I’m looking for small but significant things to change in my life so I can free up time to focus on my passions. I find it’s overwhelming to do too much change at once (although others have managed and have succeeded). I want to prevent the “crash and burn” outcome. I wish you all the success and look forward to reading inspiring stories on your website. Of course I’ll continue to follow Steve’s too. 🙂
Caleb Wojcik
Thanks Leah!
I’m a firm believe in taking baby steps too. Trying to accomplish too much in a short period of time is a good recipe for quitting.
By breaking a major life change into multiple stages it can be accomplished.
Steve
Thanks Leah,
Getting overwhelmed is a huge problem for many, including me. When we decide to change our lives, we get a whole new set of goals and a neverending supply of to-do’s. Breaking then down into manageable bits is a smart way to aviod getting blown out.
Timo Kiander
Caleb,
Thank you for the great post!
It’s all about taking responsibility of our own future.
Many people won’t do anything about it. They just keep complaining and blaming everyone else of their conditions. On the other hand, once you realize that you have all the keys to your success and you start taking action, you start to move towards the future you want.
Looking forward to hear your story once you managed to move to the other side of the fence 🙂
Cheers,
Timo
Caleb Wojcik
I agree. We need to be accountable for what our lives have become, even if we have been dealt a less than ideal hand.
And don’t worry, I’ll be sure to share my story once the grass is greener. 🙂
Josef
I couldn’t agree more with this post. I came from a small town and could not wait to move to the big city and get a high paying office job and just hang out and go to the lake on the weekend. This is how my teachers and family thought life should be for everyone. Nobody talked about getting their own business or being independent.
I worked at a few crappy jobs while attending school during evening and weekends. I got a got job and soon was making very good money. I got a house, dog and was soon married. Now I seem to have less money than I did when I was going to school and life is more complicated.
Now I’m trying to escape the rat race and build a different future for myself.
Caleb Wojcik
I’m also from a small town and just assumed the fast life in a high paying job was what I wanted. I figured that was what I was supposed to do.
I don’t regret the choices I made, but knowing what I do now I would have definitely spent more time making the decision than I did.
Josef
I don’t regret my decisions either. Years down the road, much like yourself, I realized its not everything I dreamed it would be. But that’s life I guess..
Lieza
It’s good to know that there are still some people like you who give importance to your work even if it pays you a not-so-much amount of money. Working in line with your passion greatly satisfies you because of your willingness to do it. Then you’d realize that the money paid to you would be just like a bonus. I hope people like you will double up and change the world. It may not be about the salary but the choice of work and their love for it matters the MOST. Thanks for the sharing Caleb!
Caleb Wojcik
That’s exactly why I do it Lieza, I enjoy helping others and it feels less like work than my day job because I am so passionate about it. 🙂
Lieza
I hope I’ll be working with people with that kind of attitude in the future. I am so passionate also that I still think of the betterment of other people than what I have. It’s good to work on a place where passion is alive and no one’s gonna complain of what he/she hadn’t. Great attitude Caleb!
Caleb Wojcik
Thanks Lieza. 🙂