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[Dissident Dan]

Yep, I quit my job. I couldn't have gotten this game anywhere near complete if I did it spare time (not to mention the draconian employment terms my previous employer had regarding intellectual property). The first 6-8 months were an absolute fantasy. As money starts running out, and the game is coming to a finish, I get more an more nervous and anxious. Which is what I told myself I wouldn't be. I've said I'd be comforted by the fact that I can always get another job, but I really don't want to go down that route.

This may sound cliche, but I'd rather try and fail than fail to try. One failure is just a bump in the road. But never trying is a lifelong failure. That being said, I hope my team will achieve financial independence. I'm definitely in love with the game we've created.

I can't recommend this path to everyone, but I know it was right for me.

[Scylla]

I also quit my job, but I may have to start looking again as my kickstarter does not seem
to be going well on my game.

[Müsta Klaki]

I also quit my job, but I may have to start looking again as my kickstarter does not seem
to be going well on my game.

It looks awesome. I wanted to pledge, but I have no credit cards, I use Paypal for everything.

Why doesn't Kickstart support Paypal...? Damn you Amazon.

I wonder if Indiegogo does...? I bet a lot of people don't pledge because of no Paypal.

Anyhow, I at least voted yes on Greenlight. I'll tell my friends to as well.

Even if it doesn't Kickstart, will you still make it?

[DocLogic]

Quit my job at FedEx a few weeks ago, a recent schedule change and increase in hours was just too much stress. I wasn't able to get any work done on my game. I've been working on this game for over 2 years, and feel like its coming close to completion. Trying to do the development, marketing, and working at FedEx...man I had so much anxiety.

Now I feel fantastic, physically and mentally, and feel like its such a luxury to just wake up and work on my game.

I was thinking of doing a kickstarter, but based on the initial marketing I've tried to do, it doesn't seem to be turning any heads.I think I can survive the next couple months, and hopefully release the game this year. After that, I'm going to try and focus on getting a job in the games industry.

I wouldn't have quit if I wasn't so close to finishing the game. Otherwise, I would have just found another job.

[quisseh]

This is a fantastic thread. I'm going to have to read through all of this. I need more convincing to quit my day job.

Since graduating from college last year, I've been trying to juggle a full time developer position with my game development dreams. It's been working alright so far (I was able to get my website up and finish off a couple of brief games), but I never feel like I'm giving my games the attention they deserve. Spending late nights at the office and weeks away traveling has been getting in the way.

Someday I'll quit.

Kudos to everyone who actually took the plunge and left the comfort of a regular paycheck.

[Zanenga]

I love this!
It's good to read about people that are going through similar things to what I'm going through. 
As some on this thread, I had no job to quit. Instead I quit college and became full time indie.

Finishing my first game was a tremendous task and definitely changed my live in many ways.
I feel like the first game is the hardest one to finish, though. It gets better. Much better.
The struggle has been worrying about the financial situation of my family.

The very reason I took a dive was that I was only 21 and that my family didn't need any financial help from me. I figured that I could evolve and fail at will, protected from greater responsibilities. However, the situation changed and they need my help. I'm divided between trying to get a regular job as a game developer (kinda hard in my country) or to believe in this project to the end.

After talking to my parents, we all agreed unanimously that finishing my project is the way to go. But still... sometimes it's hard not to think about it.

But beyond that, I'm really feeling a void because no one close to me is doing something even remotely similar. That kind of isolation is kinda terryfing sometimes. As some devs on this very thread pointed out "you're your own motivation". There's no one telling you to go forward or even where to go. Most of the times I'm awesome at motivating myself, but when I'm not... it's pretty terrible.

The absence of community didn't bother me for a while, but now I was really starting to feel it.
So thank you all for sharing your stories. Reading them made my day.

[knifeySpoonie]

So I've finally done it...

After 8 years working at the Creative Assembly as an Artist then Lead Artist(Empire TW, Napoleon TW, Shogun 2 TW, Fall of the Samurai TW and Rome2 TW) I've handed in my notice And will be Indie at 5pm on my Birthday November 21st!!!

It's time for change,

So I'm setting up a small Indie studio in Brighton with another Creative Assembly guy (a Programmer) and a friend who has about 12 years experience at Rare and other studios (as an animator) and we have a Sound guy on board too. We have a project around 20-30% into development and going full-time we aim to hammer the development and get it out by summer.

We will be announcing the project as a Dev log soon we've shown a first playable (prototype)build to the Brighton Indie group and it's been well received but we want the core mechanic fully implemented before we start the dev log...

Either way it's exciting times!!!! I feel at peace right now, planning my actions, reducing my costs of living, saving as much money as possible before I finish in November.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. And I'd really appreciate any follows on my Twitter @TPickardDev as that will be my day to day communication method I feel based of research :D

[Thomas Finch]

In April I quit my full-time job as a delivery driver and became a full-time indie developer. So far it's working out really well! Moved to somewhere much cheaper and cut down costs a lot. Running a kickstarter soon so hopefully things'll work out even better.

@knifeySpoonie: Congratulations! Excited to see what you guys do!

[knifeySpoonie]

In April I quit my full-time job as a delivery driver and became a full-time indie developer. So far it's working out really well! Moved to somewhere much cheaper and cut down costs a lot. Running a kickstarter soon so hopefully things'll work out even better.

@knifeySpoonie: Congratulations! Excited to see what you guys do!

Thanks dude, it's really sinking in, we have a great support network to get contract work off and will likely be sharing an office with another cool Indie team who are more established as Indie (the pro's of networking more once that's confirmed and a deal is signed on the office space :D)

Glad to hear Indie life is going well, Ethereal is looking great! it shows what can be achieved working fulltime.. Will be looking out for the kickstarter and happy to help promote it through people I know :D

[Thomas Finch]

Thanks dude, it's really sinking in, we have a great support network to get contract work off and will likely be sharing an office with another cool Indie team who are more established as Indie (the pro's of networking more once that's confirmed and a deal is signed on the office space :D)

Glad to hear Indie life is going well, Ethereal is looking great! it shows what can be achieved working fulltime.. Will be looking out for the kickstarter and happy to help promote it through people I know :D

I'm glad you're finally getting to do what you really want to.
And thanks! I'll keep you updated.

[Sik]

Man, I should check this subforum more often o.o

Quit my job at FedEx a few weeks ago, a recent schedule change and increase in hours was just too much stress. I wasn't able to get any work done on my game. I've been working on this game for over 2 years, and feel like its coming close to completion. Trying to do the development, marketing, and working at FedEx...man I had so much anxiety.

Now I feel fantastic, physically and mentally, and feel like its such a luxury to just wake up and work on my game.

I was thinking of doing a kickstarter, but based on the initial marketing I've tried to do, it doesn't seem to be turning any heads.I think I can survive the next couple months, and hopefully release the game this year. After that, I'm going to try and focus on getting a job in the games industry.

I wouldn't have quit if I wasn't so close to finishing the game. Otherwise, I would have just found another job.

Honestly, the way you put it sounds like you'd have quit that job regardless of your game.

[Attila0413]

So I've finally done it...

After 8 years working at the Creative Assembly as an Artist then Lead Artist(Empire TW, Napoleon TW, Shogun 2 TW, Fall of the Samurai TW and Rome2 TW) I've handed in my notice And will be Indie at 5pm on my Birthday November 21st!!!

It's time for change,

So I'm setting up a small Indie studio in Brighton with another Creative Assembly guy (a Programmer) and a friend who has about 12 years experience at Rare and other studios (as an animator) and we have a Sound guy on board too. We have a project around 20-30% into development and going full-time we aim to hammer the development and get it out by summer.

We will be announcing the project as a Dev log soon we've shown a first playable (prototype)build to the Brighton Indie group and it's been well received but we want the core mechanic fully implemented before we start the dev log...

Either way it's exciting times!!!! I feel at peace right now, planning my actions, reducing my costs of living, saving as much money as possible before I finish in November.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. And I'd really appreciate any follows on my Twitter @TPickardDev as that will be my day to day communication method I feel based of research :D

Sounds great I'm going to move from London to Brighton roughly at the same time, on the end of November. Let's keep in touch and grab a beer sometime 

[knifeySpoonie]

Sounds great I'm going to move from London to Brighton roughly at the same time, on the end of November. Let's keep in touch and grab a beer sometime 

Cool If you need any advice on what areas are good to live in, or anything, feel free to ping me some PM's I'm very active in the indie/gamedev community and go to most of the drinks/events/ etc... so can reccommend those events to people

[DocLogic]

Man, I should check this subforum more often o.o

Quit my job at FedEx a few weeks ago, a recent schedule change and increase in hours was just too much stress. I wasn't able to get any work done on my game. I've been working on this game for over 2 years, and feel like its coming close to completion. Trying to do the development, marketing, and working at FedEx...man I had so much anxiety.

Now I feel fantastic, physically and mentally, and feel like its such a luxury to just wake up and work on my game.

I was thinking of doing a kickstarter, but based on the initial marketing I've tried to do, it doesn't seem to be turning any heads.I think I can survive the next couple months, and hopefully release the game this year. After that, I'm going to try and focus on getting a job in the games industry.

I wouldn't have quit if I wasn't so close to finishing the game. Otherwise, I would have just found another job.

Honestly, the way you put it sounds like you'd have quit that job regardless of your game.

True, I mean I was only working there so I could work on my game, it was never going to be a long-term career. I was really hoping to balance both until this game was completed, it's uncomfortable not having any income coming in.

[antmatrix]

I didn't I coded everyday after work until midnight.

[Interface]

I didn't I coded everyday after work until midnight.

That's where I'm at. How did it work out for you?

[Müsta Klaki]

I had no job to begin with

[Sik]

I had no job to begin with

That makes us two （・‐・)人(・‐・ )ノ

[Slader16]

I quit my job to move, and now I make games.
So... yes?

[lionfish]

I burned out hard while in the military to the point of physical ailments induced by stress.  If I didn't quit, who knows how bad I would've gotten.