Job Security Is A Lie
Lofty heading right? Well here goes...
One year into working my corporate job, at 22 years old, I realized this wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
But what are the options when we've put so much time and energy into something? I did all the 'right' steps. Went to high school, went to college - on a scholarship, and naturally the “next thing” ... a corporate job to hopefully make lots of money one day. Right?
But there was one major problem... I didn’t have passion for the job, the company, and really the entire industry... Data storage. I didn’t understand it and truthfully didn’t even want to.
...But "forget about that, the money & security is worth it," they say...
Actually... it's not.
We'll come back here a little later, don’t worry. But this was the start of a lot of thinking.
Eventually, all this thinking led to a search....and after countless hours of reading, speaking with mentors, I soon realized was... it wasn’t really about money, it was about happiness, fulfillment & impact.
Don't get me wrong, money is great and I still plan to make a good amount of it. But only doing things I actually enjoy.
That's how a new goal developed - to achieve financial freedom or “retire” before 30. I know, I know.... It's ridiculous right..?
And for my purpose - all financial freedom meant was - making enough money passively through investments, to cover my day-to-day cost of living. Fairly straightforward right?
So that became the new target. That was the North Star for the last 6 years.
The star that gave me the confidence to stay in when others were going out.
The star that helped me realize it was okay to not buy my 'dream' house and car at 24 and be crushed with bad debt.
The Star that helped me seek mentors and friends who love what they do and are truly happy...(plus they also just happen to make lots of money as well)...
And most importantly - the Star that helped me realize I didn’t need to do anything for people whose opinions didn’t actually matter to me.
3 weeks ago I was let go from NetApp...
Before you read further, just know this post is not a pity post or a “Can you help me get another job post.” It's more of a coming-out. 🙂
There is no next job.
There is no next boss.
There is no next forecast call. (THANK G*D)
There are only passions and projects of interest.
"Jon - are you going to start looking for another job?"
"Well....no, not exactly."
See, earlier this year, I finally achieved that financial freedom goal - but it came a little earlier than the original goal of 30 years old ... (I am 27 now).
I guess it goes like they say... aim for the stars and you likely won’t end up with a handful of dirt. 😆
When Covid hit, I saw a potential opportunity to shrink a 5-year goal down to 1. As the world paused and everything went virtual, it seemed like as good a time as ever to speed up. And more specifically, I realized this was as good a time as ever to do it in a 5-7 month window because by that time I was burned out of living the New York lifestyle in NY and I needed to get out. But also because that was how long we were told it would be before we had had to be back in the office.
I was never going back to that office, I would quit before I had to. So it was just a matter of time before I had to quit or would be fired. So I got busy! Ill be putting out a lot more content about what took place after that but....
Thanks to amazing real estate mentors, setting goals and following a plan, my current on average passive monthly cash flow is around $12,000 per month, and my net worth about 750k. (And I only say these numbers as I will be documenting everything as openly as possible the next few months to document and try to show others how to do it.)
I am proud of this small achievement but understand it's not enough to do a lot of the things we’d all probably hope to do in life. It's not enough to help people the way I want to or do things for my family the way I want to. But what that number does - is give me the freedom to do whatever I want every day.
What a mentor helped me realize was that I had it backward. He explained, "financial freedom isn't the end, it's the beginning." Meaning, now it's time to explore what you want to do with your time/life.
And please don’t get me wrong on the tone of this post. I am grateful for my corporate job and all the people I had a chance to work for/with. It shaped me into a big part of who I am. The people I had the chance to work with, partner with, and serve during my 6 years at NetApp were incredible.
It's just that I couldn't do this forever. It just wasn't for me.
If there is one takeaway from the story, it's that your hobby can be a side hustle, and that side hustle can set you free to do whatever you actually love. Do not let anyone tell you differently.
So going forward, I am no longer your NetApp guy, your corporate guy, or your button-down guy (for now at least). I’m your financial freedom through real estate guy. And here’s the funny part. It took me 6 years. But knowing what I know now, it shouldn’t take anyone reading this more than 2.
I will be posting a lot more content about how I did it and also how I think people can do it faster depending on interests, skills, and location.
Check out the video below on how I left Corporate America & achieved financial freedom at age 27!
If you have any interest in learning more or connecting:
I am happy to talk 1:1, I keep my calendar open for networking/office hours throughout the week if anyone wanted to grab a time here. Or my email is: jon@jjfhomes.co.
Facebook Group - An active community of 4,000 investors looking to achieve financial freedom in 3 years or less through passive income. Come network!
YouTube Channel - Discussing all things real estate, passive income, and behind the scene strategies day today.
Launchpad Mastermind - We will be starting a quarterly mastermind for anyone looking for behind-the-scenes step by step!
