Mistakes I Made Escaping The Rat Race and Giving Up the 9 to 5 🐀 🏁

A year ago I quit my job and my family packed our bags and headed to Europe in an attempt to give up the American Dream. Here's where I went wrong and the mistakes we made..
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Пікірлер: 86

  • @themaninblack1316
    @themaninblack13168 ай бұрын

    The level of determination you have for getting where you want in life never fails to inspire me.

  • @shivinunitholi2493
    @shivinunitholi24938 ай бұрын

    Truth be told - you did not go wrong anywhere. You had a rough tide and you learned a life lesson, Dorian. You've been my inspiration to pursue Tech. I wish and pray the best for you, brother.

  • @aarrynz9721

    @aarrynz9721

    8 ай бұрын

    Lol tech people getting laid off

  • @shivinunitholi2493

    @shivinunitholi2493

    8 ай бұрын

    @@aarrynz9721 Lol and this is not the first time they are. Thanks for those words of encouragement

  • @aarrynz9721

    @aarrynz9721

    8 ай бұрын

    @@shivinunitholi2493 shows how disposable this field is as you'll be just a tool to code few lines

  • @shivinunitholi2493

    @shivinunitholi2493

    8 ай бұрын

    @@aarrynz9721 show me one field that will not be disposable. I'm a 38 yr old who's seen more than one recession in my entire tenure. Have seen writers, bankers, IT folks, marketers get fired. Its all about how you adapt to the market and upskill accordingly.

  • @3Torts

    @3Torts

    4 ай бұрын

    ...chance we are moving into the 2nd Great Depression sadly@@shivinunitholi2493

  • @Michael_Kove
    @Michael_Kove8 ай бұрын

    out of so many dev youtubers nomads your message is the most relatable. As a husband and a father to 3 kids, being sole breadwinner a lot of this makes sense. Moving entire family to a new country is extremely stressful. I came to realisation... The nomad lifestyle is appealing to single young guys/girls because that's kind of what you do at that age and time. Explore. As a grown adult with family (dependent) I am looking for the BEST place to establish home base. Then travel as we wish and actually treat it as vacation. That's the plan.

  • @NickFallsFromTheRoof
    @NickFallsFromTheRoof8 ай бұрын

    I am a bit of a traveler. I have been to south east asia alone for over 9 months and I can say it really is an easy place to travel. Thailand is super super tourist friendly. Cambodia is a bit more sketchy but still safe. and vietnam is absolutely amazing and the people are great. Honestly as long as you have money nothing can really go wrong. I would say do it! I just don’t know about the whole escape the rat race thing. Maybe its because I love my job in cybersecurity but travelling gets boring after a while. You eventually just want to contribute to something bigger then just ‘’ having the best life’’. Even beautiful landscapes gets boring after a while. I used to think this was it , travelling the world is what i was placed on earth to do but it gets repetitive really quick. Maybe it is a change of mindset but today I honestly think I am happy with a 9 to 5. Seeing the working people in poor countries really helped me put things in perspective and appreciate the country i was born in (Canada) and the education I could get for cheap to get an amazing salary.

  • @DorianDevelops

    @DorianDevelops

    8 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the recommendations. We're looking at Thailand and we've heard great things about Vietnam as well. Not sure where we're going to land but we're looking forward to the adventure. As for the 9 to 5 thing I just really feel like I want to go all in on my own things. I've been broke and I've worked my way up to a 6 figure salary only problem is I have no passion for the work I do. Even after taking a role working for the public and currently building something that will serve help in a great way I just don't feel it. On the flip side I'm always excited to work on my stuff youtube or coding now that I'm back at that and building a side project. Just wondering what I can do if I focus on that stuff for a year or two fulltime. Guess we'll see what happens..

  • @clarkkentgwapo1

    @clarkkentgwapo1

    6 ай бұрын

    Cybersecurity its high paying jobs 6figure

  • @UnixGuy
    @UnixGuy8 ай бұрын

    Thanks for sharing your journey. Very helpful and I can draw a lot of similarities with my own journey as well

  • @theminimaljess
    @theminimaljess8 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for your transparency in this video! I went through a similar experience earlier this year minus the traveling but just not enough planning and preparing at all! I think it's ok to reset and take these situations as learning experiences to do better the next time. Great video!

  • @cheekychoc5132
    @cheekychoc51328 ай бұрын

    Love you bro for being so honest about your mistakes and flaws. Game changer for all those out there trying to make it or do something big.

  • @afrivox
    @afrivox8 ай бұрын

    I made a mistake of trying the digital nomad thing and I lost my contract of 7 years. I wouldn't encourage people to go with the FOMO, it is not even exciting any longer after 1 month. 😢. So I am gonna settle with a 9 to 5 or hybrid and only take the 4 weeks vacation that employers give here. Plus my daughter fractured her hand overseas, cost me 10k, still haven't been reimbursed by insurance 😢. So especially with family, better take a holiday and come back home.😂

  • @jansleyreal
    @jansleyreal7 ай бұрын

    I feel like I want to quit my job almost every week, it’s nice to see this insight you have.

  • @mcgregor8854
    @mcgregor88548 ай бұрын

    I appreciate you being so up front and honest.

  • @wouterdegruijl4303
    @wouterdegruijl43038 ай бұрын

    Dorian, I felt safer in South East Asia than in many European capitals. I'm from the Netherlands and travelled to Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, and Japan before my 27th birthday. All of them felt safe and welcoming to me. I would recommend you check out Kuala Lumpur if you ever want to go that direction again. It's modern and a lot of people speak English, but still a lot cheaper than say Japan or Europe.

  • @jacobchammai3704
    @jacobchammai37048 ай бұрын

    This is amazing, goodluck man we're all rooting for you leaving the rat race. Your videos are so raw i cant tell you how much we appreciate them. Im in a 9 5 tech job aswell and i have no idea how to escape it, its scary isnt it? Ill start looking tho, perhaps freelancing.

  • @Yohanryan
    @Yohanryan8 ай бұрын

    The level honesty is worth an appriciation. Keep up the work dorian.

  • @julius43461
    @julius434618 ай бұрын

    I totally get this. I escaped the rat race, and it's quite stressfull actually. I sometimes miss having strict deadlines and work hours. Why would anyone miss that? Because expectations of people around me were much clearer. They knew exactly when I was available and when I was not. Now, everyone expects me to dedicate my time to them, because they know that theoretically I can. Yes, I can spend couple of days doing nothing or doing whatever, but the cost of that is that I will end up being stressed out because I am not working enough on securing my position further. Every time I spend a bit more time with my kids, I ask myself am I growing complacent? Am I jeopardizing our future? Calamities are inevitable, and living a life like you "won" is a sure way to not be prepared when the next crisis comes knocking on your door. Perhaps earning billions makes one feel secure forever? I am not so sure.

  • @julius43461

    @julius43461

    8 ай бұрын

    Forgot to add that I enjoy our travels way less than I expected unfortunately, all because I feel anxious that I should be working instead.

  • @HungryNinja360
    @HungryNinja3608 ай бұрын

    Thank you for sharing your experience on leaving the 9to5 rat race. Your insight and wisdom has brought light to a lot of things other digital nomads never mention. I appreciate your honesty and your transparency.

  • @kevincheng5324
    @kevincheng53248 ай бұрын

    Thank you for being your honesty. Going somewhere completely different from the US is definitely scary. You have leaned an amazing life lesson from your choices and experiences. You might want to go on vacation for multiple places that you are interested, make a legit plan, then maybe you might be able to give up the 9 to 5 someday. The thing I love about you is your honesty and the fact that you show vulnerability. It is not easy to do especially on SNS nowadays.

  • @postedactive
    @postedactive8 ай бұрын

    I really love these videos, solid advice from experience 🙂

  • @musclemarchfitness9931
    @musclemarchfitness99318 ай бұрын

    Love your videos dude! Not an engineer, but def trying to leave the 9am-5pm as well and spend more time with the family.

  • @kao_nik1673
    @kao_nik16738 ай бұрын

    Thank you bro.very insightful and helpful.Your words are powerful and impact more people than you'll ever know.Keep it up

  • @DorianDevelops

    @DorianDevelops

    8 ай бұрын

    Thank you 🙏

  • @kao_nik1673

    @kao_nik1673

    8 ай бұрын

    Welcome.You may also find that the lands of the east will give you much peace on existence and how to piece it all together on your journey.

  • @paulq0246
    @paulq02468 ай бұрын

    Love your channel bro, you're always genuine

  • @DorianDevelops

    @DorianDevelops

    8 ай бұрын

    I appreciate that!

  • @eduardopalacios38
    @eduardopalacios388 ай бұрын

    Te sigo hace dos años y me gusta la sinceridad que pones en cada video, saludos desde Colombia!

  • @allsocialmonkey1847
    @allsocialmonkey18478 ай бұрын

    Dude, if you had an ideia on how much I resonate with your experience and how much I appreciate you bringing honesty and transparency to a platform that is more and more becoming a fake mirror of reality, you’d be proud (I guess you already are). Tks and keep going. If my view puts money in your pocket, just take it.

  • @0x007A
    @0x007A8 ай бұрын

    For long term travel as a digital nomad it seems reasonable to stay in one place for at least a month, maybe up to 3 months, especially with children to balance tourist mode with earning mode.

  • @aaronaustrie
    @aaronaustrie8 ай бұрын

    I love to watch these types of videos because they are real!

  • @mrneilrobinson9228
    @mrneilrobinson92283 ай бұрын

    I needed this video today 😄

  • @raginald7mars408
    @raginald7mars4088 ай бұрын

    … as a German Biologist - This is about emotional incompatibility With persons you are forced to be and deal with… From my own Life experience To leave a “job” may be much worse As anything we “hate” To run away from May pursue us ever stronger and more… It is the “attitude” to do something And never complain Going into any sort of “business” May wreck your life entirely Life gets ever tougher and more difficult What ever you do and try And ill get ever more tough… There is no “recipe” to follow…

  • @user-li3fb4wr2m
    @user-li3fb4wr2m8 ай бұрын

    Thanks a lot for sharing. Appreciated. Respect 🫡

  • @julius43461
    @julius434618 ай бұрын

    I love that this channel is so real. No fantasies about traveling the world and enjoying every moment of it. Then again, fantasy sells, and perhaps that could help you with escaping the rat race.

  • @afrivox

    @afrivox

    8 ай бұрын

    The rat race is inescapable, until the day you die. Even millionaire seem to still be in the race. KZreadrs are definitely in the race. Small business owners are in the race. How the heck do you plan to escape? Even the royal family seems to have joined the race😂

  • @GIGADEV690

    @GIGADEV690

    8 ай бұрын

    ​@@afrivoxYour right but the thing is that you have to enjoy the race for me traveling and wondering around the planet doesn't make sense.

  • @afrivox

    @afrivox

    8 ай бұрын

    @coder69740 exactly. Traveling an wandering is now seen as a win. But in a sense it is more of a rat race than just taking it easy. 😆 🤣

  • @InsideCorporatePlaybook
    @InsideCorporatePlaybook7 ай бұрын

    Hey Dorian, i love your personal stories. South East Asia is quite safe, if you did a good research where to stay for sure with little kids around. I would say, it's even safer than the US. So, if you have a chance, visit it next time, maybe drop your kids with your parents and have fun with your wife for a week. 😊

  • @thecomputercat8095
    @thecomputercat80958 ай бұрын

    it seems to me that even if you leave your job because you are tired of your job or burned out you still have to work for youtube so you are still under pressure to come up with content and grind to please the algorithm. I have a job that pays very well, and I am burned out but the more I look at everything that is happening is see that all of us are are dealing with these same issues, struggling with job that pay well, or struggling because we can't find a job, because of this we are all stressing and suffering and our relationships and our families suffer because of this rat race. Thank you for your video.

  • @okamichamploo
    @okamichamploo8 ай бұрын

    Yeah that sounds like too much travel. I saw a Japanese movie back in the day about a girl that traveled from town to town, would work to make about 10k USD, and then move again and repeat. It sounded like a cool idea, and maybe a restriction like that could be good in your case as well. Not necesarrilly 10k, but have some milestone you have to achieve before you can move on to the next location.

  • @damancandance1

    @damancandance1

    8 ай бұрын

    Really cool idea, what's the movie?

  • @jarrettyew
    @jarrettyew8 ай бұрын

    If you're worried about Southeast Asia, usually living in cities or tourist hotspot you would be fine. (I'm from Malaysia)

  • @13Chaos1313
    @13Chaos13138 ай бұрын

    Appreciated!

  • @W0lfytzu
    @W0lfytzu8 ай бұрын

    I believe that you treated it like you did for the first time, because you needed a vacation. You will do it again, better this time. May you escape the Rat Race! It's a good video. A reminder to anyone who wants to go on this route that you took.

  • @DorianDevelops

    @DorianDevelops

    8 ай бұрын

    Seriously considering it again. You're 100% right too! I was so burnt out and needed the vacation. This time around I will do things better!

  • @W0lfytzu

    @W0lfytzu

    8 ай бұрын

    @@DorianDevelops 💪

  • @NataleeHEALS
    @NataleeHEALS8 ай бұрын

    Crazy you did this video. I am currently in Portugal. Been here 3 weeks. Stuck here due to a stolen passport 😢 I have no plan, I was just planning to go east til I get home to Canada. I didn't think I would be in Portugal for this long, but maybe it it meant to be?

  • @kirso
    @kirso8 ай бұрын

    What surprised me the most is thinking that SEA is less safe than Europe. Honestly Asia is probably the safest continent outside of certain areas and I never felt at piece after spending 25 years in Europe. But hey, great lessons learned, I just wished you actually experienced SEA! Its totally worth it. I chickened out once as well and looking back it just puts on you a different path but you can always return :)

  • @GDScriptDude
    @GDScriptDude8 ай бұрын

    It must have been hard to do the job interviews having bailed out from the Digital Nomad idea (at least temporarily). I am thinking about the kind of questions they would ask in the interviews.

  • @Showmatic
    @Showmatic8 ай бұрын

    I know you think you gave up to soon, but IMO, I think that was the right decision considering you have young kids. The stress of it all the travel and uncertainty in addition to the stress of their parents definitely rubs off on them. It was the right decision to go back home to regroup and plan much more properly for next time.

  • @eddiejaoude
    @eddiejaoude8 ай бұрын

    See you in Europe and South East Asia! It will be awesome

  • @isorozco511
    @isorozco5118 ай бұрын

    Asia isnt going anywhere and you made a choice with kids in consideration. You can always go back, glad you’re still uploading Dorian!

  • @fintanmcgee4903
    @fintanmcgee49038 ай бұрын

    You gave it a go and you'll go again. Good first round. You'll love Asia because it'll be cheaper than Europe and you'll be more prepared. I recommend Malaysia as a good first location. Safe, cheap and a mix of the US and the East imo

  • @DorianDevelops

    @DorianDevelops

    8 ай бұрын

    Thanks! Malaysia is on our list also looking at Thailand as well. If we bounce around this time we'll do things much slower giving us more time in each location and more time for me to indie hack and make content too!

  • @fintanmcgee4903

    @fintanmcgee4903

    8 ай бұрын

    @@DorianDevelops Thailand is great too but I found it a little bit more expensive than expected. SEA is full of amazing places tbh, you'll love it all

  • @Milla768
    @Milla7682 ай бұрын

    ❤God bless you and your family

  • @jonathan.writes
    @jonathan.writes8 ай бұрын

    Buddy of mine had the same issue too, burned himself out on traveling a year through Europe and is now going back home to find a 9-5. My strategy was different, stay in 1 country for a year, set up a base in a low cost country, then continue traveling in spurts. I'm still a nomad and he's going back to the office.

  • @DorianDevelops

    @DorianDevelops

    8 ай бұрын

    Yea this is kind of the approach and adjustment my wife and I are talking about. We're planning on "settling down" somewhere really cheap or cheap enough for us to afford on my YT income and then check out some of the other areas little by little. Also giving ourselves more time (planning for a year or two to start) to make things work this time.

  • @KineticCode
    @KineticCode8 ай бұрын

    yea i think portugal + spain were a big part of staying in your comfort zone with a spanish speaking background. i bet that the language barriers in asia were a big deterrent, for next time around you can probably get some baseline knowledge in the languages of the areas you're planning to go to. when i become a father i might do something similar, just because having my kids speak multiple languages and have context of different cultures sounds like a great way to set them up for success as healthy and mindful adults

  • @tallst1
    @tallst18 ай бұрын

    I love this video. An uncomfortable reality. Works better for single people without kids. Harder when you have a family with you

  • @CaliburPANDAs
    @CaliburPANDAs8 ай бұрын

    you quit your new UX job? 😲

  • @Sat-Man-Alpha
    @Sat-Man-Alpha3 күн бұрын

    Every plan fails the moment the battle starts….😅

  • @habanerocity
    @habanerocity8 ай бұрын

    That’s why I left and decided to be based in Southeast Asia 💯

  • @lennardvirajjayasekara2484
    @lennardvirajjayasekara24848 ай бұрын

    I was wondering when you'll be speaking about this since last year

  • @koma7778
    @koma77788 ай бұрын

    Definitely biggest mistake is not going to Asia. Thailand is relatively safe.

  • @jamesbell8148
    @jamesbell81488 ай бұрын

    Being to hard on yourself the way i see it youve been in it to win it tried what many families would be too scared to try. god loves a person who tries and now you have been there and got the tee shirt :) try asia on a few weeks holiday maybe one of those golden triangle trips where you try 3 locations. Get a feel for the place then try it properly second time around

  • @reinokuma
    @reinokuma8 ай бұрын

    I’ve been trying to learn coding but I don’t if i should since In your videos you talk about the job market being bad but aren’t most jobs in a bad job market if not please let me know which jobs don’t have bad job markets

  • @Lightflames85
    @Lightflames858 ай бұрын

    I think it was for the best if you did not have a solid plan to go home. When your in it you can easily make some huge mistakes. Going home your forced to reflex witch i am not sure you would have in the moment. Maybe just leave some holes in the plan for spontinaity and a budget for said fun. If you go again then plan shit down hard no breaks (thats not planned) also max 2 things at the time.

  • @gregthomas5887
    @gregthomas58878 ай бұрын

    Is the YT earnings now > your IT salary before?

  • @MrNH718
    @MrNH7188 ай бұрын

    Classic lifestyle creep. Someone starts making more money, so they start spending more money and eventually it becomes spending more than they earn.

  • @Zzz-hr5mo
    @Zzz-hr5mo8 ай бұрын

    how will your children go to school when you are abroad?

  • @julius43461

    @julius43461

    8 ай бұрын

    You can pay for private schools in most places. Not sure if it's a great idea though, but people usually do that.

  • @big123lak
    @big123lak8 ай бұрын

    bro went to Europe wtf damn

  • @DorianDevelops

    @DorianDevelops

    8 ай бұрын

    haha yea like a year ago!

  • @Micscience
    @Micscience8 ай бұрын

    I appreciate you sharing your experience but if you step back from what you are saying I think you are kind of over doing it. There is no way a person can predict what will happen and uncertanty isn't the worst thing that can happen in fact uncertanty can make you grow. Anyways I'm glad you're living your life I hope to get there some day.

  • @ivan11h
    @ivan11h8 ай бұрын

    monies

  • @thefunson8087
    @thefunson80878 ай бұрын

    bible truth

  • @Alex-dt3nx
    @Alex-dt3nx8 ай бұрын

    Why are most Americans scared outside of US. 🤷🏾‍♂️

  • @captainAiravat
    @captainAiravat8 ай бұрын

    Brother IF you again think about to Visiting Asian Country Then Come to India. Here are 3 IT hubs. 1. Bangalore, 2. Hyderabad, 3. Pune. You may like the Community Here. I was also saying like what happened to your content but this video is like a comeback of you, The Dorian we needed. I am rooting for you. You tried something and failed a little bit but I am sure It's not a pure failure. You got your lessons and yes you lived a life of being spontaneous. Plz Make a video about all the good things in that period. You are a Good father and husband. Good luck Man!!!

  • @GIGADEV690

    @GIGADEV690

    8 ай бұрын

    Cringe