If you ask me whether it was worth quitting my job to pursue my passion, I’d say, Absolutely. Every second has been worth it. But if you’re considering quitting your job, I’d probably advise against it. Don’t even think about it unless you’re prepared to pay the price. It doesn’t matter how prepared you think you are; quitting your job could be the worst decision you ever make, or it could be the best, or maybe even both. Just like it was for me.
It was early 2021, and I had just graduated from the University of Dar es Salaam with a BSc in Meteorology in December 2020. I didn’t know where to start, but I was ambitious about my dream of owning one of the largest web services agencies in Africa. During my university years, aside from Meteorology, I invested time in learning computer programming, web design, web services, hosting, and more. I was determined to one day build my own agency, but I had no idea how to begin.
Coming from a humble background, I knew no one would hand me capital or resources, everything was on me. I was open to doing any kind of work just to make a living and, hopefully, fund my dream. And that’s exactly what happened.
One Tuesday in January 2021, I received a call from one of my former secondary school teachers. Back in 2020, during my final year at university, I had taught Math and Physics at his school. This time, he was working at a new school and invited me to interview for a role as a Mathematics teacher. Without hesitation, I agreed. Math had always been my thing. He called me in the morning, and by that same afternoon, I was there for the interview. Thankfully, I passed, and by the next week, I started my new role as Head of the Mathematics Department and Mathematics teacher.
If you ask me how I got that job, honestly, I’m not sure, maybe it was just God working His miracles on me. I wasn’t a qualified teacher and didn’t know much about teaching ethics. Sure, I had tutored students before, but I had never been a permanent teacher. It felt like a miracle. Maybe it was because I showed up for the interview. I remember being the first person there, and since they only needed one teacher, perhaps being first in line played a part in me getting the job.
In my family, teaching runs deep, my mother is a teacher, my sister is a teacher, but me? No, I never wanted to be a teacher. I’ve always had big dreams, but becoming a teacher was never one of them. I was only teaching to earn money and build capital for my real dream. I was constantly thinking about that dream. I even had a name and logo ready since 2019, Crefati, my future web services agency. But I still had no idea how to make that dream a reality. Teaching was my only option at the time to make money, and I figured that after a year or two, I’d leave the teaching world behind with enough capital to finally start Crefati.
Being a school teacher didn’t turn out the way I had planned. I imagined I could work during the day and spend my nights building my dream, but it wasn’t easy at all. I was occupied from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. It was exhausting. I was burning out every single day, and I wasn’t happy. On top of that, teaching wasn’t as simple as I thought. I wasn’t a qualified teacher—I didn’t know how to prepare lesson plans, create a scheme of work, or properly care for students. I was learning on the go, but I constantly felt like I was wasting my time.
The pay was decent, but the question I asked myself every day was, Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life? The answer was always, Hell no. Every morning, I woke up furious and frustrated about going to work. After a few months, I started making excuses to avoid being there. I would fake illness and lie just to stay away because I hated every second of it.
I had hoped to find time to work on my dreams, but I never did. Days passed, and I could feel my dreams slipping away. Yes, I needed the money, but I kept asking myself—Is this what I want to do for the next one, two, or even five years? The answer was always a resounding No.
During this time, I would listen to Sia’s songs, especially ‘Courage to Change.’ Every morning, as I woke up furious and frustrated, I played that song. I would ask myself, ‘Do I have the courage to change today?’ I was scared every single day. The job provided security, I knew I would get my paycheck at the end of the month, so I didn’t have to worry about money. But deep down, I felt lonely, scared, and angry at myself for not pursuing my dreams. I couldn’t see a future, I didn’t know where to start, and I felt trapped.
That’s when I began seriously thinking about quitting. I was considering leaving behind the job that provided me with security, the job I depended on the most, the job that at least made it seem like I was doing something. I hated myself for even thinking about quitting, not because of the idea of leaving, but because my mind had no real backup plan or strategy for starting over. I just wanted to quit without knowing where to go next.
So, I quit.
After a few months of teaching, I made the decision to resign. I wrote my resignation letter and handed it in. I remember the emotions that day, some of my students were genuinely crying because I was saying goodbye. I was also hurt to leave my students and the coworkers with whom I had started to bond. But I told myself, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t continue wasting my time here. I can’t sit idly by and watch my dreams slip away.
At that moment, I was both scared and relieved by my decision. However, in the months that followed, I was haunted by doubts and regrets. Instead of feeling liberated from a job I hated, I faced a period of deep regret. No one saw what I saw, and no one believed in me. Friends and family thought I was crazy. My father, to this day, still doesn’t understand why I left that job.
Join me in Part 2 of this story, where I’ll explore why quitting my job was the hardest, worst, and best decision I’ve ever made. Sign up to be the first to get updates or follow along for the continuation of this real-life journey.
