Turning Down a Job in a Shaky Economy

I had some great experiences this summer. I spent a few weeks working for a web company and the remainder of my summer working for a consulting firm. I also raised funding for my own startup and officially launched the business. That brings me to the point of my post, which is that I turned down a solid job during the worst economy I've seen in my lifetime. Technically, I actually turned it down before they could give it to me. Sure, I might be crazy. But I'll tell you what happened.

During the summer, I was presented with a tremendous opportunity to pursue my dream of building a business. It was an opportunity that might never resurface and it was a perfect time to turn my ideas into a living, breathing company. That being said, I decided that I would not accept a job offer from the consulting firm even if I got one. So it wasn't useful for anybody, including myself, my fellow interns, and the firm, for me to be in the pool of applicants anymore. This was not the case when I signed up for the internship in February. But given where I stood in August, I wanted to be open and honest. I explained that I had decided to pursue something else and, given the situation, I felt it was right to leave the job offers for those who really wanted them.

Perhaps my actions were unnecessary. It always feels good to get a job offer and companies don't want to be turned down. But the firm took it surprisingly well, expressed appreciation for my candor, and said that we could stay in touch (especially if my company took a nose dive and I was suddenly on the job market again). Sometimes you have to push your ego aside and do what feels right.

Of course there's the other issue. We're in a very shaky economy, entering a time of uncertainty, and I turned down a solid job. I have a wife, a dog, and in a few years will probably have kids, all of which are reasons to have a stable income and reliable cash flows. But instead I decided to take the home run swing, chase I what I love, and see what happens. I guess that's the spirit of an entrepreneur.

You can also read about Keith on his personal site, Keith Cowing: The Journey of Entrepreneurship