So, this is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to do in my life so far, but yesterday afternoon, I submitted my two-week resignation notice at Yahoo!. My last day will be Friday, January 26th. I’m going to be working as a full-time consultant for a start-up Internet company based out of Vancouver, Canada. I’ll still be in California for the time being, but if things go well once April comes around… well, let’s just say I’ll be learning how to convert Fahrenheit into Celsius really, really soon. (The company in Canada will get its own future blog post soon enough.)
Leaving a company like Yahoo! after three and a half years of working here is never easy; I’ve made, literally, hundreds of friends; brilliant and talented Yahoo! employees and the passionate people I have interacted with through Yahoo! 360. So why am I leaving? All the drama Yahoo!’s had in the news? More money? Peanut Butter?
Actually, it’s the combination of a lot of things. But the kicker? Personal growth. No, seriously.
About two years ago, I wrote this on my blog regarding my work on the yet-to-be-released Yahoo! 360:
Regarding [Yahoo! 360], there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and even if this project falls on its face and fails miserably (which I hope it doesn’t do, of course) I think I’ve realized that I can be passionate about something that doesn’t involve pop culture or making fun of episodes of Entertainment Tonight. And it might be naive of me, but I’m hoping something good does come out of this in one way or another – whether it’s directly from the project I’m working on or what I’ve learned about myself from it. I’m paying my dues, so to speak.
According to an article by the New York Times, the public is to believe that Yahoo! 360 did, indeed, fall on its face, which I have a response to, but won’t post here. None the less, I’ve learned a LOT being on 360: about community, about programming, about myself.
But here’s the deal: I’ve lived in the Bay Area my entire life. I grew up near Berkeley, went to college an hour from there, and because the industry that I work in just happens to be in the Bay Area, I lived here too. My parents helped me buy a condo ten minutes from their house, and in 10-20 years, it’s expected that I will be taking care of them. My life can very easily be laid out in front of me, no exaggeration, for the rest of my life.
And I don’t want that. I don’t want to be 45 and look back and say, “I sure wish I didn’t play things so safe.” I’m young and I’m not tied down in a serious relationship right now, for better or for worse. “Safe” is the last thing I really want to be doing. So I’m going to take a huge risk, go for it, and if things don’t happen the way I expect it to, personally and/or professionally… well, I’ll figure it out from there.
Until then, I’ll see you on the flip side. Wish me luck.
New reader here . . . congratulations and great luck to you! I appreciated this post and could relate to having your life laid out and chosing to do something different. Good for you!
a startup? you’re leaving an awesomely big corporation to work at a startup? what an irresponsible thing to do!!! Put your head down, program the next smallish feature for Yahoo!360, make shareholders richer, and live in Fremont for the rest of your life. YES!!!
change rocks.
Good luck, eh?
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
This is because your dad is living with you, right?
hehehe, hope this turns out to be a great kick-in-the-pants for you!
*snif*
A good move, Ernie, I believe. The very best of luck.
Best of luck to you, Ernie. Our loss, Canada’s gain. Vancouver is loveliest city in North America.
Good luck Ernie.
Buena suerte! I’m with you – sometimes, you just need to shake things up and do something that isn’t 100% guaranteed. And besides, Vancouver is supposed to be stunning – not like you’d be moving to somewhere godforsaken.
When you move, did you want me to fly over into Vancouver to paint your apartment again? ;-P
Wow. Something’s in the air… Good luck, Ern.
Dude,
Thanks for making my interview at Yahoo! all the more fun, and being someone who I thought I knew (“You know, I think I’ve seen you somewhere before..”) – but didn’t remember until after I got home and saw your blog.
Take it from a Canadian (born and raised in Vancouver) – you’ll like it.
Congrats! You’ll love it in Vangroovy.
so proud of you!! i’m in vancouver 2x a year… let’s meet for coffee!
Good luck Ernie, I’m sure you’ll have a blast! I’ve read your blog for years now and while I’ve never commented much or contacted you, I just wanted to say that I’m really proud of the progress you have made over the past few years. HAVE FUN!!
I wish you the best of luck, ernie! Change is good.
Best of luck, Ernie. I’ve been reading you for years now and I hope this is good for you. You seem like a good person and I hope this is a great opportunity for you to spread your wings.
Another new reader here – hello. Came to you from the warm recommendation you get in the Rough Guide to Blogging book… It’s always strengthening for the soul to hear about other people being brave! I wish you all the best. Remember : LEAP, AND THE NET WILL APPEAR.
Good luck Ernie! I ran away from home at 21 and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I’ve only been to Vancouver once but I loved it. It had a very SF feel, only cheaper. Great food, too.
Just a Canuck lurker here. I think we can say trading Yahoo Flickr for you seems fair.
Hope you last your first Vancouver winter!
Well said, Ernie. Best of luck, mate.
[...] Now that I’ve made the announcement that I’m leaving Yahoo!, I think it’s about time to talk about where I’ll be working, complete with embarrassing interview-related story. [...]
Congratulations, and good luck.
Dude.
[everything else has been said already, so I'll just leave it at that...
]
Congrats! Stay in touch. Hope you have a couch to sleep on – I want to visit Vancouver – never been there before.
Wish you boatloads of luck for your brave new start. Hope Canada is good to you.
Or else!
Big congrats.
I live in Vancouver….it’s a great place to live.
Congrats, Ernie, for taking the plunge and following your interests and dreams! Looking forward to reading about your new adventures.
Never been to Vancouver myself, but am going there next month for Northern Voice.
[...] Ernie leaves Yahoo, Jeremy is not surpirsed that Ben left Citizen Agency, [...]
Congratulations on what must have been a challenging decision.
Your boldness serves as inspiration and a good example to anyone who might be feeling trapped by fate.
And what Glenda said. You will be missed.
Hope to see you at Web Directions North.
Leaving? But I hear that next year’s founder’s holiday gift is going to be a Bentley Continental GT…
Anyway, congrats on the startup. It’ll be a different kind of fun for sure.
As Y! employee i know it’s hard to leave Y!, as i work in the same business unit as you today.
Maybe you’ve heard about a french 2.0 direct marketing campaign sent to Brad
Last year, i’ve tried (based in france) to work on Y! 360 to share on the product strategy but i was to young to understand that i should have call you (US guys) directly…
Maybe you’ll be interested by this post :
http://gregorytalon.blogspot.com/2007/01/myspaces-approach-of-value-chain.html
It will be cool if we keep in touch!
Greg
just please don’t have a karaoke party, ok? thanks. and welcome to getting OUT of california. it’s a beautiful world out here.
*sigh* it seems like just yesterday that i was reading about you starting at yahoo… good luck with the new gig!
Sorry this is ten days late and a dollar short, but I know exactly how you feel. I was there 4 years ago when I lived back in Indy. I went to college out of state, but it was only 3 hours away from the homestead. Other than that, all I knew was Indiana.
After I got that first apartment, a decent job, and the life I was supposed to always want, I realized that I didn’t want it anymore. All I saw was a life of predictability. And like you, I didn’t want to wake up one day when I was 45 and think, “Is that all there is?”
In 2004, with $600 in my checking account and my most valued possessions in tow, I moved 2,000 miles away to a city where the only person I knew was an estranged uncle who didn’t want my ass there in the first place. It’s been rough, but I hope you have an easier relocation than I did. As a matter of fact, with your circle of friends, I’m sure you will. Good luck, Ernie.
Good luck!
Welcome to Vancouver Ernie!
I have been reading you for years and am happy to welcome you to Vancouver.
[...] A couple of months ago, I had written a blog post where I had announced I was leaving Yahoo! to pursue an opportunity in Vancouver. Maybe if this website wasn’t so public I would go into some of the details; instead, I’ll simply say that lessons were learned, photos of myself sitting alone in restaurants were taken. Once it became obvious that I wouldn’t be moving to Vancouver any time soon, there was a lot of moments working from Internet cafes and watching television at home. (Did you know Bob Barker isn’t on The Price is Right anymore? Or that Rosie O’Donnell was once on The View? I KNOW!) [...]
[...] Two weeks ago it can be easily explained; I was at the SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas. And while that in itself could be a separate post, last Friday was also my last day at Yahoo!. Yes, again. [...]