45-year-old man quits job at Microsoft after 23 years because he wanted to… (HT Tech)

Imagine walking away from a stable 23-year career at Microsoft to start over at 45. That’s exactly what Joseph Landes did. Now the co-founder of Nerdio, a cloud computing and IT management startup, Landes shared his bold career pivot—and the hard-earned lessons that came with it—in an essay for Business Insider.

Joseph, in his essay, said that he worked with Microsoft for over 23 years, working until several job titles. In 2018, he quit his reputable job and founded his own startup company, named Nerdio. As he runs a successful business with partner Vadim Vladimirskiy, he shared 3 key lessons after leaving a secure job and co-found a company, starting a professional journey from scratch.

According to Business Insider’s essay, Joseph Landes left his 23-year-old job at Microsoft at the age of 45 to build his own company. Landes met his partner, Vadim Vladimirskiy, at the Microsoft Inspire conference, sharing a similar interest in building their own startup. In just 2 years, they co-founded Nerdio in 2020, which now helps simplify cloud computing and IT automation for Microsoft customers. One way or another, Lands is still closely working with Microsoft, but not as an employee, as a partner. Here are three key lessons Landes shared during his journey:

1. Building strong relationships is crucial: In the report, Landes highlighted that his relationship with his colleagues at Microsoft was quite strong. He highlighted that he left the company in a great shape, and with a big smile. Landes said, “I still leverage many of the relationships I built today, and I knew I wanted to be able to return to the company if I decided to.” He highlighted that staying in touch with people could bring opportunities to work in the future.
2. Budget planning: The first thing one should ask before taking a big step forward is to consider if “I can afford to do this?” Landes highlighted that he created a spreadsheet listing all his major expenses. This helped him plan for his future and the new company. Hence, planning a budget could help stay prepared for financial uncertainties.
3. Take risks: Landes left his job at Microsoft when he was 45 years old. He highlighted that being closer to the end of your career and having plenty of responsibilities was quite a big move. He said, “When you’re younger, there’s usually less risk.” It’s all about taking risks and starting something fresh, even if you are in a place or building something entirely new.