I Quit Corporate to Explore Stuff (And My Teammates Are at FAANG Now)

Two years ago, I made a decision that still keeps me up at night sometimes. I quit my corporate job to build and explore.

Why? Because I saw i could learn and explore a lot of ideas and wanted to jump on them. The problem? I didn't have the skills necessary to accomplish these goals. I was too stubborn, too close to new ideas, too eager to explore without a plan.

While I was exploring on my own, doing project after project in my room in Peru, my teammates were growing their careers. They were getting jobs at big companies. Google. AWS. The places I thought I will be in.

Now I feel a little sad because I can see I could have followed their path. I could be working at Google right now, with a visa, with the resources to move anywhere, to be where the AI action is happening.

But I also feel something else.

Exploring on my own made me confident I can do a lot of things - not just on the computer side, but in other aspects of life. I can build whatever I want. I can see a problem and just... solve it. No approval needed. No frameworks. No supervision in unexplored territory.

Before, I was building in my own silo. Now I'm making content to share what I do. Partly because I want to share my experience. Partly because content can cover my living if it gets traction.

The most important lesson I learned? Follow your heart, but intelligently.

Before, I just followed my heart in the most crazy way. See something interesting? Do it. That's it. No planning. No strategy. Just pure exploration.

But now there's no time to waste. Things are urgent. The AI transition is happening fast. So I need to do it strategically.

My message to anyone considering the leap: Don't go crazy with your ideas, but don't stay safe either.

Explore with a plan.