Why I Quit My Graduate Job and Started Up

by Startacus Admin
From Graduate Job to starting her own business - Charlotte Nash of early stage startup Kick Campus tells us her tale...
As if by accident, I've started a business. I never thought I would be going down this route - to be honest, until about a year ago I didn't even know what a startup was. I graduated from uni this time last year and traditional careers advice never seems to include "why don't you think about starting a business?" Instead, graduates like me are washed down the funnel into the usual graduate employment without really being told about any other options (which, incidentally, is what I'm trying to change with my new business).
So when I heard about startups and this new Silicon Roundabout place I was intrigued, and it turned out that this could be what I've been searching for as a career. I liked the idea of putting my hard work in for my own thing and doing something I actually care about, rather than just going to work because I have to. We spend the majority of our time at work so why not make it doing something you really love.
There are a couple of quotes floating around at the moment that go something like this "If you don't build your own dreams, someone else will hire you to build their's" (I think this one is attributed to Tony Gaskin), and that rings true. I wasn't all that comfortable with the notion of working long hours to further my career doing something that doesn't really matter to me, a job where I can't directly see progress or any changes brought about by what I was doing. I feel like starting up puts you firmly in charge of your own career and allows you to see everything along the way, the ups and the downs - all of which are a product of your own work.
The thing that really pushed me to make the decision was something I read from Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, in a magazine. She said something along the lines of "what would you do if you weren't afraid?" and I found that really interesting. Fear is natural and is definitely necessary sometimes, but in some cases it can just hold you back when you should be taking a leap of faith.
With this mantra in mind then, I quit the job that wasn't really living up to my expectations to focus on starting up. This was probably quite a risky decision as the sensible thing to do would be start the business alongside my job, but circumstances allowed me a bit of a grace period over the summer to see if I could get something off the ground and I'm pleased to be able to dedicate my full attention to something. I remember spending time at work thinking "I wonder what it would be like to spend my day doing something I enjoy as my job". Of course right now I don't know if I'm going to succeed or not, but for now what matters is that I made the leap and am working as hard as I can to try and make it work
Starting a business isn't for everyone but I honestly think that anyone who is "umm"ing and "ahhh"ing about starting up should just go for it. If you don't, you'll regret it later thinking "I wonder what would have happened if I'd started my own business." Whether you're a graduate or someone who is in the corporate bubble, escape is possible!
Contact Charlotte via charlotte@kickcampus.com, or kick_campus on TwitterGood luck to Charlotte and all the best for Kick Campus as the business develops!
If you like this you might like From idea to largest music website in the UK the story of Simon Robinson and From idea to business launch in 3 months - We chat to Philip Crilly of Eatibbles
If you like what you see here on Startacus, why not become a member of our growing community? It's free! And you'll get all this - exclusive access to our Business Toolkit, discounts and offers galore for your business via our member only business deals, the chance to network and connect with loads of fellow self-starters, and maybe even become our celebrated 'Self-Starter of the Week' and tell the world your startup tale! Join right here for free
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
WeWALK, RNIB, and ICL consortium secures UKRI funding to improve mobility for visually impaired and elderly.

The impact of standards, ethics and conduct on business success and profits - Work.Life has some interesting insights...

The lowdown on Space32 - the startup that wants to help hybrid-working businesses find the working space and solution that's right for them.

Global Tech for Good initiative seeks innovative startups and scaleups that are creating positive social impact and enhancing people's lives through tech.

The lowdown on Bidnamic, the startup that's combining advance machine learning with human expertise to help retailers to maximise revenue and profitability from Google Shopping.

Innovative Czech fintech startup 4Trans raises investment to expand first of its type AI driven factoring services across Europe.

Edinburgh-based life science company Cytomos secures funding to support further development of its innovative cell analysis tech.

Ethical Equity and Streets Consulting join forces to deliver Founder Workshop to help close the inequality gap in startup to scaleup funding.

Fancy being featured in this year’s SmallBiz100, which showcases the best of Britain’s vibrant small business community? There's just a couple of days left to do just that!

Screenloop secures major investment to support further development of its AI-driven recruitment platform that helps companies build the best teams and removes unconscious bias.
Published on: 6th August 2013
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Assistive technology innovators and partners awarded £1.7m project funding 1st Jul 2022 WeWALK, RNIB, and ICL consortium secures UKRI funding to improve mobility for visually impaired and elderly.
- How the pandemic affected each industry 27th Jun 2022 New research from School of Marketing reveals the impact that Covid-19 has had on key business sectors in the UK.
- The Finalists of DBACE 2022 are revealed 21st Jun 2022 The lowdown on the innovative young visionaries that are in the running for this year's Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs.
- OKAPI: Orbits raises €5.5m for Breakthrough Space Traffic Management Software 13th Jun 2022 Innovative German SaaS startup OKAPI:Orbits secures investment to support its mission of securing efficient and safe operations in space.