The Pathless Path: A call to action to quit your desk job

January 7, 2025 | Books, Social Sciences

In the Roadless RoadPaul Millerd stated that life should be more than just work, and that people should invest more time and effort to find their true calling – a calling that is more interesting and fulfilling than a day job.

When Millerd’s corporate consulting career was disrupted by health problems, he gained a new outlook on life. He left New York and spent time in Asia, first working as a freelance consultant before developing online training courses and writing more. As a result, he found himself in a much happier place.

He argues that too many people follow the default path, where regular raises and promotions make it easy to continue in an unsatisfying career and silence the voices that question your happiness. With adequate coping strategies, Millerd says people can tolerate continued suffering almost indefinitely.

But if not that, then what else? Roadless Road encourages readers to discover what they would be like if they were not just workers. By identifying what you love, you can work backwards to build a life based on that – ideally a life that makes you happier and provides better service to the people and community around you.

This is inspiring stuff. I often daydream about a future where I can make a living from software-as-a-service projects, this blog, or other creative endeavors. I believe I would wake up with more motivation every day if I was given agency and the freedom to focus on what I care about.

Millerd argues that freedom already exists, but few actually recognize or take advantage of it. However, Roadless Road almost ignoring the biggest factor that drives most people to work at their desks for 40 hours per week – money.

When the author left his corporate job, he managed to earn an income through freelance consulting and moved to Taiwan, where the cost of living is lower. He does mention that those on the path of no return must learn to view money differently, but his biggest obstacle in the book seems to be the fear of embarrassing himself, rather than the fear of becoming completely broke.

I had a family to support and a mortgage to pay, and if I left my traditional career, I wasn’t sure I could get enough customers to not drain my savings and be forced to move back home. rat race. Of course, I might be surprised if I ever tried, but it feels like holding down a decent nine-to-five job is a necessary sacrifice to ensure long-term stability.

Because of that, Roadless Road was more of an escapist read – something philosophically interesting that I’d like to try if the mortgage was paid off, I somehow came up with a decent amount of money, or a side project gained momentum, but it didn’t. provides a practical path from A to B for me.

3/5