--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I gave up my office job and became a…" description: "\"When I gave up my office job and became a full-time professional photographer, my fortunes certainly improved markedly. We moved away from the council ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/derek-ridgers-29442_council_when-i-gave-up-my-office-job-and-became_508968.jpg" --- # When I gave up my office job and became a full-time… ![“When I gave up my office job and became a full-time professional photographer, my fortunes certainly improved markedly. We moved away from the council estate into our own house and for the first time in my life, I had a little spare money.” quote by Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/derek-ridgers-29442_council_when-i-gave-up-my-office-job-and-became_508968.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/derek-ridgers-29442_council_when-i-gave-up-my-office-job-and-became_508968.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/derek-ridgers-29442_council_when-i-gave-up-my-office-job-and-became_508968.jpg) > “When I gave up my office job and became a full-time professional photographer, my fortunes certainly improved markedly. We moved away from the council estate into our own house and for the first time in my life, I had a little spare money.” [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaving a stable job for a passion can lead to financial and personal growth, though it involves risk and hard work. **In simple terms:** Pursuing passion can improve life and finances. Key Takeaway Take calculated risks to follow your passion. Themes career change financial independence personal growth Mood hopeful determined optimistic Type inspirational motivational When to use this quote - starting a freelance business - investing in equipment - budgeting after income change Key Concepts risk management entrepreneurship creative fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What risks are you willing to take for your passion? - How will you sustain income during transition? A Different Perspective Success may depend on timing, market demand, and support networks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Council](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/council/) [Council estates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/council-estates-38402/) [Estates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/estates/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/) [Fortunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortunes/) [Gave Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-office-4318099/) [Gave up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-up/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Moved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moved/) [Moved Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moved-away-427768/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Office jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office-jobs/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photographer Fortunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer-fortunes-4318098/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Professional photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional-photographer/) [Spare Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spare-money-1400602/) [Spares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spares/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [The Great Commission will not be fulfilled with our spare time or spare money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kim/the-great-commission-will-not-be-fulfilled-with-our-spare-time-or/) [David Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kim/) > [I'm a Conservative, but I talk for the ordinary working classes. I get on with the boys at the pub, but I can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-jones/i-m-a-conservative-but-i-talk-for-the-ordinary-working-classes-i-get/) [Vinnie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-jones/) > [It's still one of the proudest moments in my career boxing at Madison Square Garden. Some fighters who have won titles and championships have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-hatton/it-s-still-one-of-the-proudest-moments-in-my-career-boxing-at-madison/) [Ricky Hatton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-hatton/) > [The ancillary aspect of every British city now is the council estate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/the-ancillary-aspect-of-every-british-city-now-is-the-council-estate/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [Whether you come from a council estate or a country estate, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/whether-you-come-from-a-council-estate-or-a-country-estate-your/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [Oasis can't be summed up in one word. I could do a sentence: Boys from council estate made it very, very big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/oasis-can-t-be-summed-up-in-one-word-i-could-do-a-sentence-boys-from/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [I was well brought up, my parents are still together. I lived in a council estate, but I don't anymore; I saw my parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinie-tempah/i-was-well-brought-up-my-parents-are-still-together-i-lived-in-a/) [Tinie Tempah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinie-tempah/) > [Michael Gove is the right leader for the country ... He can speak out to the aspirational underdog in our society, the kid from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-raab/michael-gove-is-the-right-leader-for-the-country-he-can-speak-out-to/) [Dominic Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-raab/) > [Financial firms are sending their back-office jobs overseas. But what do fine artists do? They create something new, unexpected, and delightful that changes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/financial-firms-are-sending-their-back-office-jobs-overseas-but-what/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [It’s much harder for me... I think it’s different when you have an office job, because it’s routine and, you know, you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/it-s-much-harder-for-me-i-think-it-s-different-when-you-have-an/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [The day I feel like I'm at an office job is the day I'll quit performing in front of a camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-grey/the-day-i-feel-like-i-m-at-an-office-job-is-the-day-i-ll-quit/) [Sasha Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-grey/) > [When I was working office jobs, I was going on Facebook all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-rogowsky/when-i-was-working-office-jobs-i-was-going-on-facebook-all-the-time/) [Scott Rogowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-rogowsky/) > [Working from home meant we could vary snack and coffee breaks, change our desks or view, goof off, drink on the job, even spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/working-from-home-meant-we-could-vary-snack-and-coffee-breaks-change/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [As a black, you find you have to be two or three times better than a white even to play. And when it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-robinson/as-a-black-you-find-you-have-to-be-two-or-three-times-better-than-a/) [Frank Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-robinson/) > [“I imagined more than office jobs. - Gretchen Vitamvas”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-fershleiser/i-imagined-more-than-office-jobs-gretchen-vitamvas/) [Rachel Fershleiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-fershleiser/) ## More by Derek Ridgers > [I started out, in the mid-'70s, taking photographs of rock bands that I liked but not because I really wanted to photograph them. Initially,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/i-started-out-in-the-mid-70s-taking-photographs-of-rock-bands-that-i/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [That's one of the wonderful things about the whole process of photography - eye contact can be very revealing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/that-s-one-of-the-wonderful-things-about-the-whole-process-of/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [The reason why so many of my photographs in the book were taken in stairwells and corridors was that that was the only bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/the-reason-why-so-many-of-my-photographs-in-the-book-were-taken-in/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [Anyway, the fetish crowd, compared to some of the people that hung out with the skinheads, was all pussycats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/anyway-the-fetish-crowd-compared-to-some-of-the-people-that-hung-out/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [My parents, though very loving, were not what one would ever describe as outgoing and therefore when I was young I was quite shy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/my-parents-though-very-loving-were-not-what-one-would-ever-describe/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [When I was starting, I was very much influenced by the straight up, eyes to camera style of August Sander. He is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/when-i-was-starting-i-was-very-much-influenced-by-the-straight-up/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [Once I became a photographer, it stopped me being scared or intimidated by gangs of young men of whatever stripe. Initially, I could hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/once-i-became-a-photographer-it-stopped-me-being-scared-or/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [The big downside to the global village that the Internet has created is that nothing has time to grow out of the public gaze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/the-big-downside-to-the-global-village-that-the-internet-has-created/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [Nowadays everyone has a camera and the Internet means everything is instantly accessible. Unlike some photographers, I don't see this as a problem. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/nowadays-everyone-has-a-camera-and-the-internet-means-everything-is/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [Things are very different now because a lot of those little clubs don't exist. In Soho for instance, where nearly half my nightlife photographs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/things-are-very-different-now-because-a-lot-of-those-little-clubs-don/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [Many nightclubs from this era were very loud and very dark. Plus some of the best ones were incredibly crowded. To begin with, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/many-nightclubs-from-this-era-were-very-loud-and-very-dark-plus-some/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [I went from being an underpaid ad man to quite a successful photographer in a very short time. Success breeds confidence and as soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/i-went-from-being-an-underpaid-ad-man-to-quite-a-successful/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [It's more about subtracting every single buck from the tourists that still flock there. Gentrification and the need for developers to maximize their profits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/it-s-more-about-subtracting-every-single-buck-from-the-tourists-that/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [Only a very small proportion of us take those excesses with us into later life. In the age before everyone had a camera, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/only-a-very-small-proportion-of-us-take-those-excesses-with-us-into/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) > [To me, the counterculture was always what I grew up with the hippies in the late '60s. But, however you define it, it's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-ridgers/to-me-the-counterculture-was-always-what-i-grew-up-with-the-hippies/) [Derek Ridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) [Explore all 18 Derek Ridgers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-ridgers/) ## More Council quotes > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) [James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/) > [There is not a revolution that succe Women are suffering because they are being excluded. The high military council excluded women from the committee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/there-is-not-a-revolution-that-succe-women-are-suffering-because-they/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [The Cheney team had, for example, technological supremacy over the National Security Council staff. That is to say, they could read their e-mails. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wilkerson/the-cheney-team-had-for-example-technological-supremacy-over-the/) [Lawrence Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wilkerson/) > [Currently, the United States provides 22 percent of the U.N. annual budgets, over $900 million in fiscal year 2007, and some of that funding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mccaul/currently-the-united-states-provides-22-percent-of-the-u-n-annual/) [Michael McCaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mccaul/) > [But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-blix/but-i-would-say-if-the-security-council-is-only-relevant-if-it-agrees/) [Hans Blix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-blix/) > [The purposes of the United States should not be doubted. 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It says all necessary measures to be taken to protect civilians and civilian areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/well-the-u-n-security-council-resolution-1973-is-very-clear-it-says/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [A nation has the right to defend itself, but when it comes to the broader issue of peace and security, the legitimacy rests only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/a-nation-has-the-right-to-defend-itself-but-when-it-comes-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [When I was council president I had a rule that people could sleep on the job. I modified the rule. You could actually sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-street/when-i-was-council-president-i-had-a-rule-that-people-could-sleep-on/) [John F. Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-street/) > [Spiritual leaders are not made by man, nor any combination of men. 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