Now That I’m Free, What Should I Do?

After years of slogging through to pay off pre-divorce debt, I’m near the end of that dark tunnel.  My rent is cheap.  Student load payment is cheap.  Four payments left on the car.  Reasonable amount in savings.  Child support is a bit of change, but it is what is.  I love my kids.

I’m free.

I was going to buy a house I could afford, but realized it was more than I wanted to pay.  I worked hard to get to my freedom.  I don’t want to give it up that easy.

I’m at crossroads.  Ahead of me are many possibilities.  Which one do I take?

Ahead, I can stay with my current employer.  Small company with potential.  I’ve been consulting for almost two years and he wants to bring me on full time.  But I’m not happy.  Oh I love the work.  It’s just that he’s a narcissistic asshole who pisses me off sometimes.  The other day was whining about the fact that I didn’t put in 40 hours last week, forgetting the fact that I put in an extra 20 the weekend before, and the fact that he already owes me a crapload of money for work he hasn’t paid me for.  I also don’t know if he has the vision or the talent to take his company where it needs to go. 

To my right, I see all the emails that I get from recruiters for the myriad positions open for the in-demand skillset that I have, plus the number of years I have behind it make me very desirable.  But cubicle land would feel like death to me.  And wouldn’t that be trading one master for another?

To my left I see the possibility of starting my own company.  I have ideas and talent.  And finally have the confidence in my own abilities to make them happen.  I need a partner/co-founder to fill in the gaps.  Need to have the money to make this happen.  Not sure where to find either.

I’m sure there are other roads in front of me that I can’t even see.  Maybe they’ll make themselves visible soon.

So, there it is.  I haven’t been in this situation since, well, college and then I was too stupid to know how take advantage of it.  I’m trying to be careful and make smart decisions, but I don’t want to get nailed with paralysis by analysis.

What would you do if you were free?  Seriously, I’d like to hear.