I'm guessing the author does not have a family.

I've been in both spots. I've quit to work on a startup full time making no money (luckily I had my wife to support me). At the time I didn't have kids. Now I have one kid (and another 2 on the way) and I'm going to work at a large stable company.

In my case, at least I tried. But I completely understand this other guy.

It's not just saying no to a pay check. For many people they are giving up money, healthcare, and stability. Perhaps people discount stability but stability is often needed for safety and happiness. Losing stability means stress and conflict. I know families that have been destroyed to these kind of stresses (eg. divorces that came about because the father nearly bankrupted the family).

So it's not just the paycheck, per se, but what the paycheck and stable job give.

With that said, I think people who've saved enough money and don't live outside their means can get to a point where they give themselves 6 months to 1 year to try something. Even if that's the case, in families it's not just one person's decision but should be both parents decision.

Unfortunately, that is probably not as common. People grow into their paychecks with mortgages, car payments, day care/tuition, vacations, home help, and so on.

The author is completely missing the "family" part, no? Once other people's welfare is coupled to your financial success, taking risk is becoming much harder. You can't just drop everything and "follow your dream" if there's a mortgage for a house, tuition for kids, etc.

You can talk to your spouse and figure out a plan, but it's definitely not an easy road to travel. And sometimes, you can only prepare for travelling that road a few years hence.

And it sure as heck would be nice to be spared glib "just do it" advice from people who are not in that situation.

(Also, many people who are in a relationship do follow one of their dreams - being with a person they love. Sometimes, you have to choose between different dreams)

Most of us get more conservative with age and the more responsibility is attached to us and as a result the less likely we are to simply jump into something. Following your dreams in my opinion starts by preparing yourself, working towards making it possible, saving money, lowering bills. Society makes it way to easy to tie yourself down: Buy a house, take out a loan for that shiny new car. If you really wanna chase your dreams you should untie yourself first.