I faked my death to get out of public accounting.

I staged my own death to escape public Accounting.

I realize this sounds absolutely wild, but hear me out. I was a manager at a major Accounting firm, and the pressure was overwhelming. It wasn’t just the long hours and constant deadlines; it felt like every task I completed was just a small drop in an endless ocean of client demands and management expectations. I was completely burned out.

During late-night conversations with a coworker on Teams, I vented about how the job was consuming me. As the New Year approached, an idea popped into my head—initially as a joke—a whimsical thought of vanishing and starting anew. But as I pondered it more, it began to feel like a real possibility.

With my family living out of state and working remotely, nobody at the firm truly knew me outside of my professional role.

So, I created a plan. I deleted most of my social media accounts, severed ties with the few local connections I had, and left some online clues that would suggest I… well, you get the idea.

Now, I’m living quietly in a small town where no one knows me or expects anything from me. In many ways, I feel an incredible sense of freedom I never thought I would experience. I get to simply… exist.

I recognize this is a very unconventional way to leave a job, and I feel guilty about those who are left wondering. But honestly, I just couldn’t take it anymore, and this was the only option I found to break free from the grind.

Feel free to ask me anything.