The Exit Protocol: How to Leave Dying Systems Before They Take You Down

The Exit Protocol: How to Leave Dying Systems Before They Take You Down

A field guide for building independence before institutional collapse reaches you.

57,370 words. 16 chapters. 5 protocols. Your exit begins now.

You've had that meeting.

The one where intelligent people spend 90 minutes discussing "learning outcomes assessment protocols" or "strategic alignment frameworks" or "optimization metrics."

Everyone nodding along. Everyone pretending it matters.

Everyone knowing—absolutely knowing—it's theater.

The institution isn't working. The credentials are inflating. The systems are failing.

But admitting it would mean admitting your career, your identity, your security are built on foundations that are crumbling.

So you keep showing up. Keep performing. Keep hoping it somehow gets better.

It won't.

THE FIVE COLLAPSES HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

COLLAPSE 1: THE MONETARY SYSTEM

• Global debt: $307 trillion
• Global GDP: $105 trillion
• Do the math. This doesn't end well.

COLLAPSE 2: THE CREDENTIAL SYSTEM

• Student debt: $1.7 trillion
• AI does what your degree taught you
• Proof of work beats proof of education

COLLAPSE 3: INSTITUTIONAL LEGITIMACY

• Trust in government: 16% (was 77% in 1960s)
• Trust in media: 34% (all-time low)
• Trust in universities: 36% (was 57% in 2015)

COLLAPSE 4: THE INFORMATION ECOSYSTEM

• No shared reality
• Every source contested
• Truth is tribal

COLLAPSE 5: THE MEANING CRISIS

• Work is bullshit (40% of jobs, workers' own assessment)
• Religion declining
• Identity fragmenting
• Purpose outsourced to dying institutions

These are not separate crises. They are one cascade. And they accelerate each other.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT "FINDING YOUR PASSION"

Most career books assume the system works.

They give you strategies to succeed within institutions.

This book assumes the opposite:

The institutions are already collapsing.

Will you adapt and position yourself for the new future, new institutions, and new world order?

WHAT'S INSIDE

PART I: THE COLLAPSE DIAGNOSTIC

Quantify what's failing, calculate your vulnerability, understand the timeline.

Chapter 1: The five simultaneous collapses (with data)

Chapter 2: Your Vulnerability Audit - Score your dependence on dying systems

PART II: THE MENTAL MODELS

Rewire how you think about work, value, identity, beliefs.

Chapter 3: From Optimization to Optionality (The 5-layer stack)

Chapter 4: From Career to Portfolio of Bets

Chapter 5: From Credentials to Proof of Work

Chapter 6: From Single Identity to Multiple Selves

Chapter 7: From Fixed Beliefs to Fluid Thinking

PART III: THE PRACTICAL PROTOCOLS

Step-by-step exit strategies you can start Monday morning.

Chapter 8: The Financial Exit Protocol (Building runway while employed)

Chapter 9: The Professional Exit Protocol (Building parallel identity)

Chapter 10: The Psychological Exit Protocol (Managing fear and guilt)

Chapter 11: The Temporal Exit Protocol (When to pull the trigger)

PART IV: THE EMERGING PARADIGMS

What's being built in the ruins. Where to position yourself.

Chapter 12: The Parallel Systems Already Emerging

Chapter 13: Your Reinvention Protocol

Chapter 14: Contribution in Collapse (Making it matter)

PART V: STAYING SANE & MAKING IT MATTER

Thriving in permanent uncertainty. What comes after independence.

Chapter 15: The Long Game

Chapter 16: Beyond Exit

PLUS: The Manifesto, 100-Day Action Plan, Bibliography with 30+ curated resources

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU IF:

✓ You feel trapped by institutional dependence but don't know how to exit

✓ You see the systems failing but everyone around you pretends they work

✓ You want optionality but have no idea where to start

✓ You've built some side income but can't bridge to full independence

✓ You're terrified the collapse will happen before you're ready

✓ You're done optimizing within a broken system and ready to build alternatives

WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT

1. INSIDER CREDIBILITY

I didn't theorize about exit. I executed it.

Associate Professor at University of East Anglia who built complete financial and professional independence while staying employed.

2,300+ published articles. 1,400+ videos. Multiple income streams. Close to zero institutional dependence.

This book is the protocol I built while doing it.

2. DATA-BACKED, NOT DOOM SCENARIOS

Every collapse claim is sourced. Every statistic is verifiable. This isn't conspiracy theory—it's pattern recognition backed by evidence.

3. IMMEDIATELY ACTIONABLE

Week 1 protocol included. 90-Day plans. Vulnerability calculators. Real frameworks you can implement Monday morning.

Most business books are inspiration. This is an instruction manual.

4. COMPLETE SYSTEM

Not just "quit your job." Full framework: Diagnosis → Mental Models → Protocols → Emerging Systems → Long-term Sustainability.

WHO THIS IS NOT FOR

❌ If you think institutions just need reform and everything will be fine

❌ If you're looking for "passive income in 90 days" shortcuts

❌ If you want someone to tell you exactly what to do (this gives you frameworks, not formulas)

❌ If you're not willing to take responsibility for your own exit

❌ If you believe your credentials and job title define your worth

THE AUTHOR

Dr. Fahri Karakas is Associate Professor at University of East Anglia's Norwich Business School.

He teaches organizational behavior while building systems to escape organizational capture.

Published 2,300+ articles on Medium. Created 1,400+ YouTube videos. Built multiple income streams. Achieved complete independence from institutional validation.

His research focuses on creativity, wisdom, and positive organizational scholarship. His practice focuses on helping knowledge workers exit dying systems before those systems take them down.

He didn't write this book to tell you what he plans to do.

He wrote it to document what he already did.

WHAT YOU'RE GETTING

Format: PDF (281 pages, 57,370 words)

Delivery: Instant download after purchase

Included:

• Complete 16-chapter manuscript
• The Manifesto (7 sections on institutional collapse)
• Vulnerability Audit (calculate your dependencies)
• 5-Layer Optionality Stack (framework for building options)
• Financial Exit Protocol (step-by-step)
• Professional Exit Protocol (building parallel identity)
• 100-Day Action Plan (start immediately)
• Curated Bibliography (30+ resources with usage notes)

Bonus: Email access to updates, toolkits, and next version when released (within 30 days, incorporating early reader feedback)

THE GUARANTEE

I can't guarantee your exit will work.

Too many variables. Too much depends on your execution, your context, your choices.

But I can guarantee this:

If you don't start, you're guaranteed to stay trapped.

If you do start, you have a real chance.

Probably better than 50/50 if you follow the protocols.

Maybe 70-80% if you're consistent.

Those are good odds for escaping institutional capture.

WHAT EARLY READERS ARE SAYING

"This book gave me permission to stop pretending and start building."

"I've read dozens of career books. This is the first one that assumes the system is broken. That honesty is liberating."

THE CHOICE

PATH A: DO NOTHING

Close this page.

Return to your institution.

Keep hoping things improve.

Keep waiting for the perfect moment.

Five years from now: Still trapped (if the institution still exists).

PATH B: START NOW

Buy this book.

Read The Manifesto tonight.

Complete the Vulnerability Audit tomorrow.

Begin your 100-Day Exit Protocol this week.

Five years from now: Independent. Contributing meaningfully. Living on your terms.

Which path will you choose now?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Do I need to quit my job to use this?

No. The protocols are designed for building parallel systems while still employed. Most exits take 12-24 months. Perhaps a bit longer. You extract value from your institution while building alternatives.

Q: What if I have a family/mortgage/responsibilities?

Chapter 8 (Financial Exit Protocol) specifically addresses this. The Collapse Budget calculation shows most people overestimate what they need by 30-50%. Plus the book teaches building runway, not jumping without a parachute.

Q: Is this just for academics/professors?

No. The frameworks apply to anyone trapped in institutional dependence: corporate employees, government workers, nonprofit staff, anyone whose worth is tied to institutional validation.

Q: What if I like my institution?

Exit isn't necessarily rejection. It's building optionality. Insurance. When the institution fails (or changes, or lays you off), you have alternatives. Think of it as diversification.

Q: Can I really start with no audience/platform?

Yes. Chapter 5 (Proof of Work) and Chapter 9 (Professional Exit) show exactly how to build from zero. I started with zero followers. 2,300 articles later, the audience exists because I created consistently.

Q: Is this legal/ethical?

Building parallel income while employed is legal (check your contract for non-compete clauses). Extracting value from your job while planning exit is ethical—employers do the same to employees constantly.

Q: What if I'm not an entrepreneur type?

This isn't about building startups. It's about building optionality. Some exits lead to solo consulting. Some to portfolio careers. Some to joining parallel systems others built. Chapter 13 shows multiple paths.

THE INSTITUTIONS WON'T SAVE YOU

Your university won't save you when enrollment collapses.

Your corporation won't save you when AI makes your role obsolete.

Your government won't save you when the debt cascade accelerates.

Your credentials won't save you when proof of work becomes the standard.

Only you can build your exit.

This book shows you how.

LAUNCH PRICE: $9.99 (First 100 Copies Only)

Regular price: $39

After the first 100 copies sell, price increases.

Buy now, start your exit tonight.

Your independence is worth much more than a hundred dollars.

Your continued dependence costs infinitely more.

30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE

Read the book. Apply the frameworks. Start the protocols.

If within 30 days you genuinely believe this book provided zero value, email me and I'll refund you.

No questions asked. No hard feelings.

I'm confident you'll find the Vulnerability Audit alone worth 10x the price.

But if you don't, you get your money back.

Zero risk. Maximum optionality.

BUY NOW - INSTANT DOWNLOAD

The Exit Protocol: How to Leave Dying Systems Before They Take You Down

$9.99 (Launch Price - First 100 Copies)

✓ 281 pages, 57,370 words ✓ 16 practical chapters ✓ Instant PDF download ✓ 30-day money-back guarantee

Your exit begins now.

AFTER YOU BUY

Immediate Next Steps:

1. Download the PDF (delivered instantly)
2. Read The Manifesto tonight (30 minutes)
3. Complete Vulnerability Audit tomorrow (2 hours)
4. Start Week 1 of 100-Day Protocol this week (7 hours total)

Within 30 Days:

• Clear exit roadmap
• First income experiments launched
• Optionality stack in place
• Psychological frameworks for managing transition

Within 12 Months:

• Multiple income streams
• Professional identity independent of employer
• Geographic optionality
• Real possibility of full independence

The institution won't exit for you. The book can't execute for you.

Only you can decide: Am I doing this or not?

But the frameworks, protocols, and roadmap are all here.

Your move.

Five years from now, you'll be in one of two places:

Place 1: Still at the institution (if it still exists). Still feeling trapped. Still thinking "someday I'll..." Still performing legitimacy while the systems fail around you.

Place 2: Independent. Contributing meaningfully. Living on your terms. With options when institutions collapse. With skills that compound. With freedom that's real, not rhetorical.

The difference between these futures is starting now.

This book is your starting point.

Not your complete journey—that's yours to build.

But your protocol. Your roadmap. Your proof it's possible.

Because I did it. Others are doing it. You can too.

The exit exists. The path is marked. The choice is yours.

Will you take it?