I stopped reading at "quit your job as soon as possible" (I know you think I'm a whiny bitch)
Whilst I do agree with your "work hard" statement, I also strongly believe that a lot of people are morons. If they don't have a clear set of instructions, they won't know their left from their right. They will never make it in the IM world, and quitting their job will just lead to them having to find another job after they have realised they suck at not being told what to do.
I'd say rather use your spare time (evenings, weekends) to pursue an online project. If it works for you, scale it up and quit your job when you're confident you can survive without permanent employment.