Is your job making you miserable? Do you find yourself endlessly searching; ‘Can I quit my job without another one lined up?’. Don’t panic, I have been there a few times myself. In this post I’m sharing my first hand experiences of what it was like to hand in my notice when I had nothing else to go to and everything those journeys taught me. To help with your internal debate, I have also added 5 questions at the end of the post to ask yourself before you quit.
I Quit My Long Term, Stable Job
The first time I quit my job with nothing else to go to I was quite young. I worked for a fun sports brand and had been there for 3 years working my way up the ranks. Before I quit, they even offered me a new position with better pay. But the company was changing, new managers had come in, they wanted to change my role and it wasn’t what I signed up for. So I quit.
In hindsight, leaving was a little premature, it was more of a panic jump because everyone else was quitting (as I said, i was young). Other opportunities arose and I even got rejected from some jobs, but that was when I decided to start my own business. Which you can read more about in my post, How To Fail At A Business And Still Succeed.
What did I learn? The timing wasn’t right and I shouldn’t have followed the crowd because everyone else was quitting. However, it did push me into starting my own business which has been one of my biggest learning curves. If you are looking for the sign to start your own business but your job is getting in the way, now might be the time to quit.
I Quit Working For A Huge Fashion Brand
I thought i had it all; working for one of the world’s biggest fashion brands, with a fancy office in London, great pay and even better perks. It sounds pretty dreamy right? Except it wasn’t, my manager made my life miserable. I won’t go into details but we all know the manager I am talking about. Every time I got an email, voice note, call or message my body would tense up. I even tried talking to her line manager, but nothing changed. Layer that with a 4 hour round trip commute and the job no longer felt worth it. This is not how I want to live my life, dreading work everyday.
So, I quit my job with nothing else lined up. Immediately I felt a huge sense of relief and knew I had done the right thing. With a 3 month notice period I focussed all my efforts into finding another job, which I did.
What did I learn? If your job is making you depressed, giving you anxiety, having a negative impact on your mental health and you have tried to fix it without success, it’s time to hand in your notice. Put together a strategy for everything you are going to do to find a new job and make it happen.
I Quit My Job To Go Travelling
Deep in my core I knew I was meant to travel, it was something I had thought about since my early twenties and had never had the courage to do it. Now in my 30s, it was all I could think about and I was determined to make it happen. I was willing to quit my secure job and career in sales to travel.
Now, I would only recommend this if you have the finances in place or a plan for when you start travelling to fund your new lifestyle. If it’s something you are considering and need any more convincing, you should read my post on 5 Reasons To Quit Your Job And Become A Digital Nomad.
What did I learn? If you are not living true to yourself you will probably never be happy or reach your potential. It’s cliche but you have to do what makes you happy.
Before Quitting Your Job...
Ask yourself these 5 questions to help you decide if now is the time to quit your job without another one lined up:
1. Is it a bad day or is it a bad job?
You might think your job is bad, but are you having a bad day or a bad week. Remember that in all aspects of life there are ups and downs. However you should be having more good days than bad days at work so keep this mind.
2. Will quitting my job affect other people?
Do you have people that are financially relying on you such as children or a partner? If so they will need to be taken into consideration when thinking about quitting your job without anything else lined up. How will you continue to support them? Or could they support you whilst you figure out your next steps?
3. Is the job negatively impacting my mental health?
You can’t be your best self if you mental health is suffering. Not only does it impact your work but also your home life and relationships. You should be able to leave work at work, and not have it ruin your weekends and time off from stress and anxiety.
4. Do I truly believe I can figure out life past this job?
The last thing you want is to spiral out of control because you are lacking direction. Quitting can feel like a weight off your shoulders and give you the headspace you need to figure out next steps. However, be prepared for a total change of daily life, which can be scary for some people.
5. Have you tried to fix the issues with your job?
Could you change roles, ask for more money or move teams? Have you exhausted all options to make your job better for you? You want to avoid impulse quitting because your manager annoyed you that day. There are structures in place at companies to help you deal with how you are feeling so take advantage of those as well.
Whatever you decide, I would recommend investing in this journal; Let That Sh*t Go, which really helps you put your life and priorities into order but in a fun way. It’s rated 4.7 with over 30k reviews!
It takes a lot of courage to quit a job with nothing else lined up, you have to be bold and fearless. And if timing, circumstances and finances allow it and you truly believe you can figure out your life after this job, then you should go for it. Good luck!
Amber x
P.s If you are looking for a new job be sure to read our post; How To Spot A Good Manager During An Interview, to help you avoid ending up hating your job again!
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