Coffee Talk: Quitting a Job

Jan 28, 2013

Coffee Talk: Quitting a Job

Being smart and purposeful about your career means that sometimes you need to make the difficult decision to leave one job for another. Given that we tend to spend more time at work than anywhere else, this decision is sure to stir up uncertainty and perhaps even fear. What will my boss say? How do I even start this conversation? Will my coworkers be mad at me? Can I do this without burning a bridge?

Looming questions like these can make the whole process seem scary. So we want to hear about your experiences. Tell us, have you ever quit a job before? How did you approach the situation? What did you learn? Any advice you can share?

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Brianna Cook

sam

thats funny reading this now in my rss feed right after i sent my resignation email.

I had to face my fear and know i deserve better
http://twitter.com/catfishcaviar Drew Elizabeth

Quitting a job can sometimes be awkward. Just try to be as professional as you can and make sure to put in your 2 weeks so you give your employer plenty of time to fill the spot!
KATOU

It could be a taugh decision to take but it’s so relieving when you know that you can let yourself dream and accomplish things you thought impossible but it’s a matter of calculating your risk and knowing what next steps to take. I just went through this and It felt great to be the only person in charge of my life and my future
Lifemadepretty

I love that this is a topic this Monday. It’s my first day on my *new* job. As of today, I begin my career as an entrepreneur. For a long while now, I was running my side design company and decided that 2013, I will no longer be a legal assistant and take my dream to the next level. Announcing this to my bosses and coworkers felt surreal, but they were so supportive and in fact super loving and inspired. Definitely no bridges burned, I left feeling like I had a bunch of cheerleaders at the side lines. It was great.

One of the scariest things I’ve ever done. I’m still adjusting to my new reality, but inside, I feel a great sense of excitement and anticipation.

All the best,

Adriana of Life Made Pretty

Kristin Thomson

Congratulations Adriana! Very inspiring!!

http://www.daniela.com/ Daniela Esthetician

I left my parents’ travel company at 31 after putting three months rent in the bank to become a makeup artist with no formal training (unless you count two summers at a Merle Norman). We all thought I was nuts. I freelanced for a month and a half before I went crawling back to my parents before finally ending up in beauty school studying Esthetics. I’m now an Acne Specialist running my own show successful beyond all previous imagining. All the while I was terrified because I have no university education and am largely self educated. Too many lessons to count.
Stephanie

If you’re in a situation that makes you unhappy, or isn’t getting you where you want to be, then quitting is absolutely worth it! (If you can afford it of course). I was teaching high school and miserable every single day (tears and tears) I had no extra money saved but I knew that if I kept going, I’d make myself sick or even worse, depressed. So after the end of the first term of my second year, I met with my principle and told him that this would be my last term at the school. It was surprisingly easy and extremely liberating.
I took on a job that was well beneath my skill set at a small IT company and while I have been promoted at the company, I’m still not fulfilling any dreams. it will be tough to leave what I consider the coolest company ever, but eventually, if I want to have the career I deserve, it will have to be done. And I can feel that time is coming soon!
Chelsilynn

I quit a job once. It was actually an internship, but I was still really nervous to tell my boss. She was really supportive and understanding. Granted, she was only paying me $10/hr, so if she hadn’t understood my decision to move to a full-time salary, that would have been odd. However, I do think being open and honest with her from the beginning helped a lot. I know not everyone can/feels comfortable enough to do that, but for my particular situation, it was the best choice.
Margaret Snider

I am actually dealing with this situation right now. I’m currently at a company that has great benefits, incredible coworkers, and a positive work atmosphere but I see no future growth for myself within the company. I love it here but know that it is about time for me to move on. That being said, a steady income along with benefits is hard to give up without knowing what I’m in for at a new job.

My one piece of advice for anyone thinking of doing what I am about to embark on would be to do your best to land a job before you leave. Easier said than done, but I know the struggles that come with being unemployed can quickly add stress to an already stressful situation.

instantphoebe

I can 100% relate with you. I am in a similar work environment, and it’s so hard to stay when you don’t think you can grow much more, if at all.

I already told my boss I’m going back to school this fall. I definitely waited until I knew that I got in, as well.

JG

I quit a job once. It was hard, mainly because I knew they really needed me and I would be leaving them in the lurch, however I had been offered another position with a MUCH higher salary. I was just honest – I enjoyed the company and my co-workers, but the salary being offered to me was just to good to pass up. Plus, my new company has a much stronger chance for advancement. They were very understanding. I gave them the full two weeks notice and then went on my way. Everyone was super nice about it, and the best part of all is that I have no regrets at all – the new job was and still is utterly fantastic and I am SO happy. My best advice would simply be to be honest, and give them a two weeks notice.
Sarah Pickell

I’m struggling with something similar to this right now. I’m in an internship that I like, but it doesn’t seem to be leading anywhere professionally for me. I am looking for a full time position, and if something comes along before my internship is finished, I feel as if I can’t very well say no to a full-time salary vs being underpaid and overworked.
http://inmyclst.blogspot.com Amy Wiktor

I have both quit a job that I was miserable at without another job lined up, and also quit a job that I loved because I was moving across the country to go to graduate school. In the first situation, I stayed at my job almost a year in a position with no growth, with people I wasn’t fond of, in an industry I had no interest in. I would wake up every morning with a knot in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t go on living that way, and though it was difficult to quit without having a job lined up, it was absolutely the right decision.

When I found a job a little over a month later, I was already in the process of applying to grad school. I took the job, was promoted within a month, and loved everything about the company, job and people I spent my days with. I made friends, learned to sew (I worked at a fabric company) and truly enjoyed getting up every morning to go to work. If I didn’t know that teaching was the profession I was meant to be in, I would have happily stayed at my job. Quitting was heartbreaking, because I respected my bosses, was learning a lot, and the company was growing and I would have been able to grow with it. That being said, my bosses understood and were extremely supportive. I also ended up giving about 7 weeks notice – this is certainly not normal, nor is it necessary. but I knew that many of the people involved in hiring would either be on vacation or traveling for work within those weeks, and I knew that I wanted to be able to help train my replacement, which I was able to do.
KimHNett

I have learned that no matter how much you love your co-workers or your work environment, you must follow your heart. If you consistently feel yourself being pulled in a different “career/job” direction, pursue it. And sometimes it requires a leap of faith…
http://laurenmaxwell.blogspot.com/ Lauren Maxwell

I just had to make a decision based on another job offer last week. It was so stressful. This post is exactly where my mind’s been lately!
Amber

I have been at a new company for almost a year now, prior to this job I worked for a family business. My dad, brother, sister, Aunt and cousin all worked together. We were a very small company and every team member was crucial to our daily operations. I had been overwhelmed with the amount of work I had taken on due to short staffing and minimal funds to hire more staff. I was working in an industry I didn’t enjoy and struggling day to day to manage my stress level. I finally made the decision to move on and find another job. It took me a couple days to land a great job, minimal stress, more pay and provided an opportunity to begin going to school for interior design. With the amount of work I had at my family based company it didn’t allow any mental strength to attend school (night school) which always left me feeling unfulfilled. Now I am bubbly, energetic, and ever so thankful for attending my second semester of school while managing a Full Time job and not breaking down mentally. Changing careers was the hardest decision I have made but the most rewarding decision by far. My family and I get along great, we are closer than ever and they can see my happiness with the decision I made. My advise for anyway facing a decision to change careers would be to think it through and always follow your passion. Create opportunity for yourself as much as possible.
Victoria Jacobson

Its so interesting that this was the coffee talk topic today, because I’ve been struggling about quitting my job to concentrate fully on finishing my senior year of college. Since I’m working part time and doing school full time, is my part time pay and the fact that I hate going to work worth it? Still so confused on what to do.
Victoria Jacobson

Its so interesting that this was the coffee talk topic today, because I’ve been struggling about quitting my job to concentrate fully on finishing my senior year of college. Since I’m working part time and doing school full time, is my part time pay and the fact that I hate going to work worth it? Still so confused on what to do.
amanda

The absolute worst is when you quit but have to stay for another 2-3 weeks. That is such rinse and repeat social anxiety. I dig this, it is a discussion worth having for sure.
new follower follow back?amandahttp://thingstoholdandstir.blogspot.com/
http://www.streetsandstripes.com/ Chaucee

I was absolutely terrified to approach my boss about leaving my job to be a full time freelance photographer and blogger. I had so much anxiety about it, but my friends and family kept reassuring me that this is how things go in the work place! You have to do what you have to do. Surprisingly they took it really well and seemed happy and supportive of me! It went much better than I anticipated. But even if it had gone well, I’d rather be off on my own doing what I love than staying in a job I’m too afraid to leave because of what people might say about me. Life goes on!
Maggie

I waited to leave my day job to work for myself so that I wouldn’t be leaving my work team in the lurch (my last day was a few days after an important event I was in charge of). I gave more than 2 weeks notice though, which I don’t recommend! They didn’t rush to hire a replacement and I stopped getting new tasks and projects or being part of planning meetings. If I did it again I would have done two weeks and left it at that.
Lindsay Atkinson

I quit my job last fall and it was tough. Professionally it was the right move, but personally, I loved the people. I was in a dead-end role, but yet found satisfaction in the fast-paced environment. Moving to a new role in a new company felt uncomfortable and although I wasn’t burning any bridges, it felt like a betrayal. My advice would be to look at your company, current position and role and ask yourself what you want for your career – if the company’s long term goals are in step with yours – great. If not, you’re not doing anyone any favors for staying in that role (unhappily). It’s best to move on so they can find someone who’s better suited.
http://twitter.com/linneapaulina Linnea Paulina

I planned on leaving my job and started making preparations for 2+ years before I could actually take action on it (military obligation). In the meantime, I set up my photography business so I could get it up & running, and worked on stashing away as much extra money into my retirement & nest egg accounts as possible, and worked with my husband (fiancé at the time) to lower our monthly expenses as much as possible to account for a temporary income drop. My advice would be to keep a positive attitude while you’re working at your current job, continue to always do your best work, and do as much as you can to set yourself up financially so that you have freedom to make other decisions.
http://teacupsandbcups.com/ nicole | teacups + B cups

The process can be scary, but like most other things in life, you have to keep the end goal in mind. If moving on to a new job is better for your career, your happiness, your family, you name it – you have to do it. Whether or not your coworkers and your boss approve is beside the point.

That’s coming from a girl who quit her full-time, steady income, “stable” job two weeks ago today. And started her new [unpaid] internship this morning. Of course, there’s rent to pay, but no amount of money is worth being unhappy. The moment after I put in my two weeks, I was a better person. And with this optimistic outlook, there’s really no stopping me.

A huge risk. But my happiness is worth it. So is yours.
Andrav23

Wish I had this post for a few months ago, hardest thing to do… ever!