When is the best time to quit a job?

It is never a good idea to quit your job, unless you have a backup plan. The keyword here is backup and you must pay attention to it.

Years ago, when I was at my first job at Citec, a friend who was older than me by ten years, and at a well paying job, told me one day, “I’m resigning”.

“But..why? What’s wrong? In my head I wondered what could drive her to want to quit, when it clearly looked like she was probably at the peak of her career, and seemed happy.

“I have been thinking about it for awhile. Nothing’s wrong at work, infact it’s too good.

“Then?” I still did not believe she was telling me all of it.

“It’s a good idea to quit, when things are great”.

And just like that those words stuck with me. Still does. I even accepted that logic as it were, because it sounded profound. A few years later, I did the same thing, but there was a difference. I had a backup plan. When I say plan, I do not imply one that takes too much thinking, and calculation and time. I mean a plan, that you think about what you plan to do, for a day or two. No need to apply too much of rationale. You weigh the odds of how it will impact you, and what you would need to do to make a comeback, if needed.

At this point I have to mention, that I quit my job because I was exhausted. Prior to resigning from my job, my mum was battling cancer for two years. I was her only caregiver. As soon as she started feeling a little better, and after I gave it about a weeks ‘thought’, I quit. I did not only have reason, I had motivation.

There were 4 things that allowed me to quit my job.

1. I could comfortably stay at home for a year, without having to worry about money.
2. My husband, who was at that time my boyfriend, supported me like a boss.
3. I was mentally prepared to start looking for a job when I needed to. I knew this ‘break’ I was giving myself was not permanent. Nothing in life really is.
4. The company I worked at (Cisco) were super supportive during my mum’s illness, and later allowed me to quit within a week. I am ever indebted to them. Companies do not owe us anything. Nobody owes us anything.

Did I have doubts?

Yes! I was worried if I’d be able to get another high paying job, at a reputed company again. What if my mum’s cancer relapsed? Thankfully the experience of going through cancer with my mum, made me brave, and taught me life lessons, which I will write about at length in another post.

Cancer did come back, but those months:

1. Recharged me.
2. Allowed me to spend quality time with my mum.
3. Gave me perspective about so many things in life. It’s surprising the things you think about when you are in silence. It’s amazing the good things you figure out, about yourself.
4. It showed me who my well wishers were.

As I look back at that period of my life, I realize that it was one of the best times I had. All it took was following my heart, and thinking very little about what I would do next. I put my trust completely on God, for all the things I have no control of. That, has always, served me well.

Whatever works for you, is good.

So when is it the best time to quit your job?

It’s different for different people. It has to be, right? You will know when it is time, because despite your plans, apprehensions, and wants, circumstances will push you to take an action. Rightly so.

1. Fatigue: If a job is taking a toll on your health, I think you absolutely should think about quitting your job. Everybody deserves a good rest. A time to recharge, and do nothing.
2. Your boss is a pain where the sun don’t shine: Start looking for another job rightaway. It never is a good idea to rebel, or try and take on your boss. Why waste all your energy pursuing road that will end up, in all likelihood, nowhere. It does not matter if you are right. Nobody cares about that either.
3. Your work is dull: If the job that you do does not excite you, you are wasting everyone’s time. Most of all, your’s. This reminds me of the saying ‘work-life balance’. Life has taught me that your work and personal life should compliment each other. Balance happens when you wake up in the middle of the night and reply to a work related email, because you want to, not because you have to. Then you go right back to sleep, without ‘work’ worrying you. That is work life balance. Takes years to happen, and it usually occurs only when you choose a job that makes you happy, or pursuse an interest or passion.
4. Just because: Sometimes you do not need a reason to shift gear, make a change, quit a job. A change is always a good thing. Follow your heart, just because. As I mentioned earlier, make an effort to think about how you are going to manage your expenses, even if, for a few months.

While I was on my career break, another friend told me she had been wanting to quit for years but was afraid of taking the leap. Her fears were not unfounded. I had to tread very carefully about what I advised her. I spent days hearing her out. If I was going to give any advice at all, it was important I tried to understand what was on her mind, and in her heart. I did not have to give her any advise at all, per se. After a week, and many hours of conversations, she resigned. All I told her was:

• You must be prepared that getting the same job, at a later point, could be a challenge.
• That her break, would open her heart to new possibilities and that she would be glad that she took the plunge.
• That there was a chance, she may never go back to the job she successfully did, ever again.

She never did go back to working for IT corporate again. Her break lasted a good and happy 3 years. She finally went back to work for a job of her choosing that was less paying, but satisfying.

So what happens to people who are fired at a job? People who quit a job in a day, without planning to?

The God’s, the universe, good friends and family, stranger’s take care of them. They manage. They fight. They survive.

That is what humans do. We adapt. We change, we accept different, even though we do not want it sometimes. Actually humans are very good at it. We have survived for millenias, like that.