If you’ve been experiencing a streak of tough days at work, it’s likely that the concept of resigning has popped into your head. Perhaps your boss is becoming a nightmare, or the hassle from your work is spilling over into your personal life. Regardless of your situation, it’s distressing to loathe your job, especially when you consider it takes up around 35% of our conscious hours during the week.
However, making the decision to leave your job can be quite challenging.
How will you handle finances? What about living expenses and bills?
Somewhere down the line, most of us have fantasized about making a grand exit from our jobs, worthy of an Oscar and explicit enough for an NC-17 rating. But what comes after?
If you’re wrestling with the decision to quit your job, there are crucial questions you need to undergo before deciding whether to stay the course or bid adieu.
Will you go broke?
As much as we’d love to hand in our resignation disgracefully, most of us depend on our jobs for our livelihood. Unless you’ve struck it rich, your job is probably your primary resource for income. Do you have sturdy savings—ideally covering six months of your living costs—to stay afloat while identifying and settling into a new job?
Will you sever professional relationships?
Will you need a recommendation from your current boss to secure a new job? Your professional network is usually a goldmine when it comes to job opportunities.
As irksome as your colleagues or supervisor may be, it’s worth considering if maintaining professional ties would ultimately benefit you. If you are completely convinced that you’ll never want to interact with certain people again, then maybe it’s time to leave. But always consider outsmarting the urge to create a dramatic exit.
Is it going to negatively impact your career?
If your aim is to shift careers, bidding farewell to your current job might not have significant repercussions. However, if your plan is to continue in the same field, being the subject of unfavorable gossip can hold you back.
Take into account the reputation you will leave behind. You wouldn’t want potential employers to discover you were a problematic employee, in case they choose to contact your previous employers or references.
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However tough it might seem, it could be smarter to secure a new job first and then submit your formal two-weeks notice. This strategy ensures financial stability while also maintaining a professional relationship with your current employer.
While this may not exactly match the dramatic exit of our dreams, it’s crucial that we act responsibly, putting adult behavior and stability above all else.
