The Right Time to Quit Your Job

Being employed is a luxury when you are looking for a job but funnily enough, staying employed can be a struggle too. There are a myriad of reasons as to why one would feel that way be it the environment, the people, the boss, the ‘I’m not learning anything’, the ‘I’m not growing, the ‘I feel like I’m not contributing’ or the ‘I wanna be the next Zuckerberg’ and the list goes on. With all that mental diarrhoea, overthinking, anxiety and fear of action or inaction, how do you know when is the right time to quit, then? Do you download that free ebook to discover ‘The 5 secret steps to successfully getting a job before quitting’ or will you sign up for that ‘Excelling in Interviews without having much working experience’ masterclass? I’d offer you something that’s worth more than that ebook and the masterclass combined – my own quitting experience. Here are 3 possible scenarios in which you may confidently quit your job.

1) You have secured another job

This is the age-old, play-it-safe advice given by any conventional working adult who has been usurped by the ‘working class’. Beyond that groupthink, the real reason why you should secure another job before quitting is not so much on that car/phone/netflix/spotify/bubble-tea-addiction that you are subscribing to but more on the people that depend on you. It all boils down to your commitments and whether they demand a certain ‘salary’ from you. If you have a list of commitments that add up to a sizeable monthly spending (a.k.a ‘Commitments’ tax), then it wouldn’t be the wisest decision to quit without having another job. Otherwise, go be that Zuckerberg you always wanted to be but even better (like PDPA & GDPR better).

2) You have emergency funds

This is the 2-plus-2-is-4-minus-1-is-3-quick-maths advice given by any financial planner who genuinely does not want to earn any commission from you and just wants to see your money grow. If you don’t have at least 6 months of your salary in your savings account, then suck it up and stay employed. Remember the time when you finally got a job offer for your current job after sending out a million resumes and cover letters to companies? You couldn’t sleep on the night before your first day and woke up an hour earlier to put on your ‘I-am-now-employed’ pants. Don’t let your temporary emotions cloud your mind and manifest into a permanent problem. When bad things happen, don’t ask why me. Say ‘try me’.

3) Not quitting is not an option

When you think about quitting your job, think about why you started. If your why doesn’t make you cry, that is not your why. Sadly, many working adults of today never go beyond the dollars and cents to identify and understand their ‘why’. The fear of failure and limiting beliefs that they impose on themselves eventually dissolve their ‘why’. And you might have guessed, indeed, this is why I left my job; not to be the next Zuckerberg but to be the Brendon I’ve always longed to be. I decided to leave my job to start my company, Automate Labs, to help businesses grow through business process automation and integration. This is my ‘why’, but more importantly, what is yours? It may be as simple as building a skill (e.g. cooking, knitting, painting, etc). Some of the pivotal quotes that spurred me on are as follows:

• People don’t have the patience to build a business for three years but do have the patience to work for another business for 40 years
• Start with a purpose. Purpose is the reason for the journey, passion is the fuel that pushes you through the journey
• If you don’t build your dreams, someone else will hire you to build theirs
• You should be afraid of taking risks to pursue something meaningful but you should be more afraid of staying where you are if it’s making you feel miserable
• The first thing you want to do is to dispense the idea that you get any permanent security outside of your ability to contend and adapt
• It’s a luxury to pursue what makes you happy. It’s a moral obligation to pursue what you find meaningful
• If you are miserable in your job now, you will be miserable 5 years from now and you’ll be a lot older

TL;DR

In conclusion, quitting a job is a big deal if you have financial commitments/issues and something you should really give much thought to before coming to a decision. But once a decision has been made, you should put it in good faith and not look back. Always remember, you cannot move forward if you keep looking at the rear-view mirror. Here is a summary of the favourable situations for you to leave your job:

1. You have secured another job. Make sure you find a way to still be able to pay for all your commitments when you quit.
2. You have emergency funds. Having at least 6 months of your salary in savings safeguards your ability to ‘finance’ your commitments while you find a way to generate income.
3. Quitting is not an option. If you find a reason so compelling (e.g. to start your own business) that you obsess over day and night that you can’t live without – take that leap of faith. If you belong to this category, there is technically no right time because successful people find a way to start before they are ready.