Why I quit my job and how I prepared for it

When we’re struggling, we usually see two options: we have to push through and claim the victory (i.e., breakthrough) or we need to stop what we’re doing and go for something better. How to determine which option is best ain’t easy, but the signs will surely show you. As much as I thought I needed to push through, the signs showed I needed to go for something else.

Here’s a background story: I have a master’s degree in Marketing Management and after university I started working as a full-time intern at Coca-Cola at the age of 22. I was fine with it and loved what I was doing, because it was in the marketing department and I had to work with numbers. Then after the internship I got offered a job in the planning and logistics field. This was totally not my field, but I would continue to get free drinks, I was going to make good money and I would go on business trips. So, I took the job. One year into the job, I noticed that I was not good at it. I didn’t understand what I was doing and there were plenty challenges that seemed to be endless. But I stayed. Then I got offered a fixed contract. Only seemed right for me to take it and enjoy the guarantee of a job, right? My job title was ‘Multi-Contact Strategy Planner’, meaning that I would create a specific planning for 90 people using a new system that no one had worked with before and I would also be the first point of contact for these people (and their managers) for their questions, complaints, and analyses. When I tell you my mailbox was constantly filled and I got plenty calls a day, it’s an understatement. 

My goodness, the first years were tough. But I stayed. I stayed because I had a fixed contract and I needed to be grateful for that, because “so many people have a hard time finding a job”. And I sure was grateful, but gratitude alone wasn’t going to make me like this job. Chale (“my friend”), the many recurring challenges were tough and became a real burden. I’ve had at least five breakdowns, one for every year in that job. I can laugh about it now, but those breakdowns really were telling me to quit. But I stayed. Whenever friends and family asked me “how is work?”, I would reply with “it’s alright, nothing special.” I don’t recall ever saying it was going great, I just said it was okay and kept it moving.

At a certain point it became clear that I was not the right person for the job, no person should have to struggle so much each day just to see minor results. I started getting up to go to work just to see my colleagues, but I would dread the actual work ahead of me. I wasn’t progressing, I wasn’t achieving,  I was pretty average. And I just knew that there was so much more inside of me, I knew that if I would have been in a different position, I would be in much better roles. My managers saw it too and they did their best to help me, but nothing seemed to work. Coincidentally, the pandemic hit and it became clear that I had done all I could do, there literally was nothing left for me. It was time to go and I felt at peace to do so. But before I made that final decision, I needed to have somewhat of a backup to survive the coming period. 

Emotionally, I had to come to terms with the fact that I had to take this decision for myself. As much as I loved being around my colleagues, I could not let that hold me in this position any longer. I had to choose for myself. Financially, I checked if I could go at least one full year without an income. This meant that I calculated all my fixed costs (insurances, phone bills, subscriptions, etc.) for 12 months to see how much it would cost me in a year. (Mind you, I live with my parents, so I did not have to take into account any rent or mortgage.) Because God had been so good, I was able to save quite a bit and I would comfortably be able to take a year off. My aim was to just take three months off, but life doesn’t always go as planned, does it? Mentally, I thought of ways I could fill my time (courses, hobbies, vacations), but nothing too specific. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t get bored. Spiritually, it felt like it was time for a huge leap of faith and to just let God lead me into what He has for me. And then I quit.

I’m sharing all this to say that sometimes the signs are telling you to go on and break through and sometimes they’re telling you to quit. Specifically, if after all your attempts there’s literally no light at the end of this particular tunnel; it might be at the end of another tunnel. And that’s okay. It just means that there’s something better out there. This, too, is a victory.