One Year After I Quit My Job

I’ve always heard the expression “A lot can happen” In a year and have always somewhat given it a nonchalant “cold shoulder” as it was mere words that would go vapid into a black hole.

I can proudly say I have lived this expression and can proudly say it is in fact … true! It was around this time last year that I got up from my first “Agency Job” as an Account Manager and walked out of that office and never looked back.

One Year After I Quit My Job | The Real Truth

Lorane Rhoden

It was during a regular Monday meeting, after coming off of a 50% salary decrease due to COVID though we didn’t lose any clients and did the same amount of work. We were over worked, underpaid and of course undervalued. I was burned out, tired and had a feeling of dread overwhelm.

To be clear, I began planning my exit strategy and was giving myself until March but things happened sooner than I had anticipated. I was also lucky enough to walk into another job that following Monday so it wasn’t one of those unplanned quitting situations. There are a few things I’ve learned that I would like to share, should you find yourself in a similar situation.

5 Things I’ve Learned

Quitting is Mental Before Physical. When you decide to quit your job, your brain already made the decision due to signals sent that you are or have been frustrated and unhappy for a while. Actually leaving, is a physical manifestation that indicates that the action is complete.
It’s Ok to Quit Multiple Times: One thing I’ve noticed is the stigma around “job hopping” or being a “serial job hopper”. There is always the question of “why” and the concern of whether or not you can be deemed as reliable. The goal is always to find purpose and fulfilment so if the job does not provide that, you should start looking for that elsewhere.
Quitting is a Privilege: Believe it or not, there are people who are in horrible, awful work environments who might not be able to leave for a variety of reasons. A few of the most popular reasons is that they have responsibilities like mortgage payments, a family and debt. If you have none of these named above, note that you are privileged and should not take that for granted and you should not force this on anybody else as you are not aware of their circumstance.
You will find Something Better: As it is said, “where there is life, there is hope”, so no matter how helpless or “dark” things might seem, you will find work again. It is important to have money coming in to ensure your bills are covered so it is ok to look into other areas that you might make less, but you are happier. There are even some people who are able to create opportunities for themselves, so the ball is literally in your court at this point. Also, get some rest if you can as your mind and body needs it.
It’s Ok to Ask For Help: I struggle in this area as I don’t want to be a burden to anyone. There will be that “in between” time where you still haven’t found a job, but the bills are still coming in. This is the time to ask for the help of family and trust worthy friends. This help can look different for everyone and can be as simple as having someone watch the kids for a few hours or eating dinner at a friends or family member’s house who you trust and know will have your back. Always ask for help and never suffer in silence.

Conclusion

Quitting a job is never easy, but staying in a toxic environment is detrimental to both your physical and mental health. Things get better after time and will there are certain parts of the journey where you will struggle, but will help you to grow as a person..

As for me, I am happily employed while I continue to build my personal brands to hopefully matriculate out of working for a company and for myself.

Let me know in the comments if you ever had to quit a job and how you were able to navigate through that new time in your life.

#One Year After I Quit My Job | The Real Truth

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