I Want to Quit My Job — Is it the Right Decision?
“I had a really bad day at work.”
“My boss was so aggressive towards me, and I have no clue what I did to p*** him off!”
“It’s been a year since my cost savings plan was implemented in the company, but no one cared to appreciate my effort towards this. I’m extremely disappointed.”
“What? He got the promotion I’ve been vying for over two years? How? I’m the most eligible candidate, with the most experience in the company. How could they do this?”
“Another year of hard work is gone down the drain. My company said there will be no hike this year due to the pandemic situation.”
Do any of these statements sound like your situation at work? If so, I bet you entertained the thought of quitting your job at least once. Well, you’re not alone. There are 1000s of employees around the world who experience the same problem year after year, and continue to trudge on in the company only because they don’t know what they would do if they were to take action — that is, QUIT.
Let me answer the dreadful question upfront and then give you some illustrations to support my answer.
The short answer to the question — “Should I quit my job today?” — is a resounding NO. Unless…
- You have a secondary income stream sufficient to cover your monthly expenses if you were to quit today
- You have a stash of cash in your bank that will allow you to survive for at least 3–6 months while you decide on the next steps
- You already have a side business that is raking in the profits for you
If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, go ahead and quit. Start or continue your business and experience success.
However, for most people reading this article, this may not be true. You may not have that side income to replace your full-time salary. And that becomes a problem. Remember, your day job is the one that’s been paying your bills and other monthly expenditure. If you want to continue to pay the same bills (Netflix, house rent, phone, gas, electricity, groceries, etc.) even after you quit, the first thing you should make sure is that you have the money to pay all this after you quit. Don’t depend on the final settlement from your office. That will not keep you going long.
Now, for those of you who are bent on quitting your job regardless of the situations, I would urge you to read the rest of this article and understand what you can do (or should do) before making that big decision.
My Story
A few years ago, while I was at a dinner party, one of the guests struck a conversation with me and enquired about my job and field of work. He was a businessman and settled in the Middle East. After he heard that I was a digital marketer and was working in an MNC, he simply said, “It’s time to start your own business, man”. I laughed it away but agreed that his comment made a lot of sense.
After all, though I was working in an MNC, I was working late into the night, missing play time with my two growing boys, missing family worships every evening, unable to have meals together with family, feeling like I was meeting my kids only on the weekends (by the time I came home each night they were asleep, when they went to school in the morning I would still be sleeping), and missed many more such small joys.
I wanted that freedom to set my own times for work, spend time with my family, and help my children enjoy childhood with their dad present. I made my decision to quit my job — but not without having a plan like I mentioned above. I had money saved up over the years to help me support my family for at least a few months. I had plans to start a drop shipping business — and that would get me enough revenue to sustain my lifestyle. I quit my job.
Advice for You
Like I mentioned in my other article, you need to have the knowledge to start your own business and the skills to implement the strategy. Guess what? Your company is the best place to start acquiring these competencies — for free! If your organization is a learning organization, they would surely have a training plan in place. This would give you access to the basic skills you need for any situation — Analytical and Decision Making, Business Communication, Presentation, Negotiation, Excel and other Office products, industry vertical-specific trainings, etc.
If you have completed all these programs already, then good for you! If you haven’t, plan to attend and complete all these courses before you decide to quit. Remember — knowledge is what equips you, skills are what profit you, and attitude is what makes you.
So, after you completed these programs, go to the next step. If possible, start setting up your side business simultaneously. This may be difficult given that most companies have a policy stating they cannot be working in any other establishment while in employment with them. But who said that you joined a separate establishment when you’re doing something of your own, right?
One of the easiest side businesses to start is Affiliate Marketing. Note: this is not an MLM or referral business. The process is not difficult and if you are able to invest a little time apart from your regular work hours you will be able to easily set up a business that will run on autopilot. Once you’re sure that the income you’re receiving from this substantial and sufficient to replace your regular income, it’s time to finally quit.
I want to share with you a checklist that will give you a step-by-step blueprint of what you’ll need to do in order to set up your business fast and get ready to quit your job. Get your checklist here.
Summary
- Don’t quit your job if you don’t have sufficient resources to support you for at least three months.
- Take up KSA (knowledge, skills and attitude) courses at your workplace, or invest in them elsewhere before quitting.
- Set up your business, ascertain it is successful, and then make your decision.
I hope this article has given you sufficient information to make that informed decision. Don’t be hasty. Everything has a time. Be patient. Upskill yourself. Then, get ready to make your mark.
Good luck, and I’ll see you in the next article.
