Do Not Quit Your Job Until You've Thought Through These 4 Things

Careful points to consider before you tell them to shove it.

By Tess Brigham
Last updated on Oct 16, 2023

Photo: Monkey Business Images, sinseeho | Canva

Many of us have spent most of our lives in school preparing for a career we may or may not have experienced. Typically, we’re not adults yet when we form critical ideas about our lives and our careers.

Often, we’re swayed by parents, teachers, and our ideas of what career success should look like.

While the adults in our community may be well-meaning, our family, friends, and mentors might have a vested interest in our success, and they can significantly impact our ability to determine what is in our best interest.

Here are 4 things to think through before quitting your job:

1. Change isn't immediate

Feeling like things are “off” and finally recognizing you need to make a career change can be like a weight has been lifted off your chest. After realizing this, you might expect the rest to be pretty easy.

Unfortunately, change is not like you see in movies — it rarely happens quickly. Now, don’t let it discourage you. Rather than that, have realistic expectations of your career transformation. It is vital to your success.

2. You will likely have a fear of money

There are many fears people have when making any considerable change. This is especially true about career changes, as financial concerns cause us to feel destabilized. Money is the biggie, right? Money is about safety and is intricately tied to success. But, when money is bound with your feeling of security, as it is for many, making changes to your income can have a debilitating emotional effect.

You can reduce fear by creating a plan that allows you to pursue change without losing your safety net.

3. Support is essential

Look, your parents and friends love you and (mostly) want to support you. However, change isn’t easy for them either. It can be tricky for some people to understand. Some parents have spent tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund your education and get you on your feet. Remember, your parents, even the most supportive, are people too, full of emotion and fears and desires. They may worry if your career change will be substantially different.

For some, your friends are in the same field as you, so when you make a change, they might feel undermined or even threatened. Support from like-minded others, people who are also making a career change, is the best way to get support.

4. Quitting isn’t always the first step

After months of feeling miserable or just “meh” about your present career path, you may want to throw caution to the wind and quit your job immediately. You may decide to leave your job, running into your boss’ office and telling them, “I’m outta here!” but it is probably premature.

Rather than that, a career transformation or change is a process to help you explore what a meaningful career means to you, define what kind of career change is right for you, or (C) become aligned with your career change plan.

There’s nothing wrong with changing jobs or careers — it’s healthy. People can get into trouble when they quit their jobs without considering the above questions or believing, “If I only had a different job, then I would be okay.”