Two months ago I made the difficult decision to quit my corporate job.
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Quitting my corporate job was a scary decision to make because I had to decide if quitting was the right option for me.
Through months of asking myself questions and assessing my risks, I ultimately decided to take the leap of faith and leave my 9-5.
I understand that people have different reasons for leaving their corporate job and I also understand that some people love their corporate job. I am not trying to persuade you in any way to leave the corporate world. I’m simply here to share my experience of what helped me make the difficult decision, in hopes of helping others who are on the same boat.
Before I dive deep into what helped me make the decision of quitting my corporate job, I want to share my background so that you understand where I’m coming from.
My Background
I graduated as a Business Information Systems major from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where getting a job straight out of college correlated with success. The pressure of landing a full-time was constant through career fairs, networking events, and peers getting offers.
My initial major choice was Marketing, but I soon switched it to Information Systems because of a coding class I enjoyed (+ I knew it was a high paying industry). In all honesty, I think I let money and security trump my passion for marketing.
During my senior year of college I applied to so many positions, but it was hard for me because majority of the open positions for my major weren’t anything I wanted to do. While browsing I also looked up corporate jobs in marketing which were way more appealing. That’s when I knew that I actually wanted to be in the marketing industry. I just didn’t know how I was going to vouch for myself when interviewing for marketing positions since I didn’t major in marketing. Looking back, I definitely could have tailored my resume.
I went to career fairs where I ended up receiving an offer as a technology consultant in an accounting firm. I decided to accept the offer because:
- The pay was high for a new college graduate
- I liked the coworkers I interviewed with
- The company valued their employees and I saw opportunities for growth
- I wasn’t getting any other offers
- I knew my experience as a technology consultant would still be valuable in my career path
Although it wasn’t my dream position, I knew consulting was a well rounded position where you have the opportunity to wear many hats. That’s why I accepted my offer.
Leaving the Corporate World
To put it quite simply, at the end of the day, Technology Consulting wasn’t for me, and that’s ok!! I think new graduates need to hear that more often. It’s ok to not have it all figured out. Your chapter after graduating college won’t always be butterflies and rainbows, and if it is, that’s amazing. I love seeing other people thrive, which inspires me to achieve a happiness that these individuals are experiencing.
Does it get tough when I compare myself to others? Hell yes it does, but I try my best not to let that consume me. I’m a firm believer in individual paths, and that your success comes at different times than others.
It’s ok to take an unconventional path to your career.
Deep down I knew I wanted to pursue marketing and entrepreneurship. My experience at my first corporate job confirmed it. I don’t regret my first job at all. My coworkers and supervisors were amazing, I had good benefits, and the pay was more than enough. The only thing I didn’t like was the actual work that I was doing. I didn’t feel fulfilled. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my experience there and I have gained so much knowledge and have grown from the experience.
What’s My Next Move
I decided to take a gap year. This decision was made to pursue my dreams of launching my own fashion brand, work on my blog, and honestly to have a whole year to myself.
I wanted to take a gap year to find myself and purpose.
Is This Job Right for Me? Questions to Ask Yourself
1. Am I willing to seek other solutions within my position and the company?
I looked up other positions within my company that I could potentially move to, but none of them were appealing to me. Although I liked my company, I did not want to be in the accounting industry.
2. Can I see myself working here for the next 5+ years? Or in the future in general?
I honestly couldn’t. I’d think about other opportunities I saw outside of the company.
3. Do I have a passion stronger than the position I’m in right now?
While I was working my corporate job, I was also working on my fashion brand and blog on the side. I would stay up late nights and work on both during my lunch breaks. It became a point where I was imagining how I could take both passions on full-time.
4. How high is my risk?
I did a risk assessment where I laid out all of my risks if I were to quit my corporate job.
- If my passions didn’t work out, I would take digital marketing certification courses and apply to marketing positions. Corporate jobs were still an option for me.
- If I ran out of money, I could pick up a part-time job.
- My debt was paid off (you can read how I paid it off here).
- I lived at home
- No kids
- I’m so young!!
[Related post: Pay Off Student Loans Early | How I Paid Off $20,000 of Student Loans in One Year]
I didn’t have any high risk obligations. This exercise helped me visualize that quitting my corporate job wasn’t going to be the end of the world for me.
5. Am I happy?
This yes or no question really tested my character. I knew I was unhappy and I knew that everything was in my control. I started to become the person I didn’t like- constantly complaining and bugging my friends and family on what to do.
Something had to change and if it meant quitting my job, then that’s what I needed to do.
Choosing Passion Over Money
After asking myself those questions, I realized that it was riskier for me to stay at my corporate job. It was halting me from pursuing my dreams and staying true to my passions.
Through my experience I’ve learned that passion shines through, and I’m genuinely happy with my decision.
A quote that I love repeating to myself is:
When you take the leap of faith, the net will appear.
Everything is as it should be. Follow your passions and the rest will follow. If you’re interested in following along my journey through videos, I’ll be posting videos on my Youtube!
