Why quitting my job was the best thing I ever did

In life there will always be moments where you hit a crossroads whether it be in your job or relationships. For me that time came a few months ago when I had a full-time job marketing and had been running my blog for about a year. My blog was doing well, I’m not saying it was booming but I was happy with my progress in the year and knew this was something I wanted to pursue even if it wasn’t moving as fast as others. My job on the other hand was a great opportunity for me to learn more about marketing as a career, I had finished university with a degree in events management and had always enjoyed the marketing aspect and was aware that it would be a hard to get a “proper” marketing job without a marketing degree so about a year ago, I accepted this job.

The salary was good for my first full-time job and I had learnt so much in the role which I could apply to my blog however, I didn’t enjoy the environment and found myself waking up every day dreading going to work and trying to figure out a way to not go in. At this point I was facing a crossroads in my career. On one hand I had my blog which I had only really just started and wasn’t getting paid for but I knew I loved doing and on the other I had a job which was paying me a comfortable amount of money that I hated going to, my parents have a Thai restaurant which I could pick up shifts at but I would be going from earning around £380 a week to £120-150. Up until this point I thought I was a very money oriented person and the fact that I knew I would have to rely on myself to somehow upkeep this lifestyle of going out for dinners and going on holidays (which are probably my favourite things to do) on this minimal salary, was making me lean towards staying in my full-time job.

Then I had a moment. I sat down, talked to my parents, my boyfriend and friends to go through my options. The only thing I was concerned about at this stage was how I was going to afford to upkeep my content on my blog and Instagram. It was a hard decision but I thought there was no time like now where I would be able to actually have the luxury of doing what I love; I was living at home and not paying rent, I had already paid off my holiday to Bali and my parents had a restaurant that would still be giving me some form of income. So I did it. I took the risk and I handed in my notice…

The weight that was lifted off my shoulders when I did it confirmed to me it was the right decision.

Since then I have been so much happier in my every day life. The money cut strangely hasn’t impacted me quite as hard as I thought and I definitely didn’t have any savings but you do spend within your means (it was an adjustment don’t get me wrong). I have more flexibility to go on restaurant visits or launches between shifts and it’s forced me to be more proactive in trying to find ways to do this full-time. I’ve been lucky to have met a group of bloggers who have been so helpful and taught me ways to uncover new opportunities to increase exposure and also keep me on track instead of giving in and looking for another job straight away. I think it’s hugely important to have a good support system in times like this so you don’t freak out.

I know not everyone will be living at home and a lot of you will probably have something you need to save for or rent to pay but all I can say is if you were like me and waking up every morning with that cloud of doom, you need to get out. These kinds of feelings can sometimes lead to anxiety – I don’t ever really suffer from anxiety but I did have moments where I would feel really anxious walking in to the office dreading what mood my manager would be in or how to handle the 70 requests I had gotten overnight.  I’m also a strong believer in the fact that it is easier to get a job once you’re unemployed so if you are thinking of leaving but not pursue a career in blogging like me, having the flexibility to interview when you like and not have to make up elaborate doctors excuses will make life so much easier. There are so many jobs out there and yes it will be hard but as cliche as it is, nothing easy is worth having.

I can safely say that quitting my job was the best decision I ever made and the only thing I would do differently the second time round is save more money instead of leaving with -£250 to my name (I bought my MacBook, no regrets). We spend a large amount of our lives at work and it’s a waste to spend it somewhere we hate. I truly believe that money isn’t everything and sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith because it will all work out in the end.