by Pavi Dinamani & Namrata Sirur
You’ve all gotten to that point in your careers — the one where you fantasize about running over desks, throwing papers around, and screaming, “I quit” in true Hollywood fashion! But just like that, you snap out of it and go back to the daily grind. So why do so few act on that urge to walk away?
We get it, it’s hard to just peace out without a plan. There’s so much societal, family, and financial pressure. Plus, what if you don’t find another job? Or worse, realize that you’re just as miserable at the new job you risked it all for? We’ve heard it all. But we wouldn’t be The 9to5 MisFits if we didn’t offer up some actionable advice and good feels. In this video, we help you identify the right (and wrong) times to quit your job, so here goes:
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- It’s affecting your mental or physical health: Yes, some jobs can actually get that bad! Plus, the average person spend 8-10 hours a day at their workplace, which is a significant chunk of your existence. So if you dread the thought of going to work each and every day, it can suck the life force out of you. Wouldn’t you rather devote that time to a job you actually enjoy?
- Toxic work environment. There could be several scenarios here. Maybe you’re at a company that’s a sinking ship and upper management is under immense pressure that’s filtering down to the rest of the office. It could also be workplace politics or in extreme cases, sexual harassment, verbal abuse, or bullying from a boss or coworker. All of these are blatant red flags, so heed the warnings and get out!
- There’s no more scope for growth. If you’re at a job where you feel completely underutilized or hit a plateau in your growth, there’s nothing wrong with moving on. That could mean looking for other opportunities within the company or switching companies or fields entirely.
- Personal reasons. We’ve both quit jobs in the past to relocate for our husbands when our situation or jobs were more flexible than theirs. And in turn, they’re now supporting us as we work to get our business off the ground. There are a whole host of personal reasons that would require someone to switch jobs or quit. Everyone’s situations and priorities are different, so if you have to take a step that’s in line with your values, ain’t no shame in the game.
- When you can’t afford not to. To clarify, we’re not advocating quitting without a plan. It’s always advisable to have another job lined up, or a plan for how to spend your time/money when unemployed. BUT, sometimes, the desire to do something is just too strong to ignore. In our case, we decided to quit our former nine to five lives and explore our creative and entrepreneurial side because we felt it was now or never. We didn’t want to risk never scratching that itch and going through the rest of our lives wondering “what if.”
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As desis, we’re especially prone to being risk-averse in our careers and falling prey to “log kya kahenge” syndrome. But if you’re at a point in your career where it seems like you’ve hit a wall, take the time to think long and hard about what changes you can make. You’ve got this!
Have any questions, comments, stories of your own? Or just generally need some advice about your career or immigrant things? We’d LOVE to connect with you, so just shoot us an email at [email protected].
The 9to5 MisFits is a YouTube duo made up of 2 best friends, Pavi Dinamani and Namrata “Nammy” Sirur, who happened to be unemployed at the same time for different reasons. Realizing that there was so much comfort in having a “buddy” to navigate this uncertain phase with, they decided to give others a virtual buddy in the form of their YouTube channel and create a support system and encourage an open and honest dialogue about unemployment.
