I am no noob to quitting a job and it has definitely gotten easier but I always feel an extreme amount of guilt. Here’s how I deal with it and maybe it can help you too!
First time “quitting” a job ….
I started my first real job when I was in high and worked there for many many years after. I was in the service industry (nail salon) so for many years, I worked with the same colleagues and clients (who came week after week for years) so I definitely had a real relationship with the MANY people that I came across there. I worked there full time during the summer months and part time during the school year for so many years so when I got my first “full-time” out of college in my field, I had to quit working in the nail shop. But it was so hard for me, so I ended up working my full-time 9-5 job during the week, and then I was back to the nail shop on Friday evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays (so that I could squeeze in all my clients). Then I slowly cut out Fridays. Then I cut out Sundays. And then I was working at the nail shop every other Saturday. For me, it was so hard to just quit completely, there was an overwhelming feeling of guilt that I was letting all my clients (whom, at that point, was like friends) down. I dragged it out for a good year before I finally said I can’t (and didn’t want to) do this anymore. Me quitting didn’t affect them nearly as much as I thought and they went on to find a new technician in no time at all.
It doesn’t stop there …
Even knowing that … I still couldn’t overcome my “guilt” when I quit any of my other jobs since then. But I’ve learned to take it more lightly and just keep telling myself that I need to do what’s best for me.
In recent years, with the pandemic and the “Great Resignation,” I’ve left a few more jobs and one of the best piece of advice that I was given was that the company I was with (or any company) wouldn’t even think twice if they were going through a financial crisis and had to lay off people because they’re just looking out for themselves, so as an employee and a human being, my only job is to look out for myself and take care of myself first. In my mind, I knew that, but only after hearing someone say that out loud, all of a sudden I didn’t feel as bad anymore. She was absolutely right, no matter how close I felt to the company, I was still just a number and a tool at their disposal, so really, I have no responsibility and shouldn’t feel guilt if I need to pivot and do what’s best for me. The lesson I learned from her is that at the end of the day, you have to look out for yourself because no one else has your best interest at heart more than you. Now, I still feel bad … well, I feel sad leaving behind all the relationships I’ve built with colleagues, but I try my best to leave on a good note and leave behind all the documentation necessary for the next person to fill my role and I don’t feel like I owe anyone anything or that I’m leaving them with all this work left undone (actually, if you think about it, if there was no work left to do, then they probably would have laid me off already).
