Thoughts About Quitting Your Job.
The Great Resignation is one thing, but why are we scared of having one too many jobs listed on our resume?
I like to think of myself as a generalist. You know, someone who dabbles in multiple projects, dipping my feet deeper into certain subjects but always leaving the door open to new experimentations. Sometimes, this type of attitude is referred to as being a polymath; personally, I think it’s just a result of being curious and getting bored fairly easy (I wrote about this topic in a previous newsletter, check it our HERE).
Often, this way of being makes people seem professionally volatile and only superficially involved, however there is no other way I’d rather be.
As a result of my never-ending list of things I want to try, I have had several jobs in the span of a short time period (2013-2018 were my most prolific years).
As a consequence, every time my resume requires a refresh, I end up having to brutally erase older gigs to make space for sexier ones.
In the ten years I have been part of the international workforce, I have had around eight or nine different roles, so quitting is something I am very (that’s an understatement) experienced at.
Now, I am aware that if you are reading this and know nothing about my career trajectory, it will sound like I am a liability for any recruiter.
However, if you are a potential client or employer, do not take this the wrong way; I am 100% reliable while doing the work. Matter of fact I am more reliable than most.
At director level, I am still open and eager to get my beautifully manicured, chubby hands dirty and pack boxed when needed. I am down to sweep the floor and polish tables. On photoshoot sets, I make sure everybody is fed and takes the right amount of breaks.
I am quite strict about overtimes too.
To prove my point, here’s a little example. Last year, ahead of a big product launch, I spent days packing and shipping a never ending amount of bags all by myself because interns were busy doing other stuff; I took care of the DHL shipping bills too. I even hand wrote each and every note that was accompanying the gift, how many marketing directors do this?
As a child of somebody who could potentially have had a totally different outcome in life, I am accustomed with the popular adage “hard work makes the dream work”. Actually, this saying is firmly stamped to my prefrontal cortex.
There is no shortcut to professional fulfillment, it’s all about intention.
Sure, nepotism is a thing but there are ways around it if you know how to network and socialize with the right people.
Earning my stripes and learning the ropes of the industry when unpaid internships were still the undisputed norm, menial tasks are not below me. I am a boomer’s dream employee!
I thrive under pressure, I love deadlines. I wake up at dawn and show up earlier than everybody else because I prefer it that way. I am willing to stay longer hours when needed (please note well, WHEN NEEDED) and I definitely never go to the office to socialize unless the assignment requires it.
I am available to work on weekends, because what’s time anyways, and I take pride in what I do, therefore I never leave anything to chance.
Additionally, I am a firm believer of keeping my friendships separated from work because when I leave the office, one thing I absolutely do not want to spend my time doing is discussing more work.
As somebody who has mostly been active in fashion, after work drinks with your friendly co-workers always turn into a prolonged unofficial meeting about how delayed deliveries will hinder every process that, for once, seemed to finally go as planned–especially if your title holds any weight. No thanks, I am here to wind down.
For this reason–and due to my commitment to go to work to to actually do some work– I do not believe in open plan offices either. I think shared desks are the downfall of productivity.
How am I supposed to be able to think, write and come up with viable solutions if Lola and Anita (made up names for the sake of narration) keep gossiping about their weekend escapades from two desks over? Obviously, I want to chime in!
To my utter disbelief, in my last corporate job, my desire to get work done instead of taking a gazillion coffee breaks with my colleagues was seen as “lack of collaboration”, but who really speaks about work during those moments? You guessed it: nobody. Often, to deter any potential small talker, I would pull my hoodie up over my headphones and blast whatever soundtrack I was currently obsessed with loudly enough to hint at the fact that I was in my zone and I’d prefer not being disturbed.
It served the intended purpose well, but it definitely decreased my score on my mid-year review (can we collectively agree that mid-year reviews are dumb? What is this, school?).
This remark always shocked me as I thought I was hired to deliver results instead of being part of a sorority group but hey, what do I know.
For urgent matters, they could always Slack/Teams me. Isn’t that the purpose of these internal chats anyways?
Anywho, the fact that I quit pretty much every job I have ever had (except for one, but I was about to quit anyways, and no, I was not fired) should not raise a red flag because I am one hell of a hard worker with plenty of references to support my argument; I just don’t know how to be complacent and quietly sit in my comfort zone for too long. I despise complacency and outdated approval processes.
I work best when I am able to take charge and be accountable for mistakes which, in my opinion, is an outstanding skill given the fact that most people wouldn’t be caught dead having to admit to having made a mess and would prefer blaming it on somebody else.
In the workplace, I don’t like safety; I love risk.
I love to push boundaries, jump through hoops and be radical. Unfortunately, not many jobs allow this. Even the creative industry–that mythological field everybody thinks is so rebellious, avant-garde and freeing–is not as daring as people may believe; I won’t open the chapter about fashion because, well.. I don’t want to break hearts.
Fearlessness is rarely deemed worthy of reward in fields where financial results are tightly tracked; KPIs and return on investment are the main characters, and rightly so.
Without monetary success there would be no company, however in order to create a better, more exciting establishment, we must support those people who are willing to tear walls down.
Paddling against the tide is the only way to move forward and foster innovation.
Even, especially, in the creative industry, many are the promises of change, little is the actual change.
Quitting1 is rarely promoted—it’s demonized—as a positive trait in workers because it is also never looked at through the right lens.
For example, I never quit a job because I was against capitalism nor because it didn’t offer great benefits, definitely not because I was lazy or underpaid.
For one, I would lie if I said I am against capitalism (do not hold this against me, I have an explanation. Just not on this post) and I would also be lying if I said my bosses made my life hell while paying me crumbs.
Obviously, working for other people is never a walk in the park or a fairy tale, but I have been quite lucky in my journey to “success”; my managers were, for the most part, supportive and understanding and my salary was always satisfying.
My reasons for resigning–and I wish people in positions of power/hiring looked at it this way when vetting a resume–were always better opportunities or the plateauing of my learning curve. In my opinion, these are two fantastic reasons to move on even if your time at a company wasn’t long.
If one of my employees came to me telling me they received an enticing proposal and were considering quitting, I’d deem that a success because it means I trained them well enough to be in demand.
I would also happily recommend them for new positions in the case their role became stagnant or I couldn’t afford to promote them..crazy, I know.
I think people can only perform to their best ability, and thus be beneficial to an enterprise, when their workplace conditions are stimulating and rewarding.
Unpopular opinion but it is true that everybody is replaceable. Sure, the next person will not have the same ideas or exact same set of skills as you, but when it comes to work–at least in my industry–no amount of talent will subsidize your unwillingness to adapt and speak out when things aren’t going well.
News flash! Like a faulty relationship, an unfulfilling job will not get better with time.
Once you have exhausted all excitement for the role and ticked all the boxes that made you choose it in the first place, only change will pump your energy back to a decent level.
This goes for companies too, don’t think you are spared. If you don’t offer continuous growth and nurture curiosity, your best employees will Marie Kondo your ass.
Let me tell you a secret, the fastest way to expand your paycheck and responsibilities is job-hopping. Promotions don’t happen fast, even if you put your head down and play the political game.
Every other viral LinkedIn post tells us this, yet we are still afraid of doing what’s best for us because it doesn’t look good on our resume.
Personally, I can confirm that taking a leap of faith and ditching seemingly good positions for the unknown has increased my earnings way faster than people who have been at the same company for ages. “But that’s unfair!” you may say.
Well, companies increasingly need to convince good candidates to join because Millennials and Gen Zers are fed up with archaic workplace standards; obviously, they do not need to do what with somebody who is willing to stay without that extra incentive. Therefore, as a potential new hire, you have the upperhand; you have the power to negotiate better and bigger salaries as well as benefits.
I have often been asked why I stay at companies for a year or two, never longer, when interviewing for a new position.
While this question may sound daunting, it does not scare me because I value curiosity and ambition as two of the greatest assets a person can bring to the table, so if a job stops feeding my curiosity or interferes with my ambition, I know it’s time to go.
I believe the question should sound a little more like “What can our company do in order to retain you?”. The answer is quite simple: keep on providing me with opportunities to grow, learn and experiment.
Over the past two years, especially in the USA, so many people have found the courage to quit their safe, dead end jobs and create something of their own.
Many of my friends have broke free from the shackles of corporate work, and many are pondering if it would be the right choice.
I don’t know if it’s because we are growing up and coming of age, or if it’s the uncertainty of our time on earth, but it seems like people have collectively reckoned that the time is now.
And as I walked out of what was once my dream job to step back onto the shaky grounds of independent work, I asked myself this questions: is it better to fail by trying to do it, or to fail by not trying at all?
When done for the right reasons.
So it’s not only me!!! It’s science that says open plan floors are bad for work!!
“Years worth of scientific research suggests an open floor plan leaves workers stressed, burned out, dissatisfied, and overall worse at their jobs.”
https://www-businessinsider-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.businessinsider.com/why-the-open-office-makes-you-distracted-exhausted-and-insecure-2014-4?amp