Thinking About Joining the Great Resignation? Make a Plan First!

Maybe you’ve heard about the “Great Resignation,” the somewhat glamorized ambiguous movement of workers out of their current jobs.  Over the past year we’ve heard from a number of professionals asking, “How are all these people able to just quit their jobs?” followed by a frustrated, “I’d love to quit my job!”  With all the positive media attention around The Great Resignation, it’s hard to avoid the “grass is greener” mentality when your current work feels stressful and meaningless.   So, is quitting your current job the answer?  Well not surprisingly, the answer is a resounding “it depends.”  Without a plan for what’s next (paying your bills), quitting may not be the right move right now.  Let’s be clear on the fact that you can quit your job, and there are situations where quitting is the best option at the time.  Quitting your job is a major life decision, so just like any other big decision, you should seek quality advice and create a plan for how to proceed before you quit.   

Over 20 years ago, I quit teaching high school on a Wednesday at lunch time.  I literally just walked out.  I was 23, unfit for the job teaching at a private school that at the time thrived on unethical practices.  I hated it and wanted out.  I also did not seek advice and had no plan.  In hindsight, I probably should have finished the day, and maybe the school year, but sometimes our desperation calls for desperate actions.  Even with a master’s degree, I struggled for the next 18 months to make ends meet and find my next gig.  

If you’re to the point that quitting seems like your best option, don’t quit yet!  Keeping your current job is often essential for landing your next job.  As many recent “quitting” professionals are learning, most employers prefer to hire currently employed candidates.  A gap in employment can be a huge red flag to prospective employers concerned about burnout and longevity, and for many it may suggest inability to be effective in your work.  Employers may assume you were fired or asked to resign.  Keeping your current job while searching for another job eliminates these assumptions and makes you much less of a risky hire in the eyes of future employers.  And let’s be honest, most of us need our current income to avoid the life stress that no income would create.  The stress of finding a new job without an income often produces a greater sense of desperation leading us to accept a future job in haste that turns out to be worse than the one we quit.  

So, if you’re thinking about quitting your current job and/or searching for a new one, let us help you craft a plan for what’s next. In our next post, we’ll talk about ways we can craft our roles in our current work to rediscover the fulfillment we once found in the jobs and careers we once found so meaningful. 

Learn more about Halos Counseling.