When you find your dream job, you don’t want to leave it. You spent all your time and effort finding the job and are now enjoying every minute of it. The thought of leaving is unimaginable because you are doing what you love for a living.
However, there may be a time when you may be asked to leave your position or consider leaving the job for something else. When this happens, how can you quit it without feeling any regrets?
My Own Experience
I confess I am an extreme workaholic. I feel immensely satisfied whenever I give my all to my work. I don’t feel tired when working, especially if I am given autonomy and empowerment at work. I can be at my work desk at the break of dawn and only shut down my laptop at twilight. Yes, it is an unhealthy lifestyle to many, but I was enjoying, deriving happiness and enjoyment from my work.
So for me, to give up my career at one point was painful. Painful might not be the right word to describe because I felt heart-wrenching and despairing. However, it was the right move for me. Without stepping out from my career, I will never have a wonderful life partner and two beautiful children.
If you noticed that I am using the present tense, I know my inner self is still a workaholic. If I want to, I can release it one day, but for now, my attention and focus are needed somewhere else. And I still feed my workaholic self through freelancing projects.
Here’s how you can do it:
Be true to yourself At the end of the day, you must be valid when deciding critical decisions, such as leaving your job. While it is true that your decision can affect the company and your team, if you know that you are doing it for yourself and your growth, you should go for it.
Be clear with your reasons for quitting Identify three significant reasons for leaving the position and stick with it. More than three reasons can open opportunities for people to talk you out of quitting and increase your doubt about your decision.
Practice When you identify why you are quitting your dream job, practice saying it out loud until you feel confident. If you want to ensure you are on the right path, ask family and friends to listen to your practice and give points on how you can improve.
Do something to make your decision official Before you announce that you are leaving your dream job, do something to make your decision final. For example, clean up your desk and finalise all your remaining work. It would be best if you also showed your colleagues that the move is final so they, too, can adapt to the new changes in the team.
Speak to your manager While you can speak to your manager electronically, you should make it a point to schedule an in-person meeting with them. When you talk to them, file your departure letter detailing your reasoning for leaving and what you have done to finalize your departure. You can also use this time to thank them and reiterate that you are set to go.
Adapt to accept Once you leave, you will experience many emotions. You may feel shocked, deny you left your dream job, depressed and angry. But, once these emotions go you and you start to become calmer, you can slowly progress into acceptance and move on to your next career.
Leaving your dream job is never going to be easy. However, when an opportunity to explore something new comes along, you shouldn’t let it go, even if it means leaving the job you genuinely love and worked hard for. Sure, it won’t be easy at first, but preparing yourself in advance will get easier. You never know; you may even be surprised by the discoveries you will see once you move.
Here are some help to resign a job you love: Writing a Resignation Letter 6 Ways to Professionally Withdraw Your Resignation What is the One Thing Your Company did that Made You Resign?
Can’t get enough of MiddleMe? You can find me sharing my thoughts here as well: Instagram @kallymiddleme Twitter (MiddleMe_net) FaceBook (MiddleMe.net) LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/kallytay
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