Why I Quit My Job

I just finished watching an episode of the TV show “The Office” and it started me thinking about how and why I quit my previous job. 

I imagine my story isn’t all that different from yours if you’ve ever left a job you were unhappy with.  If I had to guess, there were probably some changes that made the job less enjoyable or even totally unbearable for you.  It got to a certain point where you were unhappy enough that it was worth the effort and risk to leave your job and find something new.

It was no different for me. The small and innovative software group I started with was absorbed over time into the much larger parent company.  The resulting job left me miserable all day long, or at least 90% of most days, and I knew that I had to make a change.

Change or Die?

Our world is changing faster with each generation and if you can’t adapt to things that come your way then life as you know it will die.  That sounds kind of dramatic and honestly it’d be much simpler if things didn’t change so quickly but it’s something we all have to deal with. 

For example, let’s say your company decides that you need to start traveling around the country for one week a month to respond to changing market conditions.  The first thing you have to decide is whether you’re willing to leave behind your life one week out of each month.

If the answer is no then you’re in a potentially maddening position.  If you can afford to quit your job and find a new one then everything is fine.  However, if you can’t quit for financial reasons then suddenly you’re forced into living a certain way that makes you unhappy.

Freedom to Choose

When life changes and puts us in situations like this we sometimes describe ourselves as feeling stuck or trapped because we don’t feel like we have any options.

We really want the freedom to be able to choose but if our financial situation removes most of our options then we can get really cranky.

While not having options does sound depressing, the good news is that if you prepare yourself then you should have options when these inevitable life changes come your way.

Better Times

Thankfully I was able to quit my job because we had done the prep work over the previous several years.  My life is so much better now than it was a few years ago but I feel badly for the people that are still working at my old job. I actually go into a lot more detail about how it all played out and the people left behind in a story called Life’s Too Short for a Crappy Job.

Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

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