3 Surprising Realizations After Quitting My Job

Celebration, Shock, and Panic were not among them.

Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash

Earlier this week, I quit my job without another job lined up.

Ironically, the last two articles I’ve published online were about the ‘Great Resignation,’ so you could say the topic was pretty embedded in my mind. The decision to resign wasn’t a sudden “eff you, I quit” moment. Rather, it was the culmination of several months of reflection on what I want to pursue next, as well as the opportunity to realize a dream I’ve had for years to go out on my own to pursue a living.

I’ll admit, I feel pretty privileged to even be in this position.

I’ve diligently saved money over the years, don’t have a family to support, and am very fortunate to have no debt hanging over my head.

While my decision to resign never felt more right, several realizations I’ve had since giving notice have surprised me. It hasn’t all been a major celebration. In fact, I wonder if that moment will ever come as I prepare to serve out my 4 week notice.

Here are 3 of the most surprising realizations I’ve had since resigning.

1. Giving notice feels like death

This may just be a product of having to give notice on a Zoom call rather than in person, but I didn’t have a feeling of jumping for joy when I ended the call with my boss after giving notice.

Instead, it felt like part of me had died. I’d given 2.5 years to my company and was proud of many of my accomplishments there. In fact, my philosophy of “Human Centered Messaging/Work” stemmed from us always putting our employee’s happiness first.

While I’m excited to move on to my next adventure, it means the closing of this chapter of my life and career and leaving the best aspects of it behind does sting.

2. You’ll reflect on the good more than the bad

Instead of reflecting on the negative aspects of my job, I’ve focused a lot more on the positives over the last few days. I essentially built many of the company’s compensation practices from the ground up and ensured managers and employees understood them. I’ve worked…