Why did you quit your last job?
To help you appreciate why people sometimes quit their jobs, we asked professionals who have left one job or another this question to learn from their stories. From being overworked as a salaried employee to leaving to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, there are several stories that are typical of why people may quit their jobs.
Here are 11 reasons and stories these professionals shared regarding quitting their jobs:
- Overworked as a Salary Employee
- No Motivation to Go on
- The Manager was Toxic
- Enticed by Passive Income and More Freedom
- Driven Out by Burnout
- Realized Working From Home Is Better
- Didn’t Feel Challenged Enough
- Found a More Desirable Location
- Stuck in a Routine
- There Was Lack of Innovation
- Left to Pursue My Entrepreneurial Dream
Overworked as a Salary Employee
I had a good job as a network administrator. We managed a lot of smaller companies providing all their IT needs. I focused on managing servers and many of the tasks that needed to be done had to be done off-hours. This means a lot of nights and weekends.
It was a Friday during the summer and the weather was nice, so I decided to do a half-day and leave the office early since I worked over 55 hours already that week and was on salary. I let my manager know I was leaving early and didn’t think anything about it.
Then I got a call from our company owner, who was very upset because I hadn’t worked till 5 pm. That was the moment I realized that I didn’t want to work for anyone else ever again. I quit the next week and started my own business shortly after. I now have 18 employees and run a successful online dental manufacturing business.
Evan McCarthy, SportingSmiles
No Motivation to Go on
Sometimes all it takes is a lack of motivation to make you want to leave a job. In my case the job at the time wasn’t really a career, it was just work. Sure, it meant paying the bills but it wasn’t often that I actually enjoyed going. You can like the people you work with, or like the place you work in, but when the work itself isn’t doing anything for you, it’s pretty much clear that you’re going to need to find something else to do eventually. I left that job for greener pastures, both for myself and also because someone else who wanted the job would do a much better job of it than I would. The choice was good for me and good for my old company in the long run.
Boye Fajinmi, TheFutureParty
The Manager was Toxic
I left my last job because of the toxic manager. It was my first serious job in a digital marketing branch, so my experience wasn’t big. Therefore, I decided not to be ashamed to ask questions if I wasn’t sure about something. It’s nothing wrong with asking questions, right? My manager saw it differently. He got offended every time I asked him something and made me feel like I’m stupid. And not only that – he was constantly putting me down in front of other employees and clients. It made me feel awful and completely worthless.
Michal Jonca, Passport Photo Online
Enticed by Passive Income and More Freedom
I quit my last full-time gig because I started making a significant amount of passive income. I was able to surpass my 9 – 5 gig and free up my time to work on personal projects such as learning how to become a photographer and build out other online businesses that would help me generate more passive income. I now blog full-time, get paid to take photos of people and products, and get the freedom to travel the world and work on my terms.
Alexandra Tran, Schimiggy Reviews
Driven Out by Burnout
Organization in a company is extremely important. When every project becomes urgent and projects are extremely delayed, it’s difficult to find happiness in your role. Time management is essential in any role, and for some businesses, it’s a tough skill to master. This ultimately leads to burnout and decreased motivation, and then it feels like you’ve hit a breaking point. While it’s unfortunate, it’s something to look for in your next job interview.
Jodi Neuhauser, Ovaterra
Realized Working From Home Is Better
I worked as a social media content moderator for two years and I quite liked the job. For the last few months I worked from home, but then in June 2022 we were told everyone would have to return to the office in the next few weeks. While this was expected, it was also the final motivation I needed to leave my job. Working from home means that you don’t have to spend any time commuting or getting ready in the morning. In a big city, this can mean up to three hours more free time per day. Additionally, you can’t work the way you like in an office. If the lights are too bright, there might be nothing you can do about that. Maybe it’s too loud, but you just have to try to cope. Working from home is much more comfortable and it’s easier to concentrate. I hope I can work from home from now on.
Nina Joanna, Goals Calling
Didn’t Feel Challenged Enough
I didn’t feel challenged enough. That’s why I quit my last job. I’m a very driven person, I need to be challenged. I need to be pushed, and once I feel like I’ve learned all I can from a certain situation, I move on. This is one of the best ways to increase professional skills and never stop growing.
That’s why I always seek new learning opportunities and clash with new challenges. And that’s also why I’ll probably never stop working.
Because there’s always something new to learn, and there’s always room for improvement. So, if you’re ever feeling unfulfilled at your job, don’t be afraid to make a change. From my experience, the next work will be better because you are richer in the experience from the past work so that you can define your requirements more precisely. Life is too short to spend time doing something that doesn’t make you happy and challenging you.
Magdalena Socha, Passport Photo Online
Found a More Desirable Location
I resigned from my last job, not because I hated my employer or my manager; it was the opposite. I loved both and cried when I departed. I left to move closer to family and friends in a desirable location. I realized I was living to work and not living to enjoy life. My previous employer understood and told me if things don’t work out you always have a place here. That made me smile and from there I started a new career journey in a city I love.
TK Morgan, Tuesday At 1030
Stuck in a Routine
I’ve been stuck in the same role for over a decade. The challenge is gone and there is no room for growth anymore. The company offers a very limited chance of promotion. I was trying to weigh all the pros and cons of leaving. Having stayed within the same company for quite some time, it became my comfort zone. I had to muster enough courage to leave that job. One day, I came to realize that I had to do it. Or else I will miss the chance of getting another opportunity somewhere else. That was a couple of years ago and now I still look back at that day without any regrets.
Today, I am very happy doing a job that I love so much. It gives me all the rewards and benefits that I need. Most of all, I am very fortunate to be working with a company that allows me to grow in all aspects. I know I have found the right organization and I am so thankful for having the guts to leave my former job.
Laura Martinez, PersonalityMax
There Was Lack of Innovation
I quit my last job because I felt like they no longer invested in the end user experience. I would consider this a lack of innovation. The base solution had been built poorly in the beginning so instead of wanting to stay cutting edge, they had to go back to the foundation and repair it.
As a sales leader in technology, you are only as good as the product that you are selling. If your software has an outdated UI/UX design, it can be a major turn off to buyers that want to feel like they are investing in a modern tool.
If leadership had been invested in where the market was going, and had built towards that space, I might still be there. Product innovation comes from leadership. Steve Wozniak has often suggested that tech companies need a Chief Innovation Officer. That way you are building to where the market will be prior to your competition getting there. If you are at a company that has stopped innovating, and they are not listening to your suggestions, it may be time to move on.
Shawn Ryan, Techtopia
Left to Pursue My Entrepreneurial Dream
My goal of becoming an entrepreneur led me to leave my previous position. I’ve never felt comfortable working for someone else and being accountable to them despite having all the necessary skills and knowledge in my area. So, when working for my former employer, I suddenly felt the need to quit because I wanted to establish my own company. Soon after, I started the thing I had always wanted to do: I launched my website.
Billy Parker, Gift Delivery
