5 Lessons From Quitting My Job Without a Plan

I still remember the sleepless night after submitting my application to become a registered Biomedical Scientist. I was confronted with the idea that once they accepted it, I would be "stuck" in a profession I didn't want for the rest of my life. Not able to bear this thought, I went to work the next day and withdrew my application. People could not believe that I would dare to be so brave, or maybe it was reckless to pass on such a great opportunity. However, I never felt more sure, and little did they know that I would dare to be even reckless five months later and quit my job with no real plan.

The first day in February was the first time the thought of quitting my job came to mind. I spent the whole month talking about it with two people and praying. I prayed so much. I walked around with my notice in my pocket for an entire week. It was such a difficult decision to make because the only concrete plan I had was to work bank shifts at the hospital, but this plan came crumbling down mid-March after Boris Johnson announced that vulnerable people had to shield. I went from thinking I had time to my last day at work real quick (I didn't even get to say bye to everyone), just like that, I went from having a plan (if you can call it that) to no plan.

This was a difficult time. I remember sitting on the bus that day, looking out the window with tears in my eyes like I was in some movie. I was confused, but after some encouragement from a friend, I picked myself back up and decided to be productive. Here are five lessons from the whole experience. These are notions that you have probably already heard of before. Even the Bible tells us there is nothing new under the sun. So I write not to teach you something new but hoping it will galvanise you to change, to do that thing you have always wanted to do.

Lesson 1: You have the power and freedom to choose life

People say life is short, but boy, it's also long! I agree that time passes by so fast sometimes; I mean, it feels like we just started the year, but Q1 is now coming to an end. Some days may feel short, and others may feel long, but every day is to be lived. Life is a compilation of many choices we make and continue to make. I may not feel like it, but my job is a choice. Even if I am only doing it to pay the bills, that's a choice I made. I spent nearly four years of my life just letting life happen to me, feeling lost, not really knowing what to do and tbh I still don't know sometimes. One thing I know is whatever I do, the choice is mine. Everything may not work out, but every failure only sets me up for a different victory. When you realise that you can choose, you acknowledge that you have some control. I have met so many people in my working life that make statements like, "I didn't want to still be here after seven years, but I am still here because I had no choice; life just happened". I agree; sometimes life happens (I mean, look at what Covid-19 did), but when life gives you lemons, you still have a choice and can decide what you want to make with it. Lemonade, lemon pie, lemon cake, you may have to go out and take some cooking classes, pick up some extra skills, pop to the shop to pick up some additional ingredients, but the choice is always yours. Whether you stay in bed all day or you choose to be productive, it's up to you. So what do you choose to do today?

Lesson 2: It's okay to change your mind

Society will tell you to pick one thing and do it well that you shouldn't be "A jack of all trades a master of none.." but they won't tell you the complete saying ends with "..but oftentimes better than a master of one."

Yes, it's good to be good at something and do it well; it's also good to recognise that you could be good at other things too.

People are much more loyal to their degrees than they are to themselves.

It's okay to have studied science and realise that you want to work in fashion. I have friends that studied psychology; one is now running her own business, and the other just completed her master's in audiology. I also have friends that studied accounting and are accountants, and they love it. You don't have to stick to what you know; it's also okay to explore what you want to know. We don't have to spend 50, 60, 70 years of our life living a life based on a choice we made when we were 17. As we grow, we change; as we change, we want different things, and that is okay.

When I was 17, all I knew was science, but I always wondered if I would also enjoy accounting and finance or tech. I remember thinking, how can I know what I want when there are so many options. So over the years, I started exposing myself to different things, from photography and filmmaking to investing and finance, by attending Youtube University. I realised I enjoyed a range of things. Now I work for a tech company as an Associate Automation Engineer. Only God knows what I will be doing in 10 years.

We live in a constantly changing world, and we have to learn to change with it because if we don't, we will be left behind and find ourselves playing catch up. Ask yourself, what would I do if I lost my job tomorrow?

Lesson3: The good and the bad don't last forever

After 2020 I don't think anyone needs me to tell them this. We have seen stories of people losing their jobs during this pandemic and people getting jobs. 2020 birthed a rollercoaster of emotions. Whether good or bad, no situation lasts forever. Many thought their jobs were secure, but the pandemic showed us otherwise. My aim is not to mock or negate the depth and reality of everyone's experience but more as an encouragement to take control to hold on to lesson one. We have the power to choose. No situation is guaranteed whether you have a job or you don't. Dave Chapelle said the pandemic has everyone stuck at home with their choices. What kind of choices are you stuck with? Are you living the life that you want? Even if you were and that has been taken away, what choices will you make now?

Lesson 4: Don't serve money; let money serve you

Had I not quit my job, I would have received at least 80% of my pay while staying at home as someone on the shielding list who could not go to work. I "lost" over £10 000 or at least it looked like a loss to many, with people saying, "Had you known you would have just stayed, and they would have been paying you". There were times when it felt like a loss to me too, but as the months passed and looking at where I am now, I know that it was not a loss. I know that I would not have been as driven towards change if I had been getting that money. I may not have done the 12-week AWS Bootcamp with Generation, leading to where I am today. I may not have a story of how I switched careers in the middle of a pandemic. Even though it was a lot of money, I would have been getting paid for "doing nothing"; however, I would probably still be working there today. I would have money, but my life would still be the same.

Now I have a job that I love, and I get more than what I was getting paid before. But it's not about the money. The lesson is the paradigm shift, the realisation that something is only a loss if I don't believe in my ability to make it again or even make more. The focus should never be money but the skills you have what do you bring to the table. How many rooms can you walk into and add value? The sad thing is many people would make a lot more money if they stopped chasing it. I know where I am going, and money will not hold me back. Don't focus on money but be the best you can be!

Lesson 5: People will not always understand, and that's okay

Some people can only see what they believe, and some only believe what they have experienced. So people may not understand you and the decisions you make because their experiences and beliefs are different to yours. Only you can see out of your own eyes, so only you can see your vision. People may laugh or think you are crazy, but that's okay. We should seek wise counsel but remember, sometimes people will not be able to advise you on what does not make sense and certain decisions though right, may not make sense. Mindset is also very important to consider I have learnt that people's mindsets are very different to mine so I am actually more aware of who I share certain things with. Not to avoid truth but to know that what they share isn't coming from a place of fear and "this is how things should always be done" but a place of freedom and awareness that there are many ways to go about things.

There is so much more I could write about, but the aim is not to fuel your procrastination by having you sit here reading what I have to say. I hope this was able to help someone, remember you do have some autonomy over your life.

Love Heike Faith Adex