3 Reasons Why I Quit My Job During the Pandemic
When it’s too risky to keep your job
I wake up at 4:45am every Monday morning, and today was no different. But unlike every other Monday of the past year, today’s early rise wasn’t to get ready for my day job — it was to get ready for my dream job.
Yesterday was my last day at the restaurant I worked at, in downtown Austin. Don’t worry, I did it the right way. My boss was prepared for it, and I made sure things were okay. It was a good gig. It wasn’t hard; I loved my teammates; and the hours and pay were perfect for the transitory period my life was in.
So if it was so great, why in the world did I quit? Isn’t that… ungrateful? In times when millions of Americans — in the very industry I work in — have lost their jobs and incomes, why would I voluntarily end my employment?
Why?
Privilege
I mentioned how someone may think I’m ungrateful, considering jobs are scarce these days. But really, I did it because I was grateful.
I’m not a wealthy person (I’m more of a peasant). But I know how to manage money; and despite a meager income, I always made sure to save up a rainy day fund. I’m also single, without kids, not a homeowner, and don’t have a car (nor the expenses that come with one).
In other words: Apart from student debt, I’m pretty fortunate.
Some aren’t.
Many Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. They also have families to feed, and bigger debts to pay. I personally know several people in the service industry who are middle-aged, working two jobs to make ends meet, and have barely $100 in their bank account after their bills get paid. I couldn’t imagine the stress.
Relative to them, I’m in a great situation. Being privileged isn’t inherently bad, so long as you are aware of it and help others achieve it, too. So deep down, I’m almost a little happy. My freed-up hours will go to those who are trying to put food on the table, or get the medicine they need for their loved ones.
Danger
Of course, I’d be lying if I said altruism was the main reason I quit my job. It was also about self-preservation.
A lot of Americans are not taking COVID-19 as seriously as they should be.
Despite a concerted effort by government leaders to reinforce the importance of social distancing, I still see groups of people clustered together in downtown Austin. I see families of 5+ going out for jaunts — often counting seniors among them. I see people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s meeting up for running or cycling adventures.
And none of them maintains a 6-foot distance from anyone, unless a business forces them.
If need be, I regularly walk in the grass or the road to keep my distance, but I seem to be the only one. Just yesterday, no less than four different runners brushed right up against me while passing from behind, even though the paths were spacious and clear.
Friendly warning to runners: Next person who does this to me is getting a Bruce Lee cross-kick.
It got to where I was physically uncomfortable seeing all these people downtown. I’d get nauseous, or a headache. Or both. All from the ignorance — willful or not — by those who seem unaware of the situation.
COVID-19 spreads exponentially: Its cases double every three or so days. To reinforce this, our very own University of Texas released a projection model of how the coronavirus is going to hit Austin hard over the next two months. Austinites’ cavalier social strategy has put us behind the curve to where, in order for hospitals to not be overwhelmed, we will have to cut our daily social interactions by 90%.
Way to go, A-holes.
Ambition
After tackling privilege and danger, we arrive at the last reason for why I quit my job: Ambition.
“Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky
We all fear change. But that fear paralyzes some more than others. I guess I’m different — I’m stubborn. And part of that stubbornness demands that when I assign a task, that task must get done. And I assigned myself the task of becoming a professional UX designer.
Quitting my job opens an opportunity for full-time, intense preparation for a major career move.
Before, my study would largely be confined to the crack of dawn, two hours or so before I caught the bus to work. That, and weekends. With a service industry job, studying after work was out of the question — I became an early bird out of necessity.
But now? I control my curriculum. There’s no time crunch; there’s no reminder that I have to leave for work in 35 minutes. Nothing.
- NNG articles
- Case studies
- Design exercises
- Design tools
- Coding
- My portfolio
- My network
…all of that, with nothing else competing for my attention. What liberation.
But most important of all: There’s no excuse I can pull out anymore. If I’m not where I want to be, the buck stops with me.
And I like those odds.
I certainly don’t want unemployment to last a day longer than it needs to. But there are worse places to be. COVID-19 is set to wreak havoc across the nation, and people are realizing this far too late. Spoiler alert: It’s about to get a lot scarier.
In the meantime, I’ll be right here in my hobbit-hole, refining my UX engineering chops. If you’re interested, hit ya boy up.
