9 Reasons Not To Feel Guilty About Quitting Your Job

The thought would have crossed your mind every once in a while. Even if it did not manifested itself from within your head, the people around you tend to unknowingly implant that thought in you… sort of like the Inception movie.

That thought I’m referring to is the evil thought of quitting your job.

So disturbing is this idea that just thinking about it can make you feel guilty. Let alone actually doing it.

Most of the time, this guilt over leaving your current employment stems from:

• how people will perceive your loyalty
• fear of losing friends you have grown close with
• thinking others will identify it as an act of betrayal in the first degree
• no able colleague will be able to take on your job scope

But really. There is no reason to feel guilty over handing in your resignation. Here are 9 reasons why.

1) You are most likely just a tool to your boss

As tough as it is to hear that, more often than not, it is the truth.

There’s no need to stick to a job for loyalty to a supervisor, manager, boss, or head of department, etc.

Do you think for a moment that your boss will not drop everything like a brick and move on to greener pastures if given the opportunity?

He will.

And you are currently just being used by him to get a step closer to that opportunity. That “loyalty” you are feeling is just some evil force he has created to manipulate you into working for him.

2) Your colleagues really don’t care

The same with your colleagues. They would jump ship as soon as a better job package comes knocking.

But they make you feel guilty by saying how much they will miss you when they really won’t.

What’s more likely is that they regret not finding a new job before you did. Because now that you are scheduled to leave, it makes their resignation a little more awkward as the department could be shorthanded in the short term.

In all likelihood, they want you to fail.

The ones who hide behind a thick facade just want you to suffer along with them. That’s why they are sad to see you leave. Someone who really cares about you would be happy that you have found a better place to make your living.

3) The business owner don’t even know you exist

The big shots sometimes come into the office to give inspiring speeches about how everything is about “all for one” and “one for all”.

If only they walk the talk by way of the pay grades.

You are most likely just an employee to an owner. And he is using you to beef up his personal bank account. He would feel no hint of sorrow for your leaving. He might even see it as a great chance to replace your position with a part-timer.

So don’t for a moment feel that you owe the owner one.

4) Your husband/wife is thrilled that you are leaving

Sometimes our partners really knows what’s best for us. For all I know, your spouse might even been bugging you to switch jobs for the last year and a half.

Even if you really feel guilty… and your colleagues truly feel chronic pain from the loss of your presence at the workplace, at least the person who is closest to you (your spouse, who else?) is supportive and happy that you are moving on to bigger things.

5) You get to take a long break with no work at the back of your head

The best time to go on an extended break is the period between your leaving of your current job, and the commencement of your new one.

No more worries from old job. And no worries yet from the new job.

Bliss.

You don’t have to think about the sales presentations you have to nail the week after, you don’t have to worry about insufficient time to draw up those reports your supervisor expects on his table every Tuesday, you don’t have to stress yourself over the hectic morning peak hour commute, and you definitely don’t have to spend another day pretending to work when you are free in the office.

Take this chance to go on a long holiday vacation. Or have you already planned one already?

6) It is not your fault that your current company is not attractive enough to retain you

If your current company continue to dwell on negative growth and slide down a financial slope, are you going to go down with it?

It is not your fault that your new employer is a more attractive proposition to you. It is not your fault that it is able to offer you a 50% salary increment. And it is not your fault that your new office is located an hour closer to home.

But it will be your fault if you did not take up such a good offer.

The current employer is not good enough to retain it’s staff. So you shouldn’t feel guilty about taking a step up in the corporate world.

7) You are 1 step closer to reaching the pinnacle of your career

Your career is a long journey that will take up decades of your life. Eventually, you will reach the highest point of how much the labor market values you.

By changing jobs now, you are taking an essential step towards your maximum income and work potential.

Are you really going to feel guilty over your own personal development?

8) You can finally be employed for what you are trained for

A huge portion of the workforce is structurally unemployed. This means that they are employed in capacities that they were never trained for.

So much for doing what you love, and loving what you study academically.

You see, when we were kids, the adults used to tell us to study subjects that we have an interest in. This is so that we end up with a job that we love to do.

Reality then sets in and organizations employ us for positions that have nothing to do with what we wanted to do.

Many people spend their careers in jobs and industries that they have no interest in.

This is why, if you have the chance to do something you love and earn a living out of it. You owe it to yourself to jump at it.

You can admit it. You hate your current job anyway. Especially if it’s a sales job.

You might never get a second swing at it.

9) You have always wanted to quit

Let’s be honest here. You had already entertained the thought of leaving long ago.

In fact, you probably had wanted to leave this shit hole for as long as you can remember.

Your efforts have seldom been fully appreciated by the management. Your pay scale is way short of what the competitors are offering. And you have been taking on so much tasks that are far beyond the scope of your job description.

By handing in you resignation letter, you are finally taking decisive action on your life. It’s a cause for celebration. Not for mourning.