I Joined The Great Resignation, Do I Regret It?

I never finished college. I have in total about three years under my belt but never crossed that finish line to graduation. I knew that to find a decent-paying job, I would have to hustle or have some connections. So I chose to hustle. And for the past eleven years, I have been through my share of jobs hoping to eventually find something that ignited some sort of passion within me. All I ended up finding was what would come easy to me, and that was restaurant work. I loved the fast-paced atmosphere of working in a kitchen. I loved seeing meals and dishes come together after putting in the physically hard work. I hated everything else about it. The standing on my feet for up to fourteen hours a day, many times without more than a ten-minute break to shove any form of nutrients into my body, and maybe, if I was lucky enough, I’d even grab a sip of water too. Always working weekends and every holiday except for Christmas Day and Thanksgiving. Those guests who truly believed with every fiber in their being that the customer is always right no matter what. Nevertheless, I carried on and worked my way up.

I started as a cashier, learning the ins and outs of the menu and perfecting my customer service voice (if you have ever worked in customer service you know the exact voice that I am talking about). Then I became a line cook and eventually learned every position in the kitchen. The next step was getting promoted to shift leader. I guess people tend to see a leader in me, however, I have a hard time seeing it in myself. After the shift leader promotion, I was on to become the assistant manager. My next and final stop was my promotion to assistant general manager. The final step would be reaching the general manager position, but I was not interested in doing that.

I hated my job. I hated everything about it. As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, I have a hard time delegating tasks to people and usually ended up just completing the task myself. I was overworked. I was miserable and needed a drastic life change. So, I quit my job.

I won’t bore you with the details of what led up to my quitting, as I’m sure my situation is very similar to others who have quit their jobs. But unlike in the past when I left one employer and found another in a relatively short period, I planned to remain unemployed for the next three months. My last week of work happened to be the week before Thanksgiving, and I made sure of that on purpose. I intended to enjoy the upcoming holiday season, something that given my profession I wasn’t usually able to do.

I’m sure many of you who have worked retail, food service, or any type of customer service-related job understand when I say that the holiday season brings out the worst in people. Don’t get me wrong, it also brings out the best in some people. SOME PEOPLE. NOT ALL PEOPLE. So you could say that I was more than ready to spend some mostly stress-free time away from the hustle and bustle of a commercial kitchen and instead be at home surrounded by some of my favorite people.

I acknowledge that being able to quit your job and not have any source of income for three months is a privilege that many people will unfortunately never experience. Even though I was only in my position for a little less than ten months, I was lucky enough to have a decent salary of $47,000 a year before quitting. I have no dependents, I rent a house and split the expenses with my live-in boyfriend, and I was able to consolidate my debts into one personal loan which greatly lowered the total amount of my monthly bills. Because of this, I was able to put away a good chunk of my monthly income into a savings account, something that I had never been able to do before. The living paycheck-to-paycheck struggle seemed to be behind me. Until I turned in my resignation of course.

Fast forward eight months later, and what have I learned? Do I regret quitting a job that gave me a guaranteed weekly paycheck of about $700? How have I managed to get this far and still have plenty of free time and plenty of money? What do I plan to do for my next career adventure? The answer to every single one of these questions is a huge resounding… I have no flipping idea!

Not quite the insite you were looking for? Sorry, but I’m just being frank with you. No bullsh*t here.

Some days, I do regret not having the steady income stream of a decent check every week. I’ve been working part-time since February, about 15 hours a week, so I’m making some money but nothing close to the amount I was making before and it’s not nearly enough money to completely cover my monthly expenses. But I’ve been making enough that if I decide to go out to the bar on a Friday night and splurge on a hot and steamy bowl of veggie ramen at one of my favorite local places, well I won’t feel so guilty about it. But I have never once regretted quitting that job. Not once have I wished that I was back to working fifty hours a week.

I am currently surviving on the last chunk of my savings as I am writing this. I have about a month of expenses left before I’m forced to find another life-sucking full-time job. I’m hoping that it won’t have to come to that, but sadly that is the reality that I am facing. With the inflation of nearly everything, my money seems to be slipping away from me at an even greater rate than before. My future is still up in the air, but that's okay. I’m embracing my ever-changing path and working hard to cultivate the type of life I dream of living, which does not include working 40 hours a week.

In conclusion…

No, I do not regret joining the great resignation. It was one of the best decisions that I have ever made.

If you’re miserable in your current position and have the means to take some time off and enjoy just being, then I highly recommend that you do the same.

Quit that awful job, and start enjoying your life.