Hacker Career Advice

Quitter’s Remorse

Last week, I told you about Sally, my friend who negotiated a higher salary & better start date for her new job.

Yesterday, she told me that she’d been feeling some kind of way ever since she gave notice. Sally wondered if she was giving up too early on her team. She worried that it’d be hard to switch environments, from agency to startup.

Sally was nervous that she was making a mistake, leaving a stable job at a company with thousands of employees for a small shop with less than 15 people.

This is really common. You work super hard to get a new job, you sign the papers, and then you spend the next two weeks stewing on whether you made the right move. And it doesn’t help when you’re surrounded by coworkers who treat you like a ghost.

Here are a few ways to prevent yourself from spinning out:

0. Wrap up your work, be nice to your colleagues, and don’t spend more time at work than you have to.

1. Take a mini vacay. Call up old roommates you haven’t seen in a while. Dust off your pottery wheel and throw a pot.

2. Do some retail therapy / get a makeover. Every time I accept a new job, I like to get a new outfit and a fresh haircut.

3. Think about how you can maintain relationships with coworkers that you’ve bonded with. You’re quitting the company, but you don’t have to quit the people.

4. Be humble. While I’m sure you made a lot of great contributions, you’re not indispensable. Your colleagues will fill your role and manage without you. Your departure will not lead to their financial ruin.

5. Remind yourself that work is supposed to be challenging. That nervous feeling in your guts is excitement, not fear.

So, go ahead and feel those feels, but don’t ever doubt your decision. You’re going to be great!