I quit my well paid 9-5 career to take a part time hospitality-retail job. Here’s why.

I’ve always loved the idea of New York. A place that’s been romanticised in countless movies and TV shows, the city that never sleeps has an allure like no other, and I’ve wanted to experience life in New York ever since I read a cheesy romance novel about it when I was 12. 

The niggles started at the end of 2019. It was September time (ish), and I was back to work indefinitely after a couple of weeks of fun solo travel and theatre shows. I suddenly had this real big want to go and live in New York, to experience more of what life has to offer, and... well, eating my porridge at my desk at 8am, in a cold, ageing office with a leaky roof, replying to a passive aggressive email from a co-worker I hadn’t even met, in a town that didn’t have much going for it... wasn’t where I wanted to be anymore. 

By this point, I’d spent seven years of my life dedicated to my career and, if I may say so, I’d done pretty well for myself. I was 25, had a £13k pay rise in the space of 18 months, and was now in a management role that I’d loved up to that point. 

So, I decided that 2020 was going to be the year I went to New York. I was going to keep my head down, work hard for 6 more months, and then leave in April to go and live out my dream.  

We all know what happened next. 

Covid. Lockdown. 2 years of not being able to go live out any dreams. 

I got off lightly with the lockdown period and I’ll be forever grateful for having just moved into a beautiful apartment with outdoor space with my best friend. We made the most of a not-ideal situation and spent that time making each other laugh, singing (badly, in my case) in the living room, ordering our favourite take-out and watching RuPaul’s Drag Race.  

However, I really struggled working from home. I’m someone who works best in busy offices and coffee shops. I need background noise and people walking around and talking to each other in order to concentrate. I know it sounds ridiculous to some, but it’s something that’s always worked for me. 

Suddenly, I was at home, in my bedroom, two steps from my bed, in complete silence with the only background noise being my flatmate’s shuffles to the fridge.  

Don’t get me wrong, I was incredibly grateful to still have a job, when countless others were being made redundant or furloughed, we were suddenly busier than ever. I was fully aware of how lucky I was, and I realised that there was nothing else to do in this period than work. So, I did. 

By August 2021, I managed to get myself out of my bedroom and into a co-working space which helped massively. There were suddenly people around me again and my work - and how I felt mentally - got loads better. 

So, I made a new plan. September 2022. That was going to be when I’d quit my job and go to New York for 3 months. I could save all year and then be in New York for my absolute-favourite-brings-me-nothing-but-unbridled-joy time of year: the last of Autumn and Christmas. 

And then, as the time got closer, a close family member was taking a turn for the worse and it was clear they didn't have that long left earthside. I struggled with it back and forth while continuing to decide on my accommodation, setting the dates, choosing the flights... but I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt if I was the other side of the Atlantic when they passed. 

So, in August 2022 I decided to cancel the trip and stay on as I was. Working the same job while working out what my new exit strategy could be. It wasn’t just an exit strategy for the job I was working, but more an exit strategy of the current life path I was on. 

 Ever since those niggles in 2019, I’ve realised that I want a different life than a 9-5 desk job with one or two holidays a year. Not more, not less, just different.  

I want more time for me, less living by someone else’s schedule and more freedom. I want to travel more than I’m sat still. I want more time to work on my own projects and business ideas. I want to be able to go for a walk in the sunshine at 11am or not have to eat a sandwich at my desk because someone has thrown a meeting in my diary for 12.30pm. 

I want to prioritise my mental and physical health over a fancy title or salary. I want to be surrounded with people who share the same values that I do, whilst also learning from their journeys and stories that are very different to mine. 

I wanted to quit chasing the career others thought I should chase and start chasing happiness and joy instead.  

It’s now been 11 years of working non-stop at career stuff. And, there’s never been a time where it’s just been my job. The first four years, I had professional exams for revise and study for in my evenings and weekends. Then, I started a personal blog which I devoted any - and all - of my spare time to. After this, I launched Girls in Work and devoted my non-work time to empowering other women at work through social media, podcasts, blogs and events. And then, last year, I signed up (and recently graduated from!) a UX/UI Design certificate, for which I had to complete 81 assignments in 10 months and – you guessed it – all in my own time. 

I was tired. 

I knew that I just needed a break. Not a week, not two weeks, not a month, but a proper break. I felt tired, I felt burnt out and I was crying more often than I should’ve been. My friends could see it, and I knew it deep down, I needed a massive change. 

It was a change I’d been threatening to make for some time, and I made a pledge to myself that 2023 would be the year I finally did it. I owed it to myself. 

And so, here we are. I quit my well-paid 9-5 career for a part time job in a coffee shop, and I couldn’t be happier. 

I know that some people won’t celebrate this step with me, and some will see it as a massive step backwards, but for me, I’ve just catapulted myself forwards. 

I no longer feel stuck or lost. I have much more time to work on projects that matter to me and that I’m passionate about. I don’t resent work anymore. I feel like I suddenly have control over my life and my future again. I feel like I’m back in the right environment and headspace to really fulfil my potential and share that with the world. 

I don’t regret any job or time I’ve worked over the last eleven years, particularly the job I’ve just left. My confidence has grown exponentially and I’ve learned SO much about life and business. My boss was – and still is – an incredible mentor who I’ve always felt ridiculously grateful and privileged to work for, and I will carry, and learn from, every second of those years and experiences with me for a long time. 

Here’s to following your joy, unexpected adventures and a future full of gratitude. 

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