I have no career at 30 — and that is okay!
What happens when you trade your career for self-discovery
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At the ripe age of 28, I quit my job.
Before that, I was a privileged 28-year-old with a CPA designation and a decent paying job as a finance manager in real estate.
That used to be my identity. Of course, I had the quarter-life crisis that every millennial seems to have.
That crisis started at 23 but it never left me. I was convinced that just like everyone else, my quarter-life crisis would disappear soon.
2018 had been a tough year for me. Despite a lot of personal milestones and celebrations that year (My husband and I got married, and we bought our first condo together), I was in a fragile emotional state.
I was dealing with the death of a friend/co-worker and I was in a job that was stressful — one that I only later realized was also toxic for my mental well-being.
Why I Quit
Before we got married, my husband and I had set a dollar milestone of when I could quit my job. We anticipated it would be the summer of 2019.
I would take the summer off, and try to figure out my next steps.
But three days after our wedding, in August 2018, I walked into work and I felt this feeling in my heart that this was not where I should be — physically. I felt a sense of urgency, that this was the wrong place for me, and I needed to get out now!
I had this nagging feeling that I had already been pushed over the edge and there was no way I was going to survive another year hanging from a cliff.
There was no way I could show up to work every day without falling apart. My work had already taken a lot from me. And I had nothing more left to give.
I felt burned out.
So I made the decision I thought was best for me.
On the following Monday, I walked into work and told my manager that I was leaving with 3 weeks' notice.
I had no plan B but I knew that I could no longer spend my days, evenings, and weekends dedicated to work.
