Leaving Your Job Amidst the Height of a Global Pandemic

Striving for happiness is the most human thing that I know how to do. I hustle daily to find some semblance of joy within the work that I do. On that journey, I have encountered many ups and downs. I have found myself in many love/hate relationships with the jobs that I have had.

All of this hustle lead to me working at a job that I felt fit me almost perfectly in 2020. There was one issue, though. I was making barely over (Colorado) minimum wage, and my commute was forty-five minutes on a day with perfect weather and no traffic. This way of living was not sustainable.

It wasn't always that way, though. Before the pandemic, I was working two jobs. One was at the university I attended and the other position I mentioned (the forty-five-minute commute, which I'll refer to as Job A). It wasn't perfect, but it sustained me.

Fast forward to May of 2020. Job A had furloughed me, and my position at the university ended because I graduated. Those circumstances left me unemployed and making that good government money. Living off this money didn't last too long because I had to be actively applying to jobs to keep my unemployment benefits.

Luckily, before any random employers could snatch up my labor, Job A called me with good news! They were opening back up, and I was going to get my job back. I was ecstatic. I was ready to get back to work.

This enthusiasm did not last long. I quickly realized that having this job alone was not enough to pay rent, eat food, and pay off every other bill I am responsible for paying. I realized this when I spent three months with overdrawn bank accounts. These facts left me with an impossible decision. Do I replace this job with something closer, or do I find a second job?

I decided to part ways for two big reasons; one, winter was coming up, and that means having to make that forty-five-minute commute in snow, and two, I needed to be making more money to survive. That's when I found Job B. What I thought was the answer to all of my prayers.

Job B offered me some things that I have never experienced at any of my previous jobs. It provided a position that is Work-From-Home, decent pay, and a full-time schedule. I thought that I hit the jackpot, but I quickly realized I was wrong, and I was living one of my worst nightmares.

Job B lead me to one of the worst states that my mental health has ever experienced. Multiple aspects of this job put me in this dilemma. This job pushed me off the deep end (watch as I dive in). Every day, I would wake up to dread working. On my days off, I would dread falling asleep because it meant I was working tomorrow. This constant dread was not healthy.

Two months into Job B, I couldn't keep going. I committed one of the biggest sins when leaving a job. I left the job with no backup plan. Why? I did this because I knew that I was damaging my mental health in ways that were not worth any money. I also figured that if I made finding a new job my full-time job, I would eventually find something, and I missed my previous job.

All of this leads me to the present. I look to see if my previous employer from Job A is hiring any positions near me. Luckily, they are—two locations within a reasonable distance and my last location (which is hiring a full-time position that pays more than what I made at Job B). I applied to all of those positions and many other positions with other employers.

So, what did leaving three different jobs amidst a global pandemic teach me? A lot! Life is too short to dread every second of every day, and that sometimes you don't appreciate something until you are no longer have it. I feel like these lessons are things that we all assume but don't truly understand until we have experienced them.

Reaching happiness within your professional life can be quite tricky. As an artist myself, I have come to terms that until I can make a living through my art, I have to find at least a hint a joy in the work that sustains my living. Sometimes, taking risks and leaps of faith is what has you have to do to make sure you can thrive; however, that looks for you individually. It's okay to be afraid, but it's so important you don't let that fear hold you back. It's okay to put yourself first, even if that means leaving three jobs amidst a global pandemic just to feel happy.