Exit Plan: How to Quit a Job

It was just another typical Monday when my boss called me into his office. But as soon as I walked in, I could feel the tension in the room. I knew something was off.

“Himanshu,” he said, “I know you’re talented, but I have more experience. We don’t work on our terms. You come when you want, you leave when you want, and you don’t follow orders. You have to change this attitude”

My boss was right. I wasn’t following the unwritten rules of office life. But here’s the truth: I did not want to.

Because I don’t follow stupid rules. I don’t believe in hierarchy. I respect people, not positions. And I certainly don’t fear anyone.

But my boss is not the reason why I want to quit my job. I have a government job, and the benefit of that is, you can say fish you to your boss and still keep your job.

The reason I want to quit is more personal. I’m under pressure to get married, and let me tell you—it’s not just women who get objectified. I realised it when potential in-laws asked me, “Do you have a permanent job or is it contractual?” Then I thought, Have I really worked this hard just to be judged on my job?

It takes a lot of gut to come and deliver a speech here. I don’t want my worth to be measured by my job. So, I had this brilliant idea: If I quit, maybe no one will want to marry me!

But jokes aside, the real reason I want to quit is that a job takes a part of you in exchange for money. Now that I’ve become independent and financially stable, I feel I can take the leap and I should do it before starting a family. I believe that an unemployed person has more potential because he can become anything.

Good morning toastmasters and dear guests, let me walk you through how to quit a job—step by step.

The first step is to do your job well. If you can’t survive in your job, you can’t survive as an entrepreneur because it requires more hours, dedication, and discipline. Doing your job well builds your bank balance, reputation, credibility, and network. It will be useful when you venture into business. For instance, if I asked my boss for ten lakhs, he would trust me because he knew that Himanshu do what he said he would do. You may get your first customers from your immediate network.

Let’s face it—expenses never decrease; they only go up. You are not going to downgrade your lifestyle. You’re not going to ask your parents for pocket money anymore. People now expect things from you. Clear all your debts and stop buying things on EMIs. It’s a cliché, but you need to save 6-12 months of expenses before quitting your job. This financial cushion allows you to focus on your next steps without the stress of immediate money worries.

Now, here’s where things get tricky. Figure out what you are going to do. Educate yourselves. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure what I’ll do after quitting. That’s the downside of a job—it doesn’t leave much time for long-term thinking. I have some rough ideas. I will do something related to the internet, fitness, or content creation. But I need time to figure that out.

The key to quitting your job is building a bridge between where you are now AND where you want to be. That bridge is your side hustle. Whether it’s freelancing, content creation, or starting a business. Use your spare time— evenings, weekends and holidays to build it.

Set clear milestones for yourself before quitting your job. For example, clear all your EMIs. Get Debt free. Get medical insurance. Save the emergency fund. Start earning from a side hustle. Quit your job only when you’ve reached your set milestones. Hitting the milestones will give you a sense of confidence and propel you forward.