Should I quit my job and do something new? Part 1: changing career, sector or digital nomad?

Thinking of changing your career, dreaming of working somewhere better, or desperate to go remote and move abroad? We talk you through it
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  • Should i quit my job and do something new part 1 changing career sector or digital nomad

It’s a lot to ask of your 16-year-old self, to correctly guess your lifelong passions and skills accurately enough to sustain you to the grave feeling like you have no regrets - let alone foresee changing market forces and rapidly evolving technologies 15 years into the future. 

We limit what we study and pursue at such a young age, that it is common to arrive at your first job, second job, even your fifth job wondering if maybe you should have done something else.

Forgive yourself, the world is entirely populated with people who aren’t quite sure they’re doing the right thing. 

When reaching a point in our lives where we seriously think of what to do next, we can get bogged down thinking about our ‘one true passion’ or our ‘authentic self.' There are near endless possibilities of selves we could be, some will be preferred and some will not. It’s better to discover through experimentation rather than being held hostage by an imaginary ideal.

Let’s take this lightly and see what future selves might be interesting to us and which might be worth pursuing. Let's commit to seeing what is interesting to us now and see where that might lead us because, by definition, it won’t be boring. 

Changing career

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Changing careers can be frightening, it can feel like accepting defeat, admitting you may have made a mistake or incorrectly judged yourself. Or more accurately, were forced to make a decision about the world before you had any knowledge about the world. This is not - as many self-help authors will tell you - a growth mindset. 

Firstly, forgive yourself for lacking the superpower of precognition, and recognise that doubling down on a career path that doesn’t fit you won’t make the problem disappear. There are many ways to look to move into a different type of role.

It is a fact that employers want a range of experiences and skills in today’s volatile and increasingly automated market. You may have just set about gaining the more boring experiences first and can now focus on what the older and wiser version of yourself might want to dedicate part or all of your life to. 

There are many options for building a portfolio of work and experience that demonstrate your passion and forces you into a position where you must show your skills in a different way, no longer simply relying on regurgitating direct experience. Creativity and standing out in a job search are vital, you can turn your disadvantage into your advantage. 

Take your armoury of transferable skills and look to see what will be the most fun and interesting way to make up for any gaps. We would suggest the following:

  • Volunteer a few hours a week in your preferred role to gain experience. This looks great on a CV showing passion, and pragmatism while also giving you real-world experience. Escape hosts a range of volunteering opportunities for you to see if there is anything that interests you. 
  • Consider retraining, this could be anything from courses on sites such as FutureLearn or Udemy to a University course.
  • Seek out mentors in your desired role or profession. Search for companies you love and get in touch to see if you can have a coffee with someone whose role interests you. Don’t underestimate how flattering this is and how much people enjoy it.
  • See if you can speak to your manager about your ambitions to change roles and see whether something might be possible internally at your organisation. They may be willing to pay for training or give you some responsibilities to build up your skills.
  • For more indepth research on changing your career see 10 tips when you think you need a career change, follow that up with How to craft your personal story for a career change, and finally how to rewrite your CV for a career change.
  • Finally check out our awesome Career Change Project Planner!

Changing company/sector

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Maybe your role isn’t the problem? Maybe you find yourself working for a company whose purpose you don’t connect with, whose culture is lacking, who can’t present you with progression or new challenges. All of this can make you feel like you don’t like your job. It’s important to consider which the main culprit is, do you want a different role or a different organisation?

If you decide that you want to leave your company or sector then there is really no time to waste in seeking a change. One of the mottos we live by here at Escape is, “life’s too short to do work that doesn’t matter to you.” You’re worth far too much to stay somewhere you don’t want to be. 

Now is the fun bit - there’s nothing more exciting than committing to leaving a job that’s been getting you down and seeing the exciting possibilities spring up before you! You broadly have two options here: 1) search from within your current job, 2) quit your job and search full-time. 

Both have pros and cons, and you have to balance them up with your particular situation. Applying for new companies while remaining in your role means you don’t have any added stress around losing income, though some find they lose momentum in their job search when balancing it around a full time job. For some, quitting outright and taking bold decisive action can give them a boost - especially if the job was toxic -  and allow them to dive into the new job search full-time, or take a little break first to rediscover a better headspace. The choice is yours but remember, there isn’t a right or wrong answer here, it’s whatever suits you best. 

Let’s look at some potential companies that may suit you better. If you’re coming from a corporate and are looking for something better, we strongly advise you to look at B corps. B Corps are companies that put their environmental and social responsibility on par with making a profit, and their responsibilities include you, their staff. B Corps are organisations that are connected to purpose and want to make the world a better place. Escape the City is a proud B corp, and we have a filter on our jobs board where you can see all the roles in B corps that are currently available, click here. 

Maybe you feel like you want to be even closer to the cause you’re interested in and are thinking about the charity sector. Some people are apprehensive about moving from corporate jobs to the charity sector. They may feel that they have become accustomed to large centralised organisations with spending power and high salaries. However, charities range in size just as private companies do, from startups to international organisations. Charities generally have better cultures and can have great opportunities to progress and take on greater responsibility. Ultimately if you are looking for more meaning in your role, you can’t beat B corp or charities. 

There are other organisations such as social enterprises as well. Despite how it can seem, the world is full of companies trying to make the world a better place and have fun doing so. Explore, stray out of your lane and experiment. Now is the time that you can truly see what is to offer and what kind of organisation you may want to join. 

Think where your skills and experiences could take you. If you worked in a bank consider working for financial charities, if you worked in advertising, there are so many exciting roles in marketing for B corps. Your pre-existing experience is valuable and not an obstacle in your quest to work somewhere better. 

Become a remote worker or digital nomad

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What image came to mind when you saw remote worker and digital nomad? Was it sandy beaches, rainforest lodges, ski resorts or a historic cultural city? The most appealing aspect of being a nomad is the freedom for it to be whatever you want it to be. It can be a career path to go alongside your aspirations of travelling the world or moving somewhere specific, or it could just be an experience you want to try for a couple of months, or it could be a way to gain a specific experience.

However, there are a few things worth considering before you buy your tickets and pack your bags.

Firstly, consider what you want out of the adventure. You could go abroad to work for so many excellent reasons, from career development to quality of life to ‘life is too short so why the hell not?’ Going outside of your comfort zone, into a new culture, learning a new language, and gaining skills you may only be able to gain in certain parts of the world are hugely impressive, but it’s important to know what the motivating factors are. It’s always a good idea to map out what success would look like. 

Secondly, work. Since the pandemic, there are more remote-jobs, as you all already know. However, remote jobs aren’t spread evenly across all job roles, the more general your role the more likely you’ll be to find one that allows remote working. The best advice is to set up alerts and look for remote roles on our jobs board. 

Despite there being a rise in remote jobs, it may take a little longer for you to land one than it might for a more normal office job. Competition may be greater, or the number of appealing roles may be slightly fewer, but persevere, if it’s something you want don’t give up. Bear this in mind and add it into the calculations. At Escape the City we host loads of meaningful remote jobs at the most purpose-driven organisations so you don’t have to compromise meaning or flexibility. 

Thirdly, it may be a great idea to start up an escape fund, an adventure fund, or a f**k off fund, whatever you want to call it! Our suggestion would be for you to have enough money for 5 months, saved in a separate emergency fund. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to save up this kind of money, but you do need to consider an appropriate and affordable safety net to ensure your adventure is a success. 

There will be other things to consider such as tax implications if you work for a UK company abroad, however, some countries (such as between England and Spain) have legislation to avoid double taxation. Some countries are creating specific Digital Nomad Visas, or you could look for work at a foreign company that would deal with tax and insurance for you. 

Working from abroad really can feel like a dream come true. The experiences you could gather can really make you stand out in a job search, but also more importantly and pressingly, enrich your life in the present. It’s tantalising and it’s possible, increasingly Escape are hosting more and more fully and partly flexible roles, so set up alerts and get dreaming!