When is a good time to leave my job?

The lazy answer is that there is never a good time to leave your job. This is the answer that the "just do it" brigade will give you (trust me, I know, I'm often part of it). The trouble with truisms is that they're usually true. But the problem with this answer is that it suggests that if there is never a good time to leave your job, then there must never a bad time to make the leap either.

Of course there ARE bad times to leave your job...

1. You don't want to leave your job just before you're going to receive a bonus or raise that could give you more runway for your escape.
2. You don't want to leave your job just because you hate it - without a viable transition plan in place for what you are going to do next.
3. You don't want to leave your job for another job without knowing whether your new environment will be any better than your current one. Etc, etc, etc.

But the problem with these statements is that there is always a flipside.

See 1) above. The more you earn, potentially the more you are stuck in an environment that doesn't fulfil you. The notorious golden handcuffs. Waiting till you've saved just another XX,000 doesn't necessarily make leaving your job any easier. Our expenses tend to rise with our income which can trap us further.

See 2) above. Sometimes it is impossible to see, feel or think clearly when we're working long, stressful hours in an environment that is having a negative impact on us. Yes ideally you'd leave with a foolproof, risk-free plan - straight to running a sustainable startup or a new job on a great salary - but sometimes you need those empty spaces in between to reconnect with yourself and figure out your next move.

See 3) above. Loss aversion is a powerful force (the idea that you're so committed to your current path in terms of career advancement, skills or salary that you can't risk changing). The "better the devil you know" mentality can be just as risky as staying put. Fast-forward 10 years and the inevitable highs and lows of your life and career - do you think you will look back on today and wish you'd just gone for it?

All of this is kind of theoretical without examples...

This is just one perspective, but it's a useful one in the context of the title of this essay... I was recently talking to the CEO of a fast-growing, VC-funded tech startup. They've got a team of 15 and will soon be expanding to 30 people.

The founder came from the corporate world and transitioned across relatively early in his career. He was a high-achiever in that world and now he's kicking ass in this new world. He has been using Escape the City to recruit for his team (with some success).

He recently gave me some interesting feedback about some of the applications he has been receiving. It's slightly counter-intuitive. Essentially he said that although he has interviewed some really strong people, a frequent warning sign for him is someone who has stayed in their sector for a few more years than he would expect.

He justified this on a few fronts...

1. If candidates are as interested in tech and startups as they profess then he wants to know why have they taken so long to make a move. He argues that the people he is looking for already have half a foot in this world. They are too impatient to wait.
2. Each year they stay in their corporate jobs is another year that their skillset is getting less relevant to digital and startups and more calcified in corporate ways of working. He reckons the basic transferable skills from corporate to startup are acquired in the first 2 years or so.
3. Finally, peoples' corporate salary expectations rise yearly (as they do in any sector of course) which makes transitions-away-from-big-corporate harder by the year. Startups don't want MBAs and consultants used to theory and big budgets, they want scrappy doers.

This goes against the prevailing wisdom that you "should do at least 2 years in any job before making a change" (most Mums' favourite advice). This makes sense in as much as you don't want to seem like someone who can't get their teeth into anything.

You need to demonstrate that you can ship on projects, deliver to a high standard, and build strong working relationships with people. However, what if you know that you don't want a long-term career on your current trajectory? In this scenario, every extra year you spend without changing you are is another year that you're not building a reputation, a skillset and a career for yourself in the area that you do want to commit to.

If, like us when we escaped consulting to start Escape the City, you look up the ladder and don't see anyone you want to be like in 10 years time, perhaps you should think about cutting your losses sooner? For sure save as much as you can, wring every last bit of valuable experience out of the job, and make sure you behave professionally throughout your exit period - but, ultimately - if you know you want to be in a different area, don't saddle your CV with too much of what you don't want.

Sometimes it requires a leap.

Understandably there is fear of the unknown. It is irresponsible to advocate taking a blind leap. Escape the City is all about responsible, viable transitions. It's not about opting out - it's about dreaming big, ambitious plans for ourselves - and then doing.

The problem is (because you're human like the rest of us) you can't see how things are going to turn out and you expect the worst. And, because there's rarely a good time (and certainly never a perfect time) to leave your job, it's much easier not to...

"We’re extremely good at avoiding things that make us feel uncomfortable. So much so that our brain actually reinforces avoidance behaviour (even when the thing we’re avoiding is good for us)." - from a TedX talk I gave.

You're right to manage your risk but you're equally right to take a calculated leap...

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred..."

So where does that leave us?

Our motto is 'do something different' precisely because if you adopt conventional behaviours you can only hope for conventional outcomes. Think differently about your life and your career. Once you reframe the way you feel about some of this stuff you’ll find it much easier to make changes that you’ve previously been really blocked on.

We believe that the answer is to be found in learning, experimenting and networking.  Exposing yourself to new ideas, new experiences and new people is the best way of opening yourself up to new possibilities. Escapees often say they feel like fate is rewarding them for making the leap. We think the reality is far more straightforward, they are simply doing the scary work of trying new things. It is only through doing new things that you can hope to discover new paths.