I have the kind of job that sounds like a dream. It’s in a field I’m passionate about, mostly remote, and pays better than I ever thought I’d make.
Two years later, I’m leaving. I’m burnt out. I don’t even really know what’s brought me to that point to be honest, but it’s visible to everyone that my attitude is suffering. A couple of weeks ago my boss basically told me it’s a common topic of conversation that everyone thinks I’m unpleasant and that it’s unacceptable that I don’t want to attend staff get togethers outside of working hours. Some of that I think is fair – I’m direct in how I talk to them, especially when I’m unhappy about something, and to be fair I’ve never totally understood how they decided what should be in a private vs. public slack channel or in a DM. Some of it I think is bullshit, though, because if the point of staff get togethers is appreciation, then I wish they’d respect that I feel unappreciated when I’m asked to hang out with coworkers and chat about work on my days off. The burnout has reached a tipping point, and maybe I could stick around if I felt heard in my job or if there was opportunity for growth, but that’s just not the case.
So today I accepted a job in a totally different field. I’ll still be engaged in the field I’m so passionate about it some way, but I want to do it as a volunteer rather than making it my whole life. Now I’m going to be doing a job that I can compartmentalize from more effectively, that pays well, and is fully remote. I’m nervous and scared about making such a big change and getting into something I don’t know much about yet, but I definitely feel like it’s the right decision.