Becky, 30

Quit her journalism job to level up and feel more valued

“I’ve had lots of jobs throughout my career and have very rarely stayed in one for longer than a year. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that despite what career gurus may have said, leaving a job after less than a year is not going to shun you into unemployability. I’ve never had a recruiter ask why I have had so many jobs. In fact, many hiring managers have said they value the range of skills and experiences I’ve been able to learn from different roles. So don’t be put off. Up until my last day in my old job, I felt undervalued. I walked right into a new job with a £15k pay rise, way better benefits and a gorgeous new office. Always remember to put yourself and your needs first, no matter how long you’ve been in a job.”

Sally, 34

Quit her role on the executive leadership team of a PR agency to start her own business

“I quit my last role after just nine months – there was a highly toxic culture and I just thought ‘I am too old for this sh*t now!’

“I’ve been freelance for 13 months and it is the best decision of my career – maybe my life even! I was lucky in that I had some clients ready to rock, but greed got the better of me and I said yes to two more that just weren’t right for me. My advice would be to find your niche and stick to it rather than spreading yourself thinly – it just becomes stressful, unmanageable and you won’t enjoy your work, which is supposed to be one of the main advantages of going alone. My other advice to anyone thinking of going freelance is to take advantage of all the training in your current place of work. Even if you don’t think they’re relevant for you at the time, you never know where the skills may come from. For example, I (regretably) did not sit in on some pretty basic SEO training in my last job, which would have been so helpful to have now.”

“I quit my job and came to regret it – here’s everything I wish I’d known beforehand”