This is a question only you can answer, but I can help by telling you my experience and hopefully influencing you to do the same!
Since I left university, I was always stuck between the idea of getting a job and leaving to go travelling.
There was a huge part of me which wanted to move out and get my own place, drive a car and feel like I have my life together. The other part of me, wanted to travel, meet different kinds of people and make experiences across the world.
For the first part of my twenties, I chose the job. I learnt how to drive and although I didn’t live by myself, I still gained a lot of independence and got my first journalism job. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it a lot, but there was still a big part of me that wanted to experience more.
I ended up leaving this journalism job around 11 months later, a training scheme which resulted in me writing daily breaking news articles from a large but mainly unoccupied office in Manchester. I still lived at home, and I felt like I had gained enough knowledge that I could from that job. My motivation to continue had dissipated and I was genuinely eager to learn more (but not from them).
I always believe a huge skill is learning when to leave a situation that is no longer serving you- and I take that advice in many aspects of life.
However, deciding to leave that job, left me with a lot of anxiety. I was now in a place where I had no plan next. As we will discuss, I believe this is a huge trigger point for anxious individuals – we need to always be in control of our future (if you didn’t know).
I was desperately scouring the internet for opportunities, even looking into more journalism jobs as I did not know what I was really doing. I felt paralysed.
It took me a few weeks to alleviate these worries and put the focus back on myself. I knew I wanted to travel, and I knew I wanted to work whilst I did that.
I looked up journalism jobs abroad but with little luck I resorted to other areas. I aimed for a job where I could write in my free time and experience a life abroad whilst maintaining a balance. This is where I found au-pairing.
It was the perfect combination. I took a 2-month job in the French alps, where I would be working from Monday to Friday with my weekends free. This led to an extra four-month stint across Italy, volunteering and working some crazy jobs all whilst writing and doing some freelance work.
I felt free, and I felt as if I could do anything. My motivation peaked around this time and my creativity levels were higher than I felt a year before.
I have now come to realised, as an unemployed, trying-to-be journalist, who loves to travel (and it still scares me a lot) that the biggest pressure we face, is the one that we put on ourselves.
Answer these questions honestly from the top of your head, if you want a quick decision to be made then I am offering this simple guide.
- Will you regret leaving this job in a year’s time, think about everything it gives you (security, financial security, comfortability)
- Do you believe that travelling is a waste of time?
- Do you feel completely comfortable at your job and enjoy the people that you work with?
- Can see a gradual progression in this company and would leaving impact your career deeply?
- Is your aim to make your way to the top of your current company?
If you answered mostly ‘yes’ to these questions, then before making your decision I would suggest talking to other people and try to get a more informed decision.
If you answered mostly ‘no’ to these questions, then I would suggest you go for it!
If you want to chat about this more or related to anything we spoke about, feel free to drop a comment or message us on our contact page.