Quitting Job isn't as Cool as we Make it Sound

In November-December 2017, I was doing an internship at Orient BlackSwan, Hyderabad. As much as I loved the work-environment, I hated the idea of being there from 9.15am to 5.30pm. I hated the idea of restraint. I felt caged although I was completely free within the walls of the office and had unlimited access to coffee. While doing my rounds in all the departments, I got a chance to interview a marketing executive who was in charge of briefing me one afternoon. He seemed friendly, so I asked him about how he ended up at OBS. Earlier I had interviewed one of their cartographers who was kind enough to tell me his journey from civil engineering to cartography. When the marketing executive completed his story, I asked him, ‘if not this job then what would you have done?’ He laughed at my question. He said, ‘I am a Tamil Brahmin. I should want to start my own business, but I am content with this nine to five job, the company takes care of my family, I would never trade this job for anything else. I never felt the need to. I don't have any passion as such. I am a very simply person.’ I was flabbergasted. I did not know how to register that a person is content in/with his job and wants to do nothing more.

I also remember that during the first week of my internship, I called my parents to tell them that I am not meant for a corporate job, I’d rather write a book that I wouldn’t read, become a bestseller in India and never worry about a job again. It was of course a joke but immediately after I uttered those words, I felt guilty. So, I added lightly that Papa has given me the privilege of choice by trading his dreams for a job, so I should use it wisely. I always feel guilty about underestimating my privilege or taking it for granted. In my father’s case, the onetime he considered changing jobs, I was diagnosed with cancer. So, that didn’t happen and his company did take care of my medical bills. 

Every other day I read the news about how someone quit his/her job to pursue his/her dreams. I know that it's in news because the person was successful. I also read about unemployment. Every time I read such news, I wonder about the belt between these two extremes – the ones who quit but aren’t successful. I am sure a census of this belt will be more uplifting or demotivating than the other two. In my case, I had many many many reasons to quit my job at Kriti Prakashan, but the only reason I did quit it is because I knew I had a strong financial and moral back up. I knew that my parents understand my reasons, in fact they were the ones to suggest quitting before I considered it.

Cooper in Interstellar (2015) says, “Murphy’s Law doesn’t mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever can happen, will happen.” I think this applies to everything, if we can do something, we will do it. If we cannot, then we will not. ‘Want’ is just a romanticized version of the morals or judgmental view of things inherently built on age old conditioning of our minds. For example, I can commit a murder, but I will not because my morals stop me from doing it. As long as my morals are important, murdering is not a choice. So, not murdering doesn’t make me great, it just makes me socially sane. 

What I am trying to say here is that, as much as we try to think of quitting a (corporate) job as a choice, most likely it is not. If it were, instead of complaining about these jobs, people would have already quit. And, if people in large numbers would have quit, then an alternate power system would have already replaced the corporate system. I know about five friends who are working right now. For two of them job is simply the next step after college. One of them truly enjoys what she does. Another has given in to the luxuries of corporate instead of focusing on side effects simply because she doesn’t want more from her life. The last one however is unhappy in his job, wants to quit but wouldn’t, simply because in this moment he cannot.

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If I were to be honest, then I do miss having a purpose as simple as going to office and sitting at a desk for nine hours. I remind myself everyday that a sense of freedom was more important while I was working. Most people get married, have kids, and a lot follows. With so many changes in one’s personal life, the person might actually want a stable professional life or a stable income. For the ones who question the convention, exercise the choice that most people don’t have, personal life might actually be stable enough to experience the risks outside.

I have heard the story of how my father bought a pressure cooker for his house with his first salary numerous times. I hear him talk about how much he could buy in Re 1 as a kid and how those things are expensive now. As much as I love his stories, I get annoyed by the comparison because a lot has changed, globalisation has happened! But, the fact is that if I were to build my own life from scratch, I would be thinking about all those things that he talks about. But, what did I do with my first salary? I bought books that I haven’t read seven months later. I do not think that it’s a matter of difference in generation because I do remember worrying about spending hundred bucks when I was almost broke and was expecting my company to settle my dues that could easily have lasted another five months. Later, I gave in and convinced myself that it’s okay to get back on pocket money.

All I am saying is that it is high time that we stop making ‘quitting’ job a cool act and acknowledge the circumstances (privilege and maybe, just maybe, there's a thing called fate) that lead to it. And, definitely do not question another person on having a job. Maybe people need to talk to process their thoughts and choices, but most of them might be incapable of taking charge once they quit; they might just follow another’s words or lifestyle which might not turn out great. Nobody should be made to feel that their life is less worthy because they have a job. For all we know, that job might even be their passion and they might be brilliant at it.

For others, the question is if you know what your passion is then do you know how to monetise it? Because, as much as we deny it, it all does come down to money right now.