Leaving my first job

It was in January when I decided to quit my first real job in a multimedia company. I stayed for a year and eight months. A lot has changed in me: my clothing preferences, my way of dealing with people, my social life, my views and opinions, etc. But one thing has never changed: my constant desire to find what I truly want to do in my life.

It was in my sixth month after being regularized when I felt the emptiness of what I was doing. I stayed for a couple of months until that time when I could no longer appreciate myself. I was becoming inefficient, lazy, irritated and uninspired. In a nutshell, I could not picture myself in the job.

Quitting a job, especially for a millennial like me on a first job with no other work waiting would definitely feel like suicide. Still, I chose to take the risk.

My office mates badgered me with questions: What are your plans? Do you already have a company to work for after this? They scared me, and my constant answer was a half-smile.

As trite as it may sound, I have learned to listen to others, but I have also learned to follow my intuition. I admit that I am one of those confused and clueless fresh graduates, but I know my strengths and weaknesses. Many have told me not to quit for these reasons: 1) I am already part of a big company; 2) I don’t have another job waiting for me; 3) my savings are not enough; and 4) hitting two birds in one stone can be a struggle.

Yes, I am truly grateful for landing a job in a big company; it was one reason that kept me there for a year. But I realized that happiness does not depend on where one is, but on what one is doing. Yes, there’s no new job waiting for me, but quitting is much better than faking it. To be honest, I felt totally happy and free after my decision.

Don’t work hard; work smart. Tasks in the workforce will test your skills, but it’s more of testing your ability to do things efficiently without too much effort. Talk about plotting strategies first before anything else.

Everything is mind over matter. Truth be told, you can never run from a workplace’s politics. And at the end of the day, the one who just shakes it off will always be the strongest one—emotionally, physically, mentally.

Never, never build a wall on someone. It’s a small world, after all. People come and go, but the people you meet go along.

Be confident, but humble. One of my favorite college professors told my peers and me before we defended our thesis to bring lots of confidence but to always respond with humility. I didn’t know that I could also learn to use it in the workplace.

Embrace uncertainty. Lost and insecure, says the Fray, but on quitting my first real job, I found myself.

Carla June Garcia, 22, is a copywriter in a retail industry.