Emergency exit in Universitetet metro station in Stockholm, Photo by Arild Vågen

Can't bear to walk into the office another day? Deal with that project manager? Coworker? Has the work environment become so toxic that you almost feel sick at the end of every Sunday? Or perhaps you're just ready for something new, to take your career to the next level. Whether positive or negative, quitting your job can be a stressful action to ponder. So, how do you do it? It's not as simple as giving a two weeks notice. First, there are some things to work through before making the decision. And once a path is chosen, its execution must be drawn together in thoughtful consideration.

Is the Grass Really Greener?

Humans become familiar with things over time. We yearn for the new and exciting, believing it will bring us joy and breakthrough. But the new shiny thing is not always the better thing. It's the same with a job. If your reason for leaving is a lack of interest, there may be opportunities to introduce new components to your current position. It could be a place of exploration for you with one of your mentors or principals.

The foundation you've built at your current place of work will give you a more powerful springboard to explore extracurriculars and propose new ideas. Starting fresh in a new firm may not be so promising. It is an unknown that you must be comfortable in facing. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Try watering it where you are and see what happens.

Why Quit?

More often than not the urge to quit arises from a string of specific events that climax into one final straw. This can be positive or negative. Maybe, you've finally decided that you have to make that next leap in your career. There are no hard feelings, it's just what you need to do for yourself. In this case, the decision is a bit easier. With no baggage attached to it, you're able to make a life choice that is sure to free you from the turmoil of wondering what could have been.

On the other hand, there are those moments where you may be mistreated, disrespected, or even over-worked. You've endured continual abuse, and you can't take it any longer. Usually, this sort of circumstance is a sure sign to get out but also a time to take a step back and look at the situation.

What is usually a great place to work may have gotten a little out of hand in a one, two, or three-week stretch due to a heavy workload. These are the realities of life in architecture

A One Time Thing

Ask yourself if the job has always been this difficult? Sometimes, in the heat of deadlines, things can get tense. What is usually a great place to work may have gotten a little out of hand in a one, two, or three-week stretch due to a heavy workload. These are the realities of life in architecture. In the midst of all of this, we have to deal with different personalities, and some people don't operate well under pressure. Our empathic powers will allow us, in times like this, to see things from the perspective of the rest of our team members, especially those leading us.

Before making a decision to quit any job we should ask ourselves if what we've experienced is just a short moment in time. One strict deadline is no reason to jump ship. But if every day is filled with stress, anxiety, and fear it might be time to either try and talk to the leadership about your concerns before you start to look elsewhere. It's important, above anything else, to give your employer an opportunity to address your feedback. Don't just bounce out of irritation. Go to the powers that be and express the difficulties you're having, ask how YOU can improve and what steps YOU can take to improve your situation.

Let your leadership know if you feel that you've had a lack of support or if you are having trouble with another coworker. If the meeting goes well and you see tangible change then great. If you've tried this on multiple occasions and still see no improvement — it might be time to depart. Most relationships, even professional ones, are two-way streets.

A Personal Query

In the same way, it is good for us to measure our drivers for wanting to leave an employer. You're taking a risk by leaving a place that you are familiar with for a place that you are not familiar with. In your evaluations of what you hope to gain from a new employer, how much more favorable do you feel it will be compared to the current track you are on? Sometimes, fighting through a difficult time is better than bailing too early. It is a call that only you can make. It is ultimately a leap of faith.

Uncertainty is a part of life. Historically, it's the unlikely events that reap the most significant rewards. And paradoxically, you do not need to be sure that a new place will work out. You just need to be as sure as you can that you're not leaving something that is actually really good for you.

A useful technique is to look at how things have been for the last three months. We often get caught up in what has happened recently, forgetting all of the good. Take a personal query and assess the current landscape. Maybe things aren't as bad as you think. Do not forget that when you start somewhere new that there will be a certain period of time building your value and earning the trust of your new team. This is something that you are likely to have already established in your current setting.

How Not to Quit Your Job

“My job consists of basically masking my contempt for the assholes in charge and at least once a day retiring to the men’s room so I can jerk off while I fantasize about a life that doesn’t so closely resemble Hell.”

• Lester Burnham, American Beauty

This scene is from the 1999 film, American Beauty. It is a part of Lester Burnham's (the protagonist) resignation letter and is read by his boss. "Well you obviously have no interest in saving yourself," is the response he gets from his boss. Burnham then proceeds to blackmail the company into allowing him to resign with a "severance" of one year's pay with benefits. Needless to say, this is a prime example of how not to quit your job.

How many times do we find ourselves in situations so frustrating that we just want to "stick it to the man" and storm out? Life is filled with challenges but succumbing to the pressure isn't going to help us grow. On the contrary, it will only hurt us in the long run. Evaluating the situation is a much better approach. Architecture is a small world, and burning bridges is a sure way to sabotage your reputation. No matter how fed up we get, we must do our best not to take the easy route and do something we'll regret.

Architecture is a small world, and burning bridges is a sure way to sabotage your reputation. No matter how fed up we get, we must do our best not to take the easy route and do something we'll regret

Maria Konnikova reminds us in her New York Times article how "Whenever Abraham Lincoln felt the urge to tell someone off, he would compose what he called a 'hot letter.' He'd pile all of his anger into a note, [and] 'put it aside until his emotions cooled down,'..." And in the end, he would rarely send it. If we follow Lincoln's example, we will be able to take control of our emotions and avoid staining our future.

In the End, Execute Graciously

If after all of the deliberation you decide to quit, how you do it is highly important. We tend to think that merely giving a two weeks notice is all that is required to resign our time with a company successfully. Sure, this is the modern etiquette, but some nuances are worth paying attention to. Firstly, you'll want to measure how much responsibility you have in the grand scheme of the team. If you are a project manager or job captain, two weeks may not be enough time for the firm to transition your roles and responsibilities to someone new.

In the spirit of sustaining your relationship with your current employer, it is best to try and provide what you believe to be a reasonable notice. Four weeks may end up being more appropriate than two. You’ll also want to ask what you can do to help facilitate the transition. That might be training your replacement or just merely organizing your work in a certain way. Whatever the case, try to make the move as painless as possible. In the long run, regardless of if the employer "deserves" this courtesy or not, you will have established yourself as a person of integrity. Down the road, it will be clear that you are not the type to leave people hanging. You do what you can to mitigate the goals and ideals of the team.

Also, do not tell your coworkers that you plan to leave before you tell the management. The last thing you want is your leadership finding out from someone other than you that you will be moving on to something different. Additionally, make sure that you quit in person. We do live in a texting culture, but significant changes like quitting your job are best done in person, face to face. Don't take the cowardly route of trying to bow out over email.

Don’t Be a Hater

Nothing is more unattractive than someone who is always hating on other people. And sadly, architecture is filled with tons of overly critical people. If you quit a job, going around talking crap about the firm makes you look bad. There is a difference between professional criticism and being a hater. Try to be the former. Most firms do a fine enough job creating their own reputation anyways. When asked about why you left, be honest, but also remember that how you talk about past professional relationships is an indication of how you will talk about future ones and prospective professional partners will see what you say through this filter.

Be Thankful

Regardless of what ultimately contributed to your quitting, it's likely that everything about the experience was not horrible. In your departure, express your gratitude to your mentors and those who helped you along the way. Even if things ended up tense, it is always great to extend your thanks for what you've learned from an employer and an experience. And if you think you have absolutely nothing to be thankful for at least be grateful for having the opportunity to see how a firm should not be operated (but of course do not tell them this). Quitting any job is a tough call, sometimes we make the right call, and sometimes we make the wrong one. Ultimately, we just have to do what we believe is best for the future we want to craft for ourselves.

If you do decide to make a change, make sure to polish up your Archinect Profile, indicating you're seeking work, so employers can find you in Talent Finder, and regularly check Archinect Jobs (and our new Archinect Jobs Visualizer) to find your perfect next fit.