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Dear Career Coach
This may fly in the face of the common advice that you should persist no matter what, but there are times when quitting is the right to do. Don’t be afraid to quit, but do so responsibly. So when is it healthy to quit?
When reward is less than the effort required: Persistence is meant to enable you move forward not to do activity for its own sake. When the effort required to do something is much more than the value of the best outcome you could possibly expect to gain, don’t be afraid to pull the plug.
Don’t let ‘’persistence’’ become a millstone round your neck especially when all the signs tell you that persisting in a particular situation is very likely to be a waste of time. Whatever you embark on, count the cost upfront and assess whether the input required is justified. Where it’s not possible to make such a judgment at the start, schedule check-in points and ask yourself, ‘’If I were starting this over, knowing what I know now, would I make this choice or continue with this?’’. This will help you evaluate and have the confidence that you are investing your effort wisely.
If you have a question for our Career Coach, e-mail us at
When persisting sucks the life out of you:: If you find yourself in such a situation, make whatever changes you think will improve the situation. If these do not work, then consider quitting. It’s never a good idea to quit too soon but quitting for the appropriate reason and time in order to do something more worthwhile is a wise decision.
Don’t necessarily quit the objective that what you were doing was meant to achieve but change the approach to something that will better serve the objective. Before quitting, make a list of the reasons for and against carrying on and make a decision accordingly. Don’t quit just because something is hard but confidently quit and change course when it no longer makes sense to continue on the current path.
When you lose interest and commitment: This is not about an occasional lull which can be fixed by taking a bit of a break. However, when your lack of motivation becomes a daily thing and you no longer feel invested, quitting may well be the best thing you can do.
If you are feeling stressed and you see no way of the situation getting better, you’ll become unproductive. What you decide to quit doing is as much a sign of your strength as what you are willing to commit to. Responsible quitting will free up energy and resources to kick other things into gear.
All the best!
Need some help to solve your career dilemma? Whether you are a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, our experienced careers coaches can work with you – on an individual or group basis – to help you get back on track with your career.
From online CV checking to face-to-face coaching and presentation skills training to making the right impact at interview, our careers services will help you reach your goals.
This month’s Guest Career Coach is Vera Ng’oma. Vera leads EXCELLICAgroup, an organization dedicated to promoting and developing excellence in leadership, career and people development. Vera works with organizations and individuals to equip them to elevate their performance, achieve their goals and expand their impact.
Contact Verangoma@gmail.com
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