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What was the best employment decision you've made during your working life?

72 replies

LookingForAChange21 · 28/04/2021 12:34

Just that really...

I'm at a bit of a crossroads in terms of work/not particularly liking my role or the sector/wondering how far to carry on with my studying.

It just got me wondering what other people may look back on and see as a pivotal moment, either leaving a particular job or taking one, or enrolling on to a certain course etc.

Just curious about all your experiences while I wonder where to go next Smile

OP posts:
VodselForDinner · 28/04/2021 13:39

@FizzyPink

That’s interesting to hear *@VodselForDinner* I’m currently waiting on an offer from a start up and wondering if I’m making a huge mistake leaving my well paid and stable job in a big established company to go and work somewhere very new (but well funded) for slightly less money but with the opportunity to make the role mine and really have an impact.

I’m swaying towards taking it at the moment depending on what they come back with. It’s a really exciting role and something I’d have normally jumped at but we want to buy our first house next year so I can’t afford to take too big a drop on my basic.

Obviously, experiences may vary and I know that not every start-up makes it so I know I was incredibly lucky, but I really was the making of me.

I’ve tripled my salary compared to the job I left 7 years ago. Much, MUCH, happier in my work too.

Like I said, incredibly lucky. I was one of the first fifty people to join, and we’re at over 5,000 staff now.

I didn’t know any of this would happen when I joined, I just liked the sound of the job itself.

VodselForDinner · 28/04/2021 13:40

@FizzyPink

Sorry ignore that, they literally just called to offer the salary I requested (just a tiny drop from what I’m currently on) and I’ve accepted Grin
Fabulous! Congratulations! I hope it goes really well for you.
YellowMonday · 28/04/2021 13:45

Leaving the financial security/future of corporate finance and changing industries to aviation (commercial team).

Apart from a 6 month impact from COVID, best choice I ever made. I've gone back to loving my job, not just working to boost my annual bonus. My skills and knowledge are thriving, and I've been promoted twice in 2.5 years, with another promotion upcoming post promotional freeze. I've also been tapped to grown into a future leadership role within the company. So my big concerns with salary has been eliminated!

More than that my mental health is so good now - moving away from a narcissistic director demanding me to be at my desk from 7.30am to 7.30pm every day and a concerning number of sexist colleagues to an incredibly supportive department head and colleagues who want you to succeed.

cptartapp · 28/04/2021 13:46

Going back pt (NHS) despite great expense for childcare when DC1 was four months old and then again when DC2 was five months.
Saved my sanity and my pension looks great.

Tambora · 28/04/2021 13:51

About 30 years ago I happened to be at a loose end after going to a shop, and strolled past a staff agency. Stopped to idly have a look. I noticed a card in the window and went in on the spur of the moment. That decision, and the job I got, changed my whole life and I would never have met my DH and had my dc if I hadn't taken that decision.

StrugglingWFH · 28/04/2021 13:58

I had a complete change of career 5 years ago after finally walking out on a job I hated, in an industry I detested. The company was ran by a Husband and Wife who were the vilest, most racist, sexist and homophobic pair of bullies I have ever had the misfortune to know. It was the best thing I ever did even though I started at entry level I have now progressed further and have a much better salary and work/life balance....it's a breath of fresh air. I wish I had done it 10 years ago and saved myself a lot of distress.

memberofthewedding · 28/04/2021 14:03

#1 mid 1980s - leaving a reasonably well paid job knowing I would not get promoted any further because my qualifications had become devalued because of structural changes in the profession. Going to uni to improve my qualifications and becoming an academic.

#2 early 2000s leaving employed work to become self employed

Bluevioletindigo · 28/04/2021 14:06

Leaving full time work in a school.
Going down to a 4-day week.
I don't earn as much as I could but it's worth it for me. I only teach on supply now and get to choose the days I work. Full-time teaching was too stressful, and now I feel like I'm much less stressed.

AngelsWithSilverWings · 28/04/2021 14:12

Going to HR to hand my notice in after my bully of a line manager maliciously tried to block me from applying for an internal vacancy in a different department. We had to have our line manager's permission to apply for internal roles.

He didn't have a valid reason to not sign it so he tried all sorts of delaying tactics to make me miss the deadline and then tried to offer me a promotion I didn't want and got very angry when I declined it. He had already made my life a misery in other ways too and I just wanted to escape.

HR person shook her head in disbelief when I told her what had been going on to lead me to want to hand my notice in after 14 years service and then told me they couldn't afford to lose someone with my experience and qualifications from the company and phoned him immediately to force him to sign off my job application.

I got the new job which eventually led to more promotions but he made my life hell while I served my 4 week notice including trying to bad mouth me to my new boss ( who luckily had known me for years and had specifically headhunted me for his new team)

I still wish I'd made a formal complaint about him as I later became aware of other victims and one of those received a huge compensation payout a few years later.

Boood · 28/04/2021 14:29

Taking redundancy during a merger/restructure when it became clear that anyone who survived from my (losing) side was going to have a very rough ride. Moved sideways into a contract role that made me an SME rather than a manager. Made lots of money in the short term, and found a much more enjoyable career with far more interesting opportunities in the long term. I’ve never looked back.

macshoto · 28/04/2021 14:46

Taking the opportunity to work in Tokyo for three years.

I was relatively newly single - ended up with a four way choice of opportunities and went with the one I might not get the chance to do again.

bodgerandhismash · 28/04/2021 14:49

Taking a random job as a 19 year old who didn't know what she wanted to do. I applied for a role in buying, their HR team rang me and said my skills looked like they'd fit another department well, and would I be interested in applying for that role instead. I've made a decent career out of that job and I had no idea it even existed beforehand!

daisybrown37 · 28/04/2021 16:51

@Tambora

About 30 years ago I happened to be at a loose end after going to a shop, and strolled past a staff agency. Stopped to idly have a look. I noticed a card in the window and went in on the spur of the moment. That decision, and the job I got, changed my whole life and I would never have met my DH and had my dc if I hadn't taken that decision.
That reminded me that I met my now husband at work, so I should probably say taking the job that meant I was in the same building as him!
Chatanooga1 · 28/04/2021 17:08

Early retirement.

amgine · 28/04/2021 17:33

Leaving local government employment and moving to a different sectors where my skills and experience are valued and I have actual chance of progressing my career.

RHOShitVille · 28/04/2021 17:43

Definitely working freelance. I thought I would do it for a few years, but 13 years on and I would never return to a 'normal' job now.

DinosApple · 28/04/2021 18:16

Best employment decision was handing my notice in at my first office job and moving into a completely different business that I loved. I was there 7 years, then ran a business in a different industry with DH and now work in a school as a TA (the holidays are good, but the pay is rubbish!).

I have never really known what I want to do, but it sounds like you have found something you enjoy OP, so go for it!

Aposterhasnoname · 28/04/2021 18:19

Taking a hefty pay cut to move to a different department where the opportunities for training and progression were far superior.

Boopear · 28/04/2021 18:27

OP on a slight tangent..if you need some help working out what you want to do, I've found the Happen To You career podcast really really useful. They do a free 8 day mini workshop thing on their website. They also recommend the Clifton strengths finder which I've done as well and was amazingly useful.

aibutohavethisusername · 28/04/2021 18:28

Leaving a Financial Services job after 15 years in that sector to go to a less stressful retail job. Which led to roles in retail banking related industry.

CargoShortsAndSlippers · 28/04/2021 18:31

I've ended up in e-learning development and instructional design, which has turned into a booming field since Covid, oddly enough, and has given me the opportunity to have the pick of job offers. In this economy, with so many people struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, that's nothing to sniff at.

GorgeousLadyofWrestling · 28/04/2021 18:39

@FizzyPink congratulations! What’s the role?

Start ups are great, if I were to generalise Wink I am at my second start up and absolutely love it. My first one, I was employee #21 and for the first two years, we didn’t even know if we had a product at all.

At my second and current, I am employee #39 and watching it grow. It’s hard, challenging, frustrating but a puzzle I REALLY want to solve.

IME start ups can sometimes be ahead of their time in terms of what their product or service is and if you’re in sales or marketing in that situation, so much groundwork has to be done to get it off the ground. But it’s incredibly rewarding when it happens.

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 28/04/2021 18:45

Working in the local government - stable ish (constant restructures but I seem to survive them). Decent pension.

Outside of that, returning to study. I'm doing a degree with the OU. Only 2 years in out of 6 and it has already opened doors. I hope to do a masters (and maybe a PHD) afterwards too.

kalikkma · 28/04/2021 18:52

Leaving a stable professional role to do a self funded vocational MSc. Many thought I was bonkers but I love the NHS role that MSc lead to.

mindutopia · 28/04/2021 18:57

I was on mat leave with a 10 month old at the time. I saw what was my absolute dream job advertised. Like it looked like they just wrote the job description for me. My contract ended before mat leave started so I had no job to go back to. I applied for it and was offered it. It was a significant pay rise and promotion over my previous role - but came with a 3 hour commute into London. I thought I was mad to take it.

It's been amazing. They're very keen on family friend policies and flexible working. I've always been able to wfh several days a week (pre-COVID), but managed the travel to London just fine, even with 2 small dc at home. And it's given me lots of flexibility to be home for school events and sick days, etc.

Best decision I ever made. And I really love what I do.

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