What is your general advice for someone wanting to leave their job for one that is higher impact? I have a background in environmental governance (MSc from Oxford, BA from UBC). I’ve worked for an environmental consulting firm for about a year and half, and the lack of organization and reluctance to embrace AI is pushing me to leave.
I’m looking for advice for how to quit my job effectively (what kind of conversations I should be having with my managers), and how to move into higher impact (preferably in person roles). I’ve read the 80k book and have started my career plan (and spreadsheet) but any additional advice would be appreciated :)
With the obvious caveat that some of this will depend on the specifics of your workplace and career plan (which we’d be happy to chat through in an advising call), hopefully the following general pointers are useful.
On the ‘how to move into higher impact roles’, we have a bunch of resources in our article on how to get a job. The fact of you being in a job already doesn’t change this too much, but probably allows you to be more patient and deliberate in your search, and might give you more leverage in negotiating on things like salary.
If you’re not actually sure on whether you should quit your job yet—and I’d generally advise anyone to take that decision seriously—then this article from 80k has some great advice. But assuming you know you’re going to leave, I’d expect it’s better to stay in your role until you’ve found your next thing, for the financial security and other reasons above. If you’re able to be open with your manager about the things you’re not getting in your current role, there’s a chance they’ll be able to shape things to better suit you, even if that’s only a short term improvement till you move on. There might also be opportunities within your current organisation to learn new skills, make new connections, or pick up qualifications that could be useful in future. Finally, the old advice of not burning bridges is worth bearing in mind. Even if you think you’ll never want to work at that organisation or with that person again, references can be really important.
There are times when it just makes sense to move on, even if you don’t know what you’re doing next. It can give more time for contemplation, learning, or just recharging your batteries. But that’s something probably worth discussing specifically in an advising call :)
What is your general advice for someone wanting to leave their job for one that is higher impact? I have a background in environmental governance (MSc from Oxford, BA from UBC). I’ve worked for an environmental consulting firm for about a year and half, and the lack of organization and reluctance to embrace AI is pushing me to leave.
I’m looking for advice for how to quit my job effectively (what kind of conversations I should be having with my managers), and how to move into higher impact (preferably in person roles). I’ve read the 80k book and have started my career plan (and spreadsheet) but any additional advice would be appreciated :)
Cheers!
Gabrielle
Hi Gabrielle, thanks for the question!
With the obvious caveat that some of this will depend on the specifics of your workplace and career plan (which we’d be happy to chat through in an advising call), hopefully the following general pointers are useful.
On the ‘how to move into higher impact roles’, we have a bunch of resources in our article on how to get a job. The fact of you being in a job already doesn’t change this too much, but probably allows you to be more patient and deliberate in your search, and might give you more leverage in negotiating on things like salary.
If you’re not actually sure on whether you should quit your job yet—and I’d generally advise anyone to take that decision seriously—then this article from 80k has some great advice. But assuming you know you’re going to leave, I’d expect it’s better to stay in your role until you’ve found your next thing, for the financial security and other reasons above. If you’re able to be open with your manager about the things you’re not getting in your current role, there’s a chance they’ll be able to shape things to better suit you, even if that’s only a short term improvement till you move on. There might also be opportunities within your current organisation to learn new skills, make new connections, or pick up qualifications that could be useful in future. Finally, the old advice of not burning bridges is worth bearing in mind. Even if you think you’ll never want to work at that organisation or with that person again, references can be really important.
There are times when it just makes sense to move on, even if you don’t know what you’re doing next. It can give more time for contemplation, learning, or just recharging your batteries. But that’s something probably worth discussing specifically in an advising call :)
Thanks again, and all the best with your move!
Thank you Tom :)