Three Columbia workers explain why the pandemic motivated them to switch careers
Economists are using the term “The great resignation” to describe a wave of workers quitting their jobs in search of something else after the pandemic. Three Midlands residents told The State why they decided to leave.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nearly 4 million Americans quit their jobs in April, the highest number recorded since the department started tracking this statistic 20 years ago. By region, the South had the highest level of quits with 1.633 million in April.
Quitting is a sign of economic upturn after the pandemic because workers feel safe enough to leave their job stability in search of something else. With businesses reopening fully and the need for workers rising, many jobs are going unfilled and giving workers the power to find a job with the most benefits.
A study from Microsoft showed that 41% of workers globally are thinking about handing in their resignation notices and 46% are planning to make a major career transition. The study surveyed 31,092 full-time employed or self-employed workers across 31 markets.
In the study, 64% of business leaders were considered “thriving,” while single people, new employees, Generation Z workers, working moms and frontline workers were mostly “struggling and surviving.”
For these local workers, a range of factors from pay, to unsafe working conditions motivated them to leave. Here’s what they said:
She left her hospital job
Brittney Sanderson was working as a research analyst in a hospital when she felt her department wasn’t doing enough to protect her from COVID risks.
“I think the pandemic gave a lot of people a renewed sense of, I don’t want to say mortality because that sounds morbid, but that work should be something that brings some type of fulfillment to your life and if not, the time is now,” Sanderson said.
Sanderson wanted to work from home, which she said would’ve been easy to do with her job, but was not given the option. Instead, she worked in a highly trafficked area in the hospital, constantly fearful of the virus.
She decided it wasn’t worth the risks to stay and began searching, especially because she cared for her sick grandmother frequently. When Sanderson resigned, she told her boss she had to prioritize her grandmother who was sick with a disease unrelated to COVID.
“I searched for jobs in my field with the opportunity to work remotely and searched for approximately two months before receiving an offer and quitting the hospital job,” Sanderson said.
She found her job on LinkedIn and recommends it to anyone who’s not using the networking app. She even got her dad to create an account to look for work after he lost his job during COVID.
Sanderson said that her biggest lesson learned in deciding to switch jobs was that work is a complement to life, “not my entire life.” She also hopes that employers will learn to offer more flexibility in work environments to cater to employees’ life situations.
“Not specific to that job, but all jobs in general — that if they don’t prioritize your emotional and physical health then it’s possible to find employment at a place that does. I love my new job,” Sanderson said.
They quit to start a business
Daniel Yilmaz and his wife Michelle decided that October 2020 was the time to finally start the small business they’d always dreamed about.
“We realized this was the time to make our dreams come true. The time being stuck inside allowed us to do lots of reflecting on our hopes and dreams, thus our business was born,” said Yilmaz.
The combination of the couple working from home together and having a lot of time to discuss their career aspirations convinced the couple to start their business now rather than later. They also were inspired by a piece of advice Yilmaz received: “never be afraid to fail.”
Yilmaz left his job as an insurance agent and his wife quit teaching to build Yilmaz Media Company, a videography, website design and podcasting service for small and medium-sized businesses around Columbia.
“As we reflected on how the pandemic shifted many people’s priorities and taught us to do the things we want to do when we can, we decided to both quit our jobs and start our own business,” said Yilmaz.
The couple said they loved their previous jobs, but wanted to do something they had ownership over. Both of their employers were supportive, Yilmaz said, and they’ve even done business with them since leaving.
Michelle is still working a full-time job while Daniel is focusing on building the company. He admitted that being married gave the couple the opportunity to build a business since one of them could continue earning a paycheck elsewhere.
He switched jobs twice to find the right fit
Micheal Layer switched jobs twice during the pandemic, going from a legal assistant to working for two different non-profit organizations in Columbia.
While the pandemic wasn’t a major factor in quitting his job, Layer said it added stress in all aspects of life and helped lead him to find better pay and better working conditions for his mental health.
He initially left a law firm job to find something with higher pay and health insurance. At age 26, Layer had added pressure to find a job with health benefits since he could no longer stay on his parents’ insurance.
His new job wasn’t cutting it because of the work environment, so Layer started his search again.
“Ultimately, I quit after six months because I couldn’t stand working for the boss a moment longer,” Layer said about one of his jobs during the pandemic. “There are some bosses who will treat you horribly just because it makes them feel good and because they can get away with it.”
Layer was “fun-employed” for more than a month before finding another non-profit job, he said.
The job search was brutal, especially with bills piling up, Layer said. In the end, he found it worthwhile to find a better work environment.
“I applied to as many places as I possibly could. I applied for positions I felt like I was over-qualified for and still didn’t hear back,” said Layer. “I took about 10 to 15 interviews, but my applications to job-offers rate was honestly like 200 to 1.”
Though he is only a few weeks in to his new job, Layer said he is optimistic and glad that he took a gamble to find a workplace where he could feel valued personally and professionally.
“You have to make taking care of yourself a priority — in the pandemic, in the workplace and in the job market,” said Layer.
This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
