• FAIL Blog
  • Employee
  • Workplace
  • Horrible Bosses
  • Neighbors
  • HOA
  • Family Drama
  • Parenting
  • Customer Service
  • Entitled People

  • Links
  • About Us
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Security
  • DMCA Policy
    • search email community favorite this article chev-right latest posts article list comments tags video article login twitter facebook menu pinterest whatsapp

    15+ Workers who were overjoyed to quit their jobs: 'Put in my 2 week's notice... left for a 50% raise'

    Author image for Remy Millisky
    Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
    Feb 25, 2026 11:00 AM EST

    You can love your job — it's possible! 

    Yes, that's right. Even for all the skeptics out there, I'm serious — if you don't wake up excited to go to work, you should look for a new job. 

    I'm well aware that this job market is frankly insane, and you probably shouldn't quit without something new lined up. But, as these people highlighted, sometimes you just stagnate at a job for a while without realizing how unhappy you are. Then, it only takes a single comment from an annoying client or a snippy boss to make you realize, "Hey, I want a better position than this." 

    Add as a preferred
    source on Google
    Advertisement
    • 01
      Worker explaining to boss why he's leaving.
      via Getty Images For Unsplash+

      Worker explaining to boss why he's leaving.

      The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

    • Advertisement

    • I think ideally, the best job is one that gives you the balance you need to have a successful life. You can have a true passion for your line of work, but if all you ever do is work, you're going to become unhappy in a matter of weeks. Instead, it's best to aim for a profession where you have some work-life balance: you get paid, but you also get to hang out with your spouse and kids, have the time and money to travel, and have at least a couple days off each week to recuperate. 

      Even the most well-balanced job can be the wrong choice if you're stewing in a toxic environment for 40 hours per week. If you have a boss or direct coworkers who make your life misery, you might have to be the one to up and leave, because they sure won't! 

      Perhaps these stories will inspire you to reconsider how you feel at your workplace! These people shared their insightful reasons why they quit, and most of them seem way happier in their new roles. 

    • 02

      What is the one thing that made you realize it was time to quit your job? Did you make the right decision?

      snow_michael Me: "Which of these two mutually contradictory tasks is your highest priority?" client: "Both!" Me: "Well, you made that easy. I quit!"
      via u/snow_michael
    • Advertisement
    • 03
      accidentalpinner When a company seems determined to make sure that their contractors can no longer pay their bills, it's time.
      via u/accidentalpinner
    • 04

      Red flag!

      JNorJT Having to pay to use the microwave
      via u/JNorJT
    • Advertisement
    • 05
      Glittering-Froyo... Honestly I didn't until way too late. The workplace was toxic, everyone always overworking, CEO in lawsuits, etc. But the pay and benefits was amazing and everyone had this collective cult mindset where we all kept telling ourselves it was the best
      via u/Glittering-Froyo-743
    • 06
      place ever because we were terrified to leave it and the paycheck. It took being put on a performance improvement plan with no notice for things I didn't even do wrong to truly realize I was in a bad situation. They told me I didn't meet expectations, but when I asked what those expectations were, they didn't know. I was just
      via u/Glittering-Froyo-743
    • Advertisement
    • 07
      getting pushed out and gaslit along the way because I had been advocating for change within the company. I could have clung on, done everything they asked in the performance plan, and kept my job - but the trust was already broken, and I was sure this would happen again if I kept working there.
      via u/Glittering-Froyo-743
    • 08
      I realized then that it was best to just resign and figure it out at any cost. It was not easy. I went from being the sole provider for myself and a homeowner with pretty much any material item I wanted to being bankrupt, without any retirement savings, and at risk of being homeless within about 2 years.
      via u/Glittering-Froyo-743
    • Advertisement
    • 09
      The job market is horrible right now. But, despite all that, I never considered trying to work there again. And, truthfully, it was good for me to learn to budget and learn what I need out of a job and in my life, rather than trying to appease people who do not care about my well-being.
      via u/Glittering-Froyo-743
    • 10

      This is insightful

      Career-Emotional For me, it's when I feel like I'm stagnating. There's a very clear KPI for that: my salary. If a company stops raising my pay, I take it as a sign to look for a new role. So far, job-hopping has been a successful strategy for me.
      via u/Career-Emotional
    • 11

      Whoa! Double that salary!

      gummby8 When I looked at Craigslist, and there were 3 job offers for my exact job at 2x my pay. Yes. I ended up around 2.25x my pay which directly led me to where I am today at $125k/yr I work in IT Support/Software Dev
      via u/gummby8
    • Advertisement
    • 12

      Many employees think their company can't go on without them...only for the company to fire them and prove them wrong

      RiverMarketEagle I did my best to silence this inner voice telling me to leave and instead I gutted it out for far longer than I should have out of some weird sense of dedication to the company. I now chalk it up to Stockholm Syndrome.
      via u/RiverMarketEagle
    • 13
      And then the a-he owner laid me (and many others) off after we spent 20 years building the company for him. Biggest lesson for me was never, ever give someone that much of myself again. If y'all have that inner voice saying you need to leave, trust your instincts.
      via u/RiverMarketEagle
    • 14

      A reorganization almost never works out well for any employees besides the C-suite folks

      J.. I was there for about 7 years. By that time I had been promoted multiple times, built a high- performing team from scratch, and was serving one of the largest clients we had with great reviews from them.
      via u/JetKeel
    • Advertisement
    • 15
      There was a re-org and we got a new VP who was all about chasing the fancy resumes. Wouldn't even look at a resume unless they had worked for a FAANG company before. Needless to say, I didn't have that.
      via u/JetKeel
    • 16
      He brought me into his office and told me he had hired a new manager above me that was going to take my office and my team, but he wanted me to stay in the same role with a dotted line reporting structure.
      via u/JetKeel
    • 17
      I started looking that day, put in my two weeks notice about 2 weeks later and left for about a 50% raise. Never looked back and came to find out that the new manager that was hired never even started because he took a better position at a better company and the VP was let go about 6 months later.
      via u/JetKeel
    • Advertisement
    • 18
      Lost Valuable_89 I was super comfortable there, but I realized in ten years I would still be doing the exact same thing with only a few dollars difference in my wage. I have yet to regret leaving there to this day, even though it was hard to get back on my feet for a while
      via u/Lost Valuable_89
    • 19

      Great advice!

      SirRobynHode When you can't help but watch the clock, anxiously awaiting the time to clock out, it's time to start watching the job postings.
      via u/SirRobynHode
    • 20
      CulturalConstan... The company was closing the location where I worked. Although they offered me a position on the other side of the continent, I wasn't interested in moving. So... it was time to quit. That was a few years ago and, yes, I know I made the right decision.
      via u/CulturalConstant2773
    • Advertisement
    • 21
      kayla_staar When I realized I was constantly exhausted even on my days off. That's when I knew something wasn't right. Leaving was scary, but it was the right choice for my mental health.
      via u/kayla_staar
    • 22
      Slow_Control_2... honestly just got fed up with doing all the work bc i was the new guy and all of my coworkers who been there for years and also many years older than me it was just irritating that i was busting my a when they
      via u/Slow_Control_2455
    • 23
      sat around and talked all day and i'm getting told by the manager that i'm doing a good job but it doesn't make me feel any better (lil rant lol)
      via u/Slow_Control_2455
    • Advertisement
    • 24
      Extension-Silver... I was 26 with a bachelor's and was a waitress at Olive Garden......
      via u/Extension-Silver-403
    • 25
      Bugatti_Royale poor pay. was offered way more at another place with a sign on bonus.
      via u/Bugatti_Royale
    • 26
      The_Vengeful_W... When my lead threw crop at me to do my job faster. She was "training" me to do my job while insulting me behind my back, and when i say behind my back she literally was talking down on me behind me while my other co coworkers saw.
      via u/The_Vengeful_Wolf
    • Advertisement
    • 27
      It was basically gordon ramsey yelling at me. Went to HR. HR couldnt do sh to her because if she was held accountable for anything she would quit which would put the department into serious sh. She knew this and took advantage me of it. Left got a better job, better pay, better people.
      via u/The_Vengeful_Wolf
    • 28
      Joshwaz69 Im just sick of corpos tbh. I just wanna be able to afford to live.
      via u/Joshwaz69
    • 29
      ThePapaSauce I had an extremely unpredictable, disorganized, fragile but demanding boss who basically broke me over the three years I was there. I was making more money than I ever had in my life which is why I stayed so long, but once the panic attacks and high bld pressure started kicking in, I
      via u/ThePapaSauce
    • Advertisement
    • 30
      knew the money wasn't worth the impact on my health, so I started looking around. I was having trouble finding something new, but the stress and anxiety started getting so bad that I was feeling depr sed and having some dark moments, so I called it quits, walking away from my salary but saving my sanity.
      via u/ThePapaSauce
    • 31
      It took me six months to find a new job back at an old employer at half the pay, but I've never been happier in my life.
      via u/ThePapaSauce
    • 32
      derockd When I dreaded going in to work. Now I enjoy going in, so yeah it was the right call.
      via u/derockd
    • Advertisement
    • 33
      Sneaky_Fox85 When the bigger company gave me an offer letter. Couldn't work for both companies so had to quit. Feel pretty good about the decision, making 4x what I was before.
      via u/Sneaky_Fox85
    • 34
      dodadoler When my day off was ruined by dread of going back into work the next day
      via u/dodadoler
    • 35
      Noobphobia When the owner started questioning all my work and hired an outside consultant to check my work as a CMO lol. I got picked up by one of our vendors instantly and have been happy as a clam for the past year.
      via u/Noobphobia
    • Advertisement
    • 36
      BTW: I was doing everything correctly. They tried to change to what they thought I should have been doing and dropped like a rock for 5 months and then had to pay me to come fix everything. Sweet sweet vindicated
      via u/Noobphobia
    • 37
      mckulty Contract ended, didn't want to be boss any more, let somebody else stop all the bucks.
      via u/mckulty
    • 38

      Saved the craziest story for last!

      2003tide When i was in the delivery room with my wife while she we having our first child. Work knew where I was, still was calling and texting questions. I had already been interviewing, but that was just confirmation I was making the correct decision.
      via u/2003tide

      This is inexcusable! You can never get those first moments with your newborn back, and work knows it. This would be an immediate exit for many people, because it shows just how undervalued an employee is at a company like that. 

      Lots of food for thought here! 

    • Advertisement
    • 39
      Employee waves goodbye before boarding train.
      via Getty Images For Unsplash+

      Employee waves goodbye before boarding train.

      The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

    Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

    Tags

    workplace-stories satisfying quitting story
    Like
    Scroll Down For The Next Article
    Show Comments
    Next Article