Recent College Grad Quits Her First Corporate Job After Only 3 Months — 'I Was Crying Every Day'
She admitted that she felt incredibly unhappy at her job and her mental health was deteriorating because of it.
fizkes / Shutterstock Transitioning from being in school to suddenly becoming an adult with a full-time job and all of these financial responsibilities can be quite the wake-up call.
It's normal to feel overwhelmed, which seemed to be the case for Cora Shircel, a recent college graduate who admitted in a TikTok video that she quit her first corporate job just months into the position.
Shircel explained that she quit her corporate job after three months because she was 'so unhappy.'
In Shircel's video, she filmed herself getting ready to quit her job, opting to give a little bit of backstory as to why she was suddenly leaving after only being there for three months.
"When I started my job, only three months ago after graduating with my undergrad, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. So I ended up staying in school to get my Masters degree," Shircel said. She admitted that she didn't regret that decision, but only did it to stall having to get out into the real world.
She ended up graduating during the summer, right around the time she turned 23. Shircel recalled applying to "probably 500 jobs" and after three months of searching was finally offered a position, which was such a relief for her. "I jumped out of my bed [with] joy when I got sent that contract," she shared.
On paper, the job was ideal. It was precisely what she wanted to do and located in the exact area in Chicago that she desired. "It was like the universe tied up this perfect job position with a bow and handed it right to me." However, things didn't go quite as planned.
"[When] I first started working, it was definitely an adjustment... But as time went on, things just seemed to get worse," Shircel said. "I was crying every single day, already going to therapy twice as often as I normally did, to the point where I'd be on the train commuting to work and I was just sobbing my eyes out because I didn't want to go."
Shircel tried to hold on but admitted that every day seemed to be worse than the last.
Shircel continued, saying that she debated quitting every single day since starting the job. "I kept just trying to convince myself like, this is going to get better. Well, a few weeks ago the breaking point finally came," Shircel said.
She recalled that she'd been working remotely one day and at around 4 p.m., she began crying, suddenly overwhelmed by all of the work she had to do and the environment she was in. Shircel admitted that she ended up crying for three hours straight. “It was in that moment, I realized that nothing was worth that amount of stress,” she shared.
"I cried every single day for the past three months," she added. "I was so sad and honestly embarrassed that my first ever job out of school did not work out."
Like Shircel, many other Gen Z workers refuse to compromise their mental health and well-being for the sake of a job, no matter what. According to a report from LinkedIn, more than half of U.S. workers, 61%, are considering leaving their jobs in 2023. An even higher percentage of Gen Z are planning to call it quits than any other generation.
Younger generations are also the most likely to aspire to be their own boss, with 76% of Gen Z and millennials saying that this is a goal, compared to 63% of those who are Gen X and older.
In a follow-up video, Shircel recorded herself sending her resignation email to her job, officially quitting.
Riddled with obvious nerves, Shircel admitted that she was both "scared and shaking" with the reality of such a big decision.
"Today's the day. About to resign from my position," she informed viewers. "I'm actually shaking [and] I'm gonna cry immediately when I turn this camera off. My stomach's gonna drop."
As Shircel mentioned, a job isn't always the right fit, and you shouldn't have to force yourself to enjoy it or find the better parts of it, especially at the expense of your own mental health. A job should enhance, not diminish, one's quality of life, and it's okay to walk away when the cons outweigh the pros.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.