14 People Who Gained More Than They Lost by Leaving Their Jobs

Starting something new can feel intimidating, and walking away from a job you’ve held for years is no different. However, sometimes that step is exactly what’s needed to open the door to better opportunities. In this article, we’ve collected inspiring stories from people who took the plunge and left their jobs, only to discover it was one of their best choices.

• A week after quitting my job, I started getting calls from an unknown number. At first, I ignored them, thinking it was spam. When I finally picked up, a woman hissed, “Are you with him now?” I froze, confused and annoyed. She accused me of being involved with her husband — my old boss. After I hung up and blocked her, I got a text from another unknown number: “I’m sorry for dragging you into this. He admitted it was his assistant, not you.” I couldn’t believe the audacity of my old boss and his wife, but at least I was out of the mess for good.

• I’d been working a draining office job since my kids were little. Last year, I told my husband I was ready to quit. He sighed and said, “With that maternity leave gap, no one’s going to hire you.” His comment left me doubting myself. But one day, while chatting with my babysitter, she said, “Why don’t you try freelancing? You’re always organizing everything—people pay big for that.” Her suggestion sparked something in me. I set up a profile on a freelancing site and got my first project within weeks.

• My boss cursed me because I took a phone message for him when he was already on a call. Apparently, he was eagerly awaiting the call I answered and would have preferred I interrupted him. I threw a pencil at the wall, and said, “Do I look like a mind reader? Cut me my check, I quit.” He tried hard to backpedal, but there had been many, many previous straws. © John*** / Reddit

• The owner of the company told me to fire a woman for arriving to work right on time. It was always something different with him, some ridiculous new rule that he applied retroactively to suit whatever mood he was in on any given day. And that particular morning, he took it as a personal insult and a show of blatant disrespect that his employees didn’t arrive early.
  I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t fire this woman, who I didn’t even particularly like, to satisfy this new whim of his. So instead of firing her, I marched into his office and quit myself. Funnily enough, the woman I wouldn’t fire continued working for him for years. She might even still be there now, more than twenty years later. © Kind-Dust7441 / Reddit

• I worked in retail. I sprained my ankle badly while ice skating and couldn’t so much as get out of bed. I had to call in and take 2 days off before I was even able to limp to work. As soon as I got back in, my manager pulled me into his office to SCREAM at me for taking 2 days off. For a physical injury that made it so I could not do my job. I threw a cold cup of coffee on him and walked out. My only regret is that the coffee was cold. © LH115 / Reddit

• I was working at a call center and got written up for going to the restroom too much. Talking on the phone means drinking water. Drinking water means peeing. My supervisor handed me the write-up, I took another call and then walked out when the call ended. © Extreme_Qwerty / Reddit

• I was, I think, 20 at the time, and I was the oldest member of staff. I was a cook. The night before, apparently, one of our waitresses, who would do the cleanup of the last few bits and pieces, pulled the plug of the dishwasher but forgot to turn the machine off.
  The next morning, our boss came in and had a full meltdown with her. He reduced her to tears, and I just couldn’t take it. I sent her to get the bread and spent the time to try and explain to him that having temper tantrums with his staff affected everyone.
  In retrospect, possibly the wrong choice of words. However, he suggested that if that was how I felt, there was the door. I took the invitation. © PumpkinOnTheHill / Reddit

• I quit my job right before the Christmas party but was invited to go anyway. My coworkers were excited, but my boss barely spoke to me the entire time. I went to his table to thank him before I left. He looked at me with disdain, and his wife, who was sitting next to him, suddenly got up and started screaming, saying that she knew how much he liked me. Then she left. I didn’t even say anything, I just left too. Never spoke to them again! © MapleKatze / Reddit

• The guy who worked behind me when I was an insurance agent was hired as an accountant. He rarely did the accounting. He mostly just chatted on the phone. I found out he was making nearly double what the rest of us were. When I went and asked the manager why, she said it was because he had a family to support. I told her that the rest of us should all get paid at least as much as he was being paid because we were doing all the work. She declined. I quit on the spot.
  © tranquilseafinally / Reddit

• I was having a meeting with the boss, who was a difficult guy to work with, and he stood up and punched the wall. He wasn’t doing it jokingly. He went to the wall of his own office like he was in the gym hitting a punching bag. I sat there in astonishment for about two seconds, then stood up and left. I cleared out my desk and exited through the back door without a word to anyone.
  © doublestitch / Reddit

• I worked as a babysitter for a wealthy couple. I went above and beyond — late nights, extra hours, even traveling with them. When I told them I was quitting, they begged me to stay and offered to double my salary. I said no. A few days later, I received a letter from them. I thought it might be a thank-you note or even a bonus. Instead, it was a bill for everything they’d “invested” in me, including a phone they’d bought so I could stay in contact with them and fees for training they’d insisted I take. I ignored the letter, and they didn’t follow through, but it was a crazy experience.

• I was a receptionist for a medical software company. My boss refused my request for a single day off to take my teen daughter to get eye surgery. I waited until the first day of her 2-week vacation and put in my notice. Ruined her holiday. © HenrysGrandma / Reddit

• I was told I wasn’t working hard enough after months of 70+ hour weeks. I had asked multiple times to hire someone else, I knew we had the budget for the job. I agreed to work harder and called Mom to vent because I was so angry. Then I called my boss and quit with no notice.
  A few days later, I was asked to call her again to calm her down and say it wasn’t her fault. Instead, I calmly explained how she burned me out and that multiple people needed to be hired to cover the workload I was doing, otherwise the same thing would happen again. © k_lo970 / Reddit

• I started training a guy (machinist), and he told me his starting wage was $27/hr. He had a few years of experience but had been out of the industry for a while. The guy would constantly come to me to fix his problems and ask me dumb questions every day. So I asked my boss for a raise since this guy was at $27. I was at $22, and he told me he could find someone to do my job for $16, so I said, “Then let’s do that.” I handed him my badge and walked out after 15 years.
  © Unknown author / Reddit

Job interviews can sometimes veer off into the unexpected or even downright bizarre. What starts as a typical meeting can quickly turn into an unforgettable experience. The stories in this article showcase just how unpredictable the hiring process can be.