I am always one ambitious person.
That’s probably why I didn’t give much thought to starting a full-time master’s degree in TV fiction writing planning a wedding and moved last year.
To add to the chaos, I then started with one new journalism job four months before my wedding in April 2025. The role involved writing for a major publication, and it was a major promotion. I was so proud of myself.
I loved my job, and my postgraduate studies even more. But the workload was enormous: I had one day off a week, which isn’t much when you’re navigating two major personal life events.
After the wedding I thought everything would calm down, but I fcompletely burned out. My instincts told me I needed a change.
Something had to give
The chaos surrounding the wedding was over, but I still had to complete my master’s degree. Combining my work with my studies left me exhausted and… feeling a lot of pressure. I knew something had to be done.
So a month after my wedding and five months after I started my job, I made the difficult decision to resign.
The author got a new job, planned a wedding and graduated with her master’s degree. Thanks to the author
There was none backup planbut I knew I would find out.
I got what I wanted: life slowed down and I had the space and time to focus on my master’s degree.
I felt like people were judging me
My husband was very supportive, as were my parents and my mother-in-law. But I could tell that some people were judging or downright baffled by my decision.
I mainly judged myself. I had gone from being the breadwinner in my relationship to relying on my husband’s income to pay the bills. That kind of identity change isn’t something you can get used to overnight.
I was afraid people would assume I stopped working just because I got married, which wasn’t the case. Of course, I would never look down on women who make that decision, but I didn’t like being misunderstood.
I had my own savings, but I knew it would run out if I wasn’t careful. I became obsessed with financial planning. It got to the point where my husband sat me down and told me he was genuinely concerned about me and the anxiety I was experiencing.
Moreover, I didn’t know how to deal with free time. I went from the busiest phase of my life to one of the slowest. In my mind, I thought that if I wasn’t productive, I must be lazy.
I definitely wondered if I had made the right decision. For a while, I felt really vulnerable and scared about the future, despite having such a great support system behind me.
Quitting was the right decision
It’s been almost a year since I left my job, and despite the emotional hurdles, I can honestly say it was the best decision.
After completing my master’s degree in November 2025, I was faced with a blank page in my future. But eventually my fear disappeared and steely determination took its place.
The author was afraid that people would judge her after she quit. Thanks to the author
I have slowly returned to some freelance work. I’ve also had time to travel and pursue projects that I wouldn’t have been able to pursue if I were still working full-time.
I’ve also been able to take better care of my health, from developing a consistent gym routine that I love to making home-cooked meals for my husband and me.
I know how lucky I am to be able to pursue my passions, and it is definitely something I will never take for granted. Overall, I am happier, healthier and excited to embrace this new pace of life.
There’s still a question mark surrounding my future, but instead of seeing that as a bad thing, I’m now embracing the uncertainty.
