Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Confess The Real Reason They Quit Their Job This Year

People Confess The Real Reason They Quit Their Job This Year

You might have heard the term labor shortage used a lot this year in response to the news that employers are scrambling to find workers as the economy rebounds from the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But many people have confirmed that they quit their jobs as a result of low wages and hostile working environments, including the very real concern that their former jobs aren't following proper safety protocols to protect workers from contracting the virus.

So they went off in search of greener pastures.

If you're curious about why many of these people quit their jobs, look no further. Here are their testimonies, thanks to Redditor Wataru2001, who asked the online community,

"Record Number of Americans quit their jobs the last few months. If you were one of them, why did you quit and what are you doing now?"

"But I am more appreciated..."

"I wasn't get paid enough at my former job. I was working with special needs children and it was an awesome job, I really felt like it was what I should be doing. But I was only making $250 a week."

"Now I work at Costco for $17 an hour plus a ton of benefits. The work is not what I want to be doing. But I am more appreciated serving hot dogs and pizza."

Cyber_Mermaid

As someone who really loves Costco, well done! Glad to hear this.

"I quit a job where I was doing..."

"I quit a job where I was doing the work of multiple people and immediately moved to a job where I work significantly less for a 40% pay bump."

Massive-Ostrich2750

A 40% pay bump can change your quality of life overnight. Well done!

"She was gonna stay home..."

"My wife got a raise at her job. She was gonna stay at home with our new baby since there is no daycare anywhere but with her raise and benefits it made more sense for me to stay home with the kid."

yodaface

You won't regret your time with your kid–time flies by so fast.

"Because I got tired..."

"Because I got tired of slaving away in a kitchen, putting my all into every dish I made, getting paid peanuts for it, and barely surviving. I'm going to school now. Thankful for the GI bill."

No_Step_4431

Know quite a few people who've benefited from the GI bill. Good on you for going to school!

"I quit because I was contracting..."

"I quit because I was contracting and was told I would be hired after 6 months, but that didn't happen. So now I'm contracting for a different company."

SunderApps

They say things like this, they break their promises, and then they wonder why people are leaving...

"Now I stay at home..."

"Quit because teaching in a pandemic SUCKS. Now I stay at home with my toddler and my stress level is so much lower!"

rampaging_beardie

"I couldn't handle the stress of working at a clinic doing COVID testing. Most of my friends, and a decent portion of my family, are people who could literally die if they got exposed to COVID so I basically spent almost six months without seeing any people that I care about."

"And then I was being worked way more hours than I agreed to, on top of it there wasn't any overtime while I was trying to go to college, I just couldn't handle the stress."

"I ended up needing to choose between a job and my education and I choose my education. Even with everything, the clinic I worked at has a high turnover rate anyway, so it was probably better for my mental health, in the long run, to quit there."

I'm working at a local game store now where I work ~30 hours a week and can work on my school work when there are no customers in the store, my school and mental health are doing a lot better for it, and I get to talk about things I love with people all the time."

MyHoardIsALibrary

People Break Down The Nicest Celebrities They've Ever Met | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

They always say, "don't meet your heroes." But here's the thing, sometimes your celebrities are actually just chill, normal people who are overjoyed to meet ...

Game store, eh? Sounds like heaven for you. I had the opportunity to work in a bookstore once, and it was heaven on earth.

"In March 2020..."

"In March 2020 I started working 10-12 hour days. Sometimes 10-13 day stretches. I was completely exhausted and burnt out by the end of 2020."

"I got pregnant in June 2021 and my husband got a new position at work that paid nearly double his previous salary. I quit in August and haven't had one moment of regret."

"I took two months off to do some self-care and mental health recovery. Now I'm a substitute teacher a few days a week."

mac_attack8968

Sounds like everything fell into place! Congrats to both of you!

"I quit my teaching job..."

"I quit my teaching job after 6 years for various reasons but primarily because of the commute and the ever-growing ridiculous demands/expectations by administrators and parents."

"I'll be starting a government job soon and I couldn't be happier."

McRibblus

A nice step up!

Teaching during a pandemic is no joke.

"I would be done with my work..."

"Low pay and I was bored out of my mind and no matter how many times I asked they wouldn't give me more work. I would be done with my work in an hour and have to stare at the screen for the next 7 hours. It was torture."

"Then they announced a full return to the office and I was done. Now in a job where I'm sufficiently challenged. And they're staying remote forever."

OrangeTree81

I had a job like this once–it was the worst. The boredom made me feel crazy. I was thankful to leave.

Hopefully, dear readers, now that you've read these, you have a greater understanding of why people have left their jobs.

These are complicated times. Will the economy right itself eventually? Will workers have their demands honored?

Have some thoughts to share? Feel free to sound off in the comments below!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Miriam Margolyes
David Levenson/Getty Images

'Harry Potter' Star Miriam Margolyes Offers Mic Drop Explanation For Why Respecting Pronouns Matters

Sometimes it is just that easy to make people happy. This is a lesson learned over and over in our lives, but that's because it's an important one.

Actor Miriam Margolyes shared how she learned to change her behavior to make others happier. Margolyes appeared on The Graham Norton Show recently and brought up a fairly polarizing subject in the United Kingdom: trans people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk looks on during a public appearance, as the billionaire once again turns a newsroom style decision into a culture-war grievance broadcast to millions on X.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Elon Musk Cries Racism After Associated Press Explains Why They Capitalize 'Black' But Not 'White'

Elon Musk has spent the year picking fights, from health research funding to imagined productivity crises among federal workers and whether DOGE accomplished anything at all besides leaving chaos in its wake.

His latest grievance, however, is thinly disguised as grammatical. Specifically, he is once again furious that the Associated Press (AP) capitalizes “Black” while keeping “white” lowercase.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk; Yale University School of Engineering and Applied Science
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images; Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Elon Musk Gets Brutal Wakeup Call After Claiming That Yale's Lack Of Republican Faculty Is 'Outrageous Bigotry'

Elon Musk—who has repeatedly whined about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—took to his social media platform to whine about a lack of conservative faculty at Yale University.

Musk shared data compiled by The Buckley Institute (TBI), a conservative-leaning organization founded at Yale in 2010. TBI found 82.3% of faculty self-identified as Democrats or primarily supporting Democratic candidates, 15% identified as independents, while only 2.3% identified as Republicans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Barry Manilow
Mat Hayward/Getty Images

Barry Manilow Speaks Out After Postponing Farewell Tour Dates Due To Lung Cancer Scare

"Looks Like We Made It" singer Barry Manilow is in the process of saying goodbye to the stage and meeting his fans in-person, but he has to press pause for a few months after receiving a jarring diagnosis.

On December 22, 2025, the "Mandy" singer posted on Facebook, explaining that a "cancerous spot" had been discovered on his left lung.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame, the last time audiences saw Captain America before his unexpected return was teased for Avengers: Doomsday.
Disney/Marvel Studios

Marvel Just Confirmed That Chris Evans Is Returning For 'Avengers: Doomsday'—And Fans Have Mixed Feelings

Folks, once again, continuity is more of a suggestion than a rule in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel has officially confirmed that Chris Evans is returning as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday, and the internet has responded exactly how you’d expect: screaming, celebrating, arguing, and a very justified side-eye toward how Sam Wilson keeps getting treated.

The confirmation comes via a teaser now playing exclusively in theaters ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash. There is no official online release, despite leaks circulating. If you didn’t catch it on the big screen, Marvel’s response is essentially: sorry, guess you had to be there.

Keep ReadingShow less