“Beggars can’t be choosers!”
This line has been looping through my mind for some time now. I am connecting it with the process of finding a job and deciding whether to take the offer or not.
I recently resigned from one place and joined another. The decision to resign before securing the next offer is always a tough one.
Should you resign first and then look? Or look while you are still employed?
Both have trade-offs.
When you search while still employed, you may not have the time or urgency to commit. The whole process starts to feel optional. You might delay, hop between offers, or keep waiting for something better. Meanwhile, the real goal — pursuing what you actually want — keeps getting pushed back because you have a safety net.
Historically, searching while employed is the more rational choice, especially from a financial standpoint. You need to survive until the transition happens. Unless you have a certain level of financial freedom, quitting first may not be practical.
But quitting first has its own weight.
I chose to quit first. It removed my safety net. I was fortunate to have some financial and parental support behind that decision. Without a job, I had no choice but to find one. The uncertainty of reward in job hunting was something I struggled with. It was hard to reject early offers and keep searching, not knowing if something better would come.
I was not scared — I knew how long I could sustain myself. But self-doubt still crept in. Was this the right move?
Fortunately, I landed the opportunity I wanted.
Was it a rational move? No, not from a logical standpoint.
Was it worth the risk? Absolutely. The reward justified it.
It takes smart work, hard work, and a bit of luck to seize certain opportunities. Maybe luck played its part this time.
But I feel I will take this kind of risk again in the future. Because it might be worth a lot. And if the worst case happens, I will figure it out then.