Quit while you’re ahead

January is a month for quitters. Whether you’re cutting out animal products for Veganuary, swearing off alcohol for Dry January or resolving to eat less cake this year, the message is clear: becoming a better person requires giving up stuff.

And yet our experiences in education and at work tend to present quitting as failure. Leaving a PhD partway through is often spun as something shameful. Even those who get the final qualification can be made to feel like they’ve let down everyone who has supported them if they choose to leave academia. Job advice about how often you should change jobs often suggests that a CV filled with frequent job changes appears suspicious to potential employers, regardless of the reasons behind each move.

But when faced with tough circumstances, quitting might be the best option.