After months of contemplation, I finally quit my job. Although I made the right decision, it was not an easy thing to do. That’s because we have this idea that quitting is for losers. But as I’ve come to realize, we have it all wrong.

Contrary to what we’ve been told, quitting is for winners. Indeed, knowing when to quit is a valuable skill to have. 

Simply put, quitting shouldn’t be synonymous with failure. Rather, it’s the realization that something isn’t worth continuing, and sometimes throwing in the towel is the best thing a person can do. 

Still, many people seem to disagree.

During the 2020 Summer Olympics, Simone Biles — arguably the best gymnast the world has ever seen — was heavily criticized for withdrawing from the competition due to mental health concerns.

Several critics were quick to attack the four-time Olympic champion, who qualified for every women’s gymnastics medal event in Tokyo, labeling her “a selfish sociopath” and a “national embarrassment.” 

But her decision to withdraw from the competition wasn’t selfish at all.

Explaining her reasons for withdrawing, Biles claimed to have a case of the “twisties” — a loss of spatial awareness that many gymnasts performing intense routines experience — and thought she would bring down her team’s scores had she competed. Biles opened up about the pressure she faced at the Olympics, later admitting that she should have quit gymnastics sooner.

Like Biles, the decision I made to quit my job was the right one for my mental health. It provided me the opportunity to focus more intently on my studies and find the time to do the things that bring me joy.

Why, then, does quitting have such a negative connotation? 

Perhaps it’s because we confuse quitting with giving up. Unlike quitting, however, giving up is often premature and can be described as the easiest way out of a difficult situation. 

Although quitting is sometimes the right decision, it’s almost never an easy one to make, and there’s a reason for that. The sunk-cost fallacy explains that we are often reluctant to abandon a course of action that we are heavily invested in, even if the better option is to quit.

That is not to say that perseverance cannot be empowering. However, when you decide to power through something that makes you uncomfortable, you are protecting yourself from regret and the uncertainty of change that quitting may bring. 

But as I’ve come to understand it, quitting can bring about a multitude of opportunities.

Every decision we make involves trade-offs, a concept known as opportunity cost. If you want to accomplish something, you’ll have to make sacrifices in order to make it happen.

For example, if you decide to quit your job and go back to school, it will cost you the money you would have earned had you stayed at your job. But sometimes that money isn’t worth the stress and burnout of doing something you don’t enjoy. 

Simply put, opportunity cost is the value you’re giving up by making a decision, whether it’s at the expense of your happiness or financial gain.

When deciding whether to walk away from a job you don’t like or leave a toxic relationship, waving the white flag and moving on isn’t always a bad thing. However, many people fail to realize this because our culture makes us ashamed of quitting.

And that needs to change.

When I quit my job, I was simply looking out for myself — and you should too.

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This op-ed was written by a University of Saskatchewan undergraduate student and reflects the views and opinions of the writer. If you would like to write a reply, please email opinions@thesheaf.com. Jakob is a third-year undergraduate student studying physiology and pharmacology, and the staff writer at The Sheaf Publishing Society.

Graphic: Jaymie Stachyruk | Graphics Editor