Sorry, I Quit (But It’s Not You…Its a Better Offer)

Unemployed, broke, and fresh off a two-week trip in South Africa, I came home with a suitcase full of memories and a bank account begging for mercy.

I was throwing applications at the wall, hoping something in journalism would stick. So when a job offer finally landed, I didn’t think twice—I grabbed it.

I landed an interview at an internal media and advertising agency for a magazine coordinator role. It wasn’t exactly hard-hitting news, but it was creative, organised, and within the realm of my passion. I told myself I’d give it a few years—make connections, build a network, and work my way into journalism from there.

New desk. New coworkers. New routine. Five weeks in, I was settling in nicely.

And then—plot twist—a major news network reached out. I thought that my application had died a quiet death in an inbox somewhere. Still, I took the interview… and absolutely bombed it. I fumbled my answers, forgot the basics, and walked away convinced I’d blown it.

But somehow—somehow—they offered me the job.

Cue the chaos.

What do you do when your dream job shows up five weeks too late?

I was torn. I’d barely begun to find my feet. The team was great. The work was good. Leaving so soon felt wrong.

But this new role? This was the journalism path I’d been chasing all along. It felt like the one.

So, I resigned—professionally, nervously, and yes, a little awkwardly. My boss was disappointed, and I was told to finish up by the end of the day.

I walked out feeling both guilty and electric. Like I’d just broken up with someone genuinely lovely, simply because I wasn’t in love.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

• The right job doesn’t always come at the right time.

• Sometimes, you have to choose what’s best for your future—even if it’s uncomfortable.

• When an opportunity knocks (even after the worst interview of your life), you say yes without apologising for it.

  
  

Because life moves fast—and your dream job doesn’t always wait for perfect timing.

M x