When my second child was almost one, I was passed over for a corporate promotion I had desperately wanted.

I hadn't been back from parental leave for long, but this was a career move I'd been working towards for years. When I asked why I didn't get the job, the CEO said they "didn't want to put too much pressure on me".

Ouch.

The next day, I called my boss and resigned.

And honestly? It was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life (and I've been married, had two children and completed three different degrees!).

It was also one of the most terrifying.

I didn't have another role lined up. I was ready to take a punt on running my own business, but I also had two small children and, financially, it probably wasn't the most well-thought-out decision I'd ever made. But I also knew staying in a workplace that suddenly saw me as less capable was going to cost me more in the long run.

A year after I left, I had made more money, worked less hours and was significantly less stressed. Careers are full of pushes and pulls, and a big part of me is grateful for that push.

Now, five years later, I'm a career coach. I literally help people quit their jobs for a living — and lately, I'm seeing more and more people fantasising about rage-quitting, while feeling less and less financially able to actually do it.

In this economy, who could blame them? Between the cost-of-living crisis and skyrocketing grocery bills (let's not even talk about petrol…), most people feel like they need to cling to a job — any job — even when it's making them sick (literally) and miserable.

But here's the thing I've seen play out time and again: when we think about leaving, we spend too much time assessing the risks of leaving and almost no time assessing the risks of staying.

Because staying in the wrong job comes with risks too.

Why does everyone want to rage quit right now?

You're not thinking about rage-quitting for no reason.

Usually, something has happened that has pushed your buttons and undermined your identity or your core values. That urge to rage quit? It's often a sign that something has already gone too far.

I'm not suggesting you storm out of the office tomorrow, channelling Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman ("Big mistake. Huge!"). But — at the risk of sounding dramatic — employment is actually not a jail sentence. You don't need permission to leave.

If you're already seriously considering walking out, the question is no longer whether you should leave or not. It's how long sticking around will actually serve you.

When is rage-quitting a good idea?

If you have what I like to call "f**k you money" hidden away (the conventional wisdom is three months' salary), this is exactly what that money is for.

A lot of us treat savings as something to preserve at all costs, but we'll happily stay in jobs that are actively damaging our confidence, wellbeing or mental health.

Having a financial buffer can buy you something unbelievably valuable: space to think clearly again.

Job-searching is a lot like dating — deep sadness, intense rage or desperate energy are unlikely to get an employer to swipe right on you, professionally speaking.

I've seen so many clients find it easier to secure their next role when they can apply from a place of rest, rather than trying to sneak around, secretly applying for jobs between meetings while shoving down their frustrations.

Do you have a post-exit strategy?

If you don't have that nest egg, but you're at breaking point, you can still leave. You just need to have a realistic backup plan — temp work, freelancing or even hitting up a former employer for overflow work for a short period of time.

We're not looking for your dream job or mapping out your perfect five-year career plan here. We're looking for a lifeboat that can take you from rage-fuelled to future-focused, and make sure your essentials are taken care of. 

The trick is to view this as a temporary reset. Take the time you need, then get back out there.

Is your job damaging your health?

This is the big one. We often talk about the financial risk of quitting, but what about the holistic risk of staying?

Your confidence, energy, mental health and physical wellbeing are assets. They are literally what you trade for money.

Toxic workplaces can absolutely rob you of those things. And compromised mental or physical health can hurt you more financially in the long-term than a few weeks or months of unemployment will.

I recently worked with a client who called me sobbing from her car after yet another blow-up with her boss. She was convinced she was failing professionally, but the more we spoke, the clearer it became that the real issue wasn't her capability — it was an environment that consistently undermined her.

She used a small nest egg and a short-term temp work plan to resign. Within a month, she'd lined up her new dream role.

Only you can decide where your line is. But if your job is consistently affecting your health, your relationships or your sense of self — that is a debt you cannot afford to keep paying.

Your confidence and well-being are your greatest assets, and you should protect them at all costs. Ellen Hooper is an executive and career coach and helps people make bold career moves through her popular Love Your Work program .

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