I was earning six-figures and at the peak of my career — here’s why I quit

Chloe Taylor was at the peak of her career and earning six-figures when she decided to walk away.

The Sydney lawyer had been practicing law for over six years but had never really been “passionate” about her career.

Ms. Taylor, 34, lives in Sydney and was making between $150,000 ($99,330 USD) and $200,000 ($133,240) a year, but she wasn’t fulfilled by her career.

Sure, it sounded very good on paper, but she wasn’t enjoying it, and her frustration with work was starting to impede everything else.

“It got to a point where I found I wasn’t really enjoying anything. Ordinary things that usually brought me joy, like going for morning swims or trying new restaurants were not bringing that same joy,” she told news.com.au.

Ms. Taylor found that not enjoying work was also beginning to impact her health.

“I was also getting sick quite often and very rundown. I took some time to really think about what needed to change. So, the exact moment was probably two years ago, but it took me a long time to take the leap,” she explained.

When she told her family and friends she was going to give up her career, they were “surprised”.

“My parents were definitely worried, mainly because they know how much hard work I had put into studying and also into being a lawyer,” she said.

Of course, there were other options.

There are plenty of different areas of law to work in, and she toyed with the idea of exploring a different niche, but ultimately, she realized she needed to hit pause on her career.

“I needed to take a break from law altogether to reassess what I wanted to do with my career,” she said.

“The great thing about having a law degree is that the skills you learn are so transferable and I can still come back to being a lawyer if I decide that I miss it.”

Ms, Taylor isn’t alone in her drive to change careers.

In 2023, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that 1.3 million Aussies changed jobs, the highest rate of career changes since 2012.

For now, Ms. Taylor doesn’t have a big plan for what she’ll do next.

She didn’t leave law with another career lined up but, so far, she’s enjoying focusing on her passions for the first time in … well, forever.

“I have just launched a fashion accessories brand, ZEIYA. It’s a brooch brand that is focused on empowering individuals to great creative with their style,” she said.

To pay her bills though, she’s hoping to gain employment in the fashion world.

“I am also looking at working part time with a fashion brand in either content creation or buying. Very different to being a lawyer,” she said.

Ms. Taylor said she feels like the next few months will be all about “self-discovery” and, while people have commented that she could have started a side hustle and maintained her gainful employment, she disagrees.

“I just don’t believe that is realistic, especially as a lawyer,” she said.

The general reaction has affirmed her decision, though.

She said so many people have told her “congratulations”.

“I definitely won’t miss billable hours as a lawyer and always having to account for my time. The freedom of not knowing what’s next, is probably the best and most exciting part,” she said.

Of course, within that freedom, there’s some financial stress involved.

“This hasn’t been a spontaneous decision. I had to do a lot of planning and cut down on some unnecessary expenses. Goodbye, Netflix,” she said.

She is ready for a change.

“It can be really hard to have the confidence to leave a career path that you have been on for so long and trust it’s the right decision. It’s easy to stay on it, stay comfortable and not make any changes. But I am not getting any younger, so now was the time,” she added.

Ben Thompson, CEO of HR company Employment Hero, said that employees aren’t afraid to leave careers they are sick of.

“Gone are the days when employees would stay in unfulfilling roles indefinitely, with almost 1 in 10 workers changing employers in the past year,” he said.

Mr. Thompson said that employees constantly evaluate if they want to stay in their jobs.

“Today’s workforce is not afraid to make swift moves if a job doesn’t align with their career prospects and values or detracts from their wellbeing.”