I’ve always been an ambitious person.
That’s probably why I didn’t think twice about starting a full-time master’s in TV Fiction Writing while planning a wedding and moving house last year.
Then, to add to the chaos, I began a new journalism job four months before my wedding in April 2025. The role involved writing for a major publication, and it was a big promotion. I was so proud of myself.
I loved my work, and I loved my postgraduate studies even more. But the workload was immense — I had one day off a week, which isn’t a lot when navigating two huge personal life events.
After the wedding, I thought things would calm down, but I felt completely burned out. My instincts told me I needed a change.
Something had to give
The mayhem surrounding the wedding was over, but I still had the master’s course to complete. Juggling work with my studies left me exhausted and feeling a lot of pressure. I knew something had to give.
So, one month after my nuptials and five months after starting my job, I made the difficult decision to resign.
There was no backup plan, but I knew I would figure it out.
I got what I wanted — life slowed down, and I had the space and time to focus on my master’s.
I felt like people judged me
My husband was extremely supportive, as were my parents and my mother-in-law. But I could tell that some people either judged or were downright baffled by my decision.
Most of all, I judged myself. I had gone from being the breadwinner in my relationship to relying on my husband’s income to pay the bills. That kind of identity shift isn’t something you can get used to overnight.
I worried that people would assume I only stopped working because I got married, which wasn’t the case. I would never look down on women who make that decision, of course, but I didn’t like being misunderstood.
I had my own savings, but I knew it would run out if I wasn’t careful. I became obsessed with financial planning. It got to the point where my husband sat me down and told me he was genuinely concerned about me and the anxiety I was experiencing.
Additionally, I didn’t know how to handle free time. I went from the busiest phase of my life to one of the slowest. In my mind, I thought that if I wasn’t being productive, then I must be lazy.
I definitely questioned if I had made the right call. For a while, I felt truly vulnerable and scared about the future, despite having such a great support system behind me.
Quitting was the right decision
It’s now been almost a year since I quit my job, and despite the emotional hurdles, I can honestly say it was the best decision.
After graduating with my master’s in November 2025, I was left facing a blank page in my future. But eventually, my anxiety faded, and in its place was steely determination.
Slowly, I’ve returned to some freelance work. I’ve also had time to travel and pursue projects I wouldn’t have been able to if I were still working full-time.
I’ve also been able to take better care of my health, from developing a consistent gym routine that I love to making home-cooked meals for my husband and me.
I know how lucky I am to pursue my passions, and it’s definitely something I won’t ever take for granted. Overall, I’m happier, healthier, and excited to embrace this new pace of life.
There’s still a question mark around my future, but instead of seeing that as a bad thing, I now embrace the uncertainty.
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