I know people who've left FIDO and found so much joy. They tell me about the peace they've found and the stress that's gone, but I still can't do it. I believe them, but I just can't overcome my own fear of the unknown. What if I can't find something? What if it's worse? I know it's probably not, but I can't convince myself to take the risk.
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@146 - I really agree with your abusive relationship analogy. They treat us like we don't have any options, but any company would be glad to get us. It's like one sadistic change after another just to see how long we will take it.
I was trapped under an abusive parent’s household up until a couple years after I was 18. I didn’t think I could leave due to my other family potentially getting hurt by the abuser, wondering if I could actually get away from it, knowing they had my SSN cards and could steal my identity, etc.
Your post reads exactly like my thoughts when I was there. That says a lot about corporate itself, but as a fidelity survivor, something about fidelity and that abusive household are veryyyyyy consistent. Fidelity is like an abusive relationship.
The good news is, with all abusive relationships, you absolutely can get away from it. Good luck.
The bigger risk is staying in something just because of fear and looking back a couple of years later with regret because you made yourself unnecessarily suffer, for what?
Fidelity was never just a job to me. At its best, it gave me three things every person needs: purpose, craft, and community. I believed in what I was doing. I became good at it and I worked alongside people who became part of my life. Leaving meant risking all three at once.
Don't quit without a plan. But know this: the abilities that allowed you to succeed at Fidelity do not belong to Fidelity. Your knowledge, discipline, judgment, and capacity to care for people are yours. The company gave you a place to practice your craft, but it did not create the person who learned that craft.
You do not need to make one heroic leap. Build a bridge. Talk to people who left. (I have often thought of starting some sort of support group for former Fidelity employees.) Explore quietly. Save what you can and apply for something even if you are uncertain. Fear does not have to disappear before you move; sometimes it disappears because you moved.
There is life after Fidelity and there may be parts of you waiting on the other side that you have not met yet.
Feeling the same way. I agree there is nothing lost by exploring outside options and more knowledge to gain. Really wanted to stay with Fidelity and I guess it's the unrealistic idea that Abby and senior leadership will wake up and say are the associates feeling overwhelmed, overworked and burning out? What made Fidelity great is being a profitable company while having the employees work at sustainable levels, this is what separated Fidelity from the public companies that work employees as hard as possible and are ok with high turnover ratios. Now it has the feeling that Fidelity is desperately trying to remain relevant although could be that I work with managed money and it would be so easy for clients to still invest without paying management fees or competitors lowering their management fees creating that sense of urgency for Fidelity management. Maybe it depends on what area of Fidelity you work in as what the experience is. Good luck and I understand the Sunday evening dread of facing another week of pressure- not a fun way to live.
@ay came here to say the same - you're 100% right
At least if you get laid off you could get 6 months severance. Then make decisions about what you want to do next after unemployment runs out. Eventually leaving will get rid of the Sunday night feeling of dread.
You won’t know unless you try.
As someone who left a few months ago, I can 100% say I feel so much better than I did back then.
As you start to interview you will decide case by case if it’s better to stay or go. Not an exercise to do in your head and nothing is lost by meeting with other options. It’s not a commitment to meet them
Don't you think there's risk in staying too? You might get laid off in September. Then what?
Are you married? kids? Have extreme amount of debt? Then its scary. But if you can find a less stress job, maybe lower pay, it reaps benefits.