- Chris Downs, 41, returned to the same company twice after quitting in 2008 and 2021.
- He says never burning bridges and trusting his gut have served him well in his career.
Chris Downs made the same mistake twice. As a recession looms, he says he's finally learned his lesson.
In 2008, Downs quit his job as an associate for the global consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. But after only a few months, he realized he'd made the wrong choice and returned to his former employer, the 41-year-old told Insider.
Last year, nearly 13 years later, he left Booz Allen again — but was back within weeks.
"I could've stuck it out for six months or a year, but I would've just said the same thing later," he said. "I knew within the first week, and life is too short to waste any time doing what you don't enjoy."
But if the economy takes a turn for the worse, his next mistake might not have such a happy ending. And that's among the reasons Downs says he has no plans to quit again anytime soon.
Downs is among the millions of Americans who have found new job opportunities in recent years, but he's also among the many workers who have found the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
An April Harris poll of 2,000 Americans found 20% of people who had quit their jobs in the past two years regretted their decision. While some of these workers have stuck it out, or bounced to yet another company, some "boomerang employees" like Downs are wagering their old employer is the best fit for them after all.
Of course, the flexibility to return to a job — twice — so quickly after leaving is a reflection of a stable economic environment and strong job market. That's no sure thing in the US right now as recession warnings mount. If the economy does see a meaningful downturn — and job openings evaporate — returning to one's old employer won't be so easy, raising the stakes for workers looking to change jobs.
Economic uncertainty is among the reasons Downs says he is "even less likely to leave" his job again. If he were on the job hunt now, he says he would probably prioritize job stability.
Time is running out for workers to escape Great Resignation regret
While the window appears to be closing, there may still be time for workers to join the Great Resignation and come out unscathed if they regret their decision. While job openings have fallen from near-record highs, they remain elevated, and the low employment rate suggests the labor market hasn't cooled down much yet.
For those preparing to take a leap and pursue a new opportunity, Downs's career path serves as a reminder that oftentimes, a career change doesn't work out the way one expected.
He started with Booz Allen in 2007, but left a year later for a role that offered a larger salary and the opportunity to use cutting-edge technologies.
The work wasn't what he expected, however, and after only four months on the job, he decided it was time to leave. He reached back out to Booz Allen and was "welcomed back with open arms."
"I thought it would set back my career if I didn't go back," he said, adding that, "Ultimately, my happiness mattered more than my salary."
Downs says he continued to enjoy his job over the years, but last February, he had an urge to "try something different and change things up."
He'd been at the same company for 13 years, had recently suffered an unexpected loss of a family member, and had an external job offer in hand for what he thought was a good opportunity.
But after only a week on the job, he says he knew it wasn't a good fit and 'instantly regretted" his decision, adding that it was his company's "support and culture" in particular that drew him back.
He received an offer from his former employer "within a few days," quit soon after, and was back working on his old team only a couple of weeks after leaving.
"When it wasn't the right fit for me, I wasted no time going back to what made me happy," he said.
Never burning bridges and trusting one's gut can help workers in their career journeys
Going forward, Downs says that while he "wouldn't say no to the right opportunity," he's not on the job hunt right now. That said, he has some advice for people that plan to begin searching for a new role soon.
Before leaving for another opportunity, he says people should do whatever they can to get a sense of the culture and environment of their new employer, including browsing job sites that provide employee reviews.
And for workers who do leave, "never burn any bridges," he says. Even if one is certain they will never return to work for their current employer, their coworkers may be able to provide them career assistance in the future.
While it can take newcomers time to get up to speed and acclimate to a company's culture, Downs says sometimes, workers need to trust their gut, even if that means leaving much sooner than they otherwise had planned.