Opinion | Why some women in their 20s are walking away from traditional careers

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On the fourth season of “Sex and the City,” Charlotte surprises her friends with a major life update: She’s quitting her job. Over brunch, she tells them she’s ready to embrace the next phase of her life as a full-time wife.

Carrie, Samantha and Miranda exchange apprehensive looks before reminding her how hard she worked for her position at an art gallery. Charlotte, defensive but cheerful, insists this new freedom will allow her time to make “pottery” and to do something more meaningful like “cure AIDS.”

The episode aired in 2001. At the time, her decision was met with a mix of mockery and disbelief, both within the show and by the audience. Quitting a career for a domestic life was something the show itself often questioned, positioning ambition as liberation. But more than two decades later, Charlotte’s sentiment feels strangely current.

Today, some women in their mid-to-late 20s are walking away from traditional careers, but not necessarily toward marriage or motherhood. They’re burned out, overworked and disillusioned. They are quitting their 9-to-5s in search of something more fulfilling, even if they’re not entirely sure what that is yet.

On TikTok, this trend has taken shape with hashtags like #quitmyjob, #softlife and #careerpivot. Women are sharing stories of leaving positions in fields like marketing, finance and health care — positions they also worked hard to get. In one social media clip, a woman is seen crying in a parking lot with a caption above her head that reads: “I just left my toxic job. I’m free.”

But the job market is a mess. It’s volatile, unpredictable and, overall, a hostile place for the unemployed. Yet that doesn’t seem to stop these young women from quitting their jobs and starting anew.

As a current college student who is also working part time, I find the movement both empowering and thought-provoking. It raises difficult questions: What becomes of all the effort I’ve poured into my education? Should mental well-being come before financial security? And perhaps the most pressing — could I even afford to make that choice?

So, what happens when all that was promised essentially becomes the bane of your existence? When the well-paying job takes a toll on your mental health, it feels uninspiring, and just overall emotionally unsustainable. What’s the point in working a position that is unbearably taxing?

With that idea, Charlotte’s decision to leave her job feels like less of an anomaly and more like a precursor. Yes, she had the financial security that many don’t to sustain her choice not to work. But the sentiment behind it — the desire for peace, autonomy and purpose — feels relatable. It’s not about rejecting ambition or hard work, but redefining them.

Not everyone has the luxury of quitting their job. But when so many people are entertaining the idea, it says a lot about the system and state of modern work, especially for women who are often expected to excel professionally while also absorbing emotional labor at home and in relationships. The pressure is relentless.

I recently met with my friend Afrah Mahamoud to hear about her experience working in the insurance industry. She is among those who have quit their jobs in pursuit of something more balanced and empowering. “When I’m working in a place where I am appreciated, feel heard, and have a positive environment, I feel good about working and myself,” she said to me over lunch.

She recently moved from Atlanta to Minneapolis in search of a fresh start and plans on applying to graduate school. “I hope this new beginning brings me a sense of stability and security, a chapter filled with success, growth and fulfillment in all areas of my life,” she said.

Maybe Charlotte wasn’t trying to abandon meaning, but to find it. Maybe, for her, feeling fulfilled meant making pottery and charity. For others, that might look like healing from toxic work environments or starting a new business. And for some, it may still be a work in progress.

The world is changing. It’s developing new rules and sometimes the lines can be blurry. But the urge to reclaim energy, time and identity? That’s real and growing.

Charlotte once said, “I choose my choice.” At the time, it sounded a little defensive. Now, it sounds like the rallying cry of a generation.