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To quit or not to quit
Asura
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey guys.
I've been working at my current job for over 2 and a half months but I absolutely hate it.
The amount of politics that is happening in this company is just out of this world and it all seems to revolve around a person who is the most paranoid person in the world who happens to be the CEO. He is so paranoid about what goes on in the company that this weekend, he went to work to check up on the equipment to make sure they are off and who knows what else.
His paranoia coupled with the way the company is being run is really affecting my work to the point where every day seems to be worse than the day before, which kind of reminds me of the dude in the movie Office Space where every day is his worst day.
I'm not a lazy person, I get my work done, but I'm not happy and its starting to take its toll on me, mentally and physically. For instance, I haven't had a good nights sleep for over a month. I wake up feeling like complete shit and not looking forward to work.
I'm really at the point where I just want to quit and rid myself of this job and the stress associated with it. But the problem I'm facing is that this is my first real job related to my education from school and I really need the experience but all the stress is starting to get to me.
I want to quit, but I need the experience, but on the other hand, if I quit now, I'm back where I was 2 months ago, looking for work and only having 2 months of work experience doesn't look good.
So what would you guys suggest I do? Should I keep at it and get a year of experience, but have to put up with another 10 months? Should I drop this job like a bad habit and look for something else?
Any advice would be great.
I've been working at my current job for over 2 and a half months but I absolutely hate it.
The amount of politics that is happening in this company is just out of this world and it all seems to revolve around a person who is the most paranoid person in the world who happens to be the CEO. He is so paranoid about what goes on in the company that this weekend, he went to work to check up on the equipment to make sure they are off and who knows what else.
His paranoia coupled with the way the company is being run is really affecting my work to the point where every day seems to be worse than the day before, which kind of reminds me of the dude in the movie Office Space where every day is his worst day.
I'm not a lazy person, I get my work done, but I'm not happy and its starting to take its toll on me, mentally and physically. For instance, I haven't had a good nights sleep for over a month. I wake up feeling like complete shit and not looking forward to work.
I'm really at the point where I just want to quit and rid myself of this job and the stress associated with it. But the problem I'm facing is that this is my first real job related to my education from school and I really need the experience but all the stress is starting to get to me.
I want to quit, but I need the experience, but on the other hand, if I quit now, I'm back where I was 2 months ago, looking for work and only having 2 months of work experience doesn't look good.
So what would you guys suggest I do? Should I keep at it and get a year of experience, but have to put up with another 10 months? Should I drop this job like a bad habit and look for something else?
Any advice would be great.
Xbox Live GamerTag: Magik Tek
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took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
Expect a lot of jobs to be stressful, frankly.. no matter where you work you'll usually end up feeling pretty stressed out. Some people have a natural tendency for it others don't.
For example, my current place i've been working at for 3 years. Recently I had some seriously bad stress of network issues that was driving me up the wall. (I am the IT guy for the company) I eventually got it fixed, but it has made me think maybe it's time to find a new job.
You may want to consider finding a way to let off stress, it varies from person to person.. some people it's going out, getting drunk and/or laid. For me, it's gaming typically and then on a weekend just sleeping in. Works a good deal of the time.
What's the kind of job?
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I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
The problem I see with that is I've only worked less than 3 months and never had any other experience related to my field. I honestly don't think an employer would even take a look at me seeing that I only have under 3 months of experience.
Heck, it took me a long time to find my current job.
Just quit it.
As for quitting after 2 months looking bad on your resume... not really. In fact, it is something you can use to your advantage. When your next potential employer asks you why you quit, you can explain, and emphasize how the people you work with are at least as important as the actual job you do, and that is why you applied to this company -- because you heard good things about their work atmosphere and company culture.
Reality sucks. lol
My job is in a chemical lab environment. The work itself isn't bad. It's just the shit happening with the company that is getting to me.
I got essentially 3 bosses, my lab manager, the President, and the CEO. Not to mention the President and CEO are constantly at odds with each other over stupid shit with me and my co-workers stuck in the middle. It also doesn't help that the CEO is constantly around my work area and has a history of firing people on the spot over stupid shit. The stress from it is unbelievable.
I've been trying to find ways of relieving the stress such as gaming but this weekend it seemed gaming had the opposite effect by actually adding to my stress. ie Devil May Cry 3 and God of War 2 (Titan Mode) lol
Hopefully with the beautiful weather this week things might change.
It doesn't sound like you need the money, so we'll scratch that.
Do you enjoy what you are doing? You haven't said how the paranoia of your boss affects you. Why do you care so much? Does he give you a chewing out every day?
If you enjoy what you are doing, tough it out another couple of months and see if your feelings change. Shit bosses are everywhere, you have no greater guarentee of avoiding one in a different job than this one. If the boss isn't directly affecting you, try and let it go.
If it is upsetting you to the point where you feel the job in untenable, begin to look for other jobs. Why do you think you have to get the experience from this job? You were experienced enough to be hired into it, you are experienced enough to do a similar position in another company.
Do air your grievances to your supervisor, or if he's too close contact, the next up the food chain. It's really bad form to just quit a job without them having time to change what is wrong. If this guy is obviously crazy, it will have been noticed by them as well. Middle-management doesn't soley exist to shield the employees from the CEO, but also to shield the CEO from the employees. Maybe they can deflect some of the heat. Don't tell them you are looking for a new job or upset to the pointing of walking, just state the facts about how you are feeling.
If nothing changes, then leave and good luck. I started my first job in September, and I didn't like it. I didn't need the experience, but leaving an IT company after just 5 months was pretty bad form, but now I am in a job I love, so it worked out.
Money has never been a concern. What's important to me is the experience I gain because I found that a lot of job postings required at least a year of experience related to the field, which is why the experience is so important to me.
When it comes to the work. I do enjoy it... when they give me a clear idea what they want me to do. This is another result of the company being so unorganized.
When it comes to the CEO, EVERYBODY knows he's crazy. It was one of the first thing people told me when I started working there. The thing about the CEO is he's always around the work area. He is really dedicated to his work, but also wants to keep an eye on what people are doing. His constant presence affects everyone.
What I think I'll end up doing is to take things in small chunks. Rather than staying for a whole year, what I was thinking of was evaluating my situation every 3 months and go from there whether it means I quit, with notice of course, or continue working and hoping the situation improves.
To the original poster: you said you need the experience, right? How much experience do you need before you feel you're ready to move on to the next level, whether that be a promotion or another job? Two years? Five years? It's important to ask this, because you need to have some kind of idea where you're headed. If you only feel like you need a couple of years of experience before you feel qualified for the next stage of your career, then staying on and enduring the bullcrap might not be a bad idea if this job is going to look really good on your resume. Basically, you need to decide how much experience you need, and measure it against how much you're willing to put up with. If the experience you need is more important, then do your best to grit your teeth and wait it out. However, if you just can't take it anymore, start looking for another job. It may set you back a bit, but I guess that's the consequence of not hating your job.
Also, keep in mind that you've only been there for 2 months. Things can change a lot in the first year of a new job. I would personally give it at least six months before really making any drastic decisions. But that's just me.
Oculus: TheBigDookie | XBL: Dook | NNID: BigDookie
Exactly. You might not even get a chance to explain. They might just see 2 months and drop your resume in the discard pile.
If you do start looking now, I might consider not putting your current job on your resume. Maybe after six months.
Whatever you do, don't just quit. Find something else first, then leave.
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
To be fair it may not be as bad as this job. But don't jump into your next job expecting everything to be perfect. Life isn't like that and you don't want to be the guy that has 7 jobs in the first two years of his career.
Satans..... hints.....
If you have the qualifications, you will get past the first round. Believe me, most jobs will disregard the job obituary and look at your skills.
You know, though, here's another dirty secret -- there's more than one way to write a resume. Why do you have to put dates on your job obituary section? Couldn't you simply list your past employers and your skills/responsibilities? Why do you have to put a specific start and end time?
Just leave the dates off of all of your past jobs. If you're young, it won't matter. Dates really only affect decisions about hiring when your seniority at a job is its own qualification -- such as being with a company in X position for 5 years or whatever, to show that you have 5 years of job experience as X.
If you walked tomorrow, you could just say you were employed there temporarily, or not even say you were there at all.
I should have clarified.
For me, my happiness > everything else.
Most people who work at shitty jobs and are unhappy try to rationalize it one way or another, and think time will make things better. They will get a raise. They will learn to manage stress. They will move up the ladder. They will gain experience and move on to other jobs. The people they hate will get fired. Etcetera. This is fear disguised as optimism; fear of the uncertainty that follows after quitting a job.
What they don't realize is that quitting will eliminate their misery now and for sure, whereas staying in the job will eliminate some of it some time in the future (whenever that is), and only maybe.
You are right: quitting his first job after only 2 months will look bad on a resume. But he says he hates corporate politics. And like the other posters have said, corporate politics is an inevitable part of the real world. So one way or another, he will be exposed to conditions that stress him out and make him miserable.
So the logical conclusion, or at least the suggestion, should be this: maybe corporate life is not for the OP. Maybe he is better off shifting his focus and seeking self-employment, starting his own business or something. Possibilities are endless; the 9-5 work life may not be for him, especially if he doesn't like what comes with it.
I agree. Don't put this current job on your resume if you quit after two months. Don't put anything on your resume that you don't want to be asked about, or puts you in a negative light. A resume is an add for you as an potential employee. You don't want to put things that might be red flags on it.
However, its pretty clear that this is a toxic work environment for the OP. He or she should be looking for a new job right now. Spend a couple of hours after work each day looking for a job. If you want advice on how best to do that (hint: Just responding to ads is one of the least effective possible methods to find a job), we can help you with that.
By looking for a new job you'll be taking control of the situation, and having that may make it easier to let alot of this shit roll of your back.
Which makes the whole "it looks bad on your resume" argument moot, really.
In the interview though there's a fairly good chance they may ask you about this, so at least have an answer prepared. I mean you've gotten this far to get the interview so it's gotten you that far. But keep in mind there is a good chance they will ask about.
Satans..... hints.....
and if money isn't a problem, why the hell not? unless you've got a trust fund or something, money will always be a problem.
. . .
If the place is as bad as it sounds, and you'd be looking in the same industry, chances are that employers will have heard through the grapevine that it's a terrible place to work. That's happened to me on a couple of occasions, and interviewers have generally been sympathetic when reasons for leaving have been discussed.
In any case, it's generally easier to find a job if you're already employed, and it can't hurt to start looking now. Be discreet, though. There's nothing that'll contribute to a stressful environment like trumpeting your intention to leave before all and sundry.
I quit my first job after 2 months for an infinitely better one.
When they asked me about why I quit, I said "Because it wasn't what they promised it to be, it was too easy, I need a job that pushes me".
They apparently thought that response was ok, because I was hired.
I am not saying that quiting so soon is easy, but I do know that in this life, there are those that don't compromise on what they want and what they think they are worth. These people go out and get what they want, which sometimes means making hard choices.
If you think you can do better, then you almost certainly can.
Then quit, and take the other job. If you found this one, you'll find another... eventually. That or a year will have passed, and then you can put this job on your resume and stand a better chance perhaps.
In the meanwhile, let work be work at work. Live your life outside as your own.
"I tried really hard, but that just was just NOT the right fit for me. I'm a hard worker, and I love what I do. I'd like to work in a more stable office culture where I can work productively with others and grow my skill set."
This or something similar to it is a polite way to say that the last job sucked hard core, but it wasn't *you*. It's respectful and shows that you want to work hard and fit in. All employers know that sometimes the fit just isn't right. It usually comes along later in life, but it's still ok for you to just say no, and find a job that challenges you and utilizes your skills and personality.
Take some time to feel confident and sure about this. If you go in there like you are now - afraid that you're failing (which you aren't!) and that you're trying to get away with something (you aren't!) - the potential employer will think you're trying to cover something up or you might be some sort of problem employee. (you aren't!)
From personal experience, my second job I had only been in for a couple months when I started looking for new work. I had been at my previous job for 18 months. In my case, it was very easy to explain to my future employers that the company looked like it would be going under within the next year (and it did) and they were having issues with payroll that directly affected me.
At the two month mark it doesn't look that bad actually - its just not your place to be, most HR's are going to respect that. If you burn through three or four jobs at two mo per, quoting 'i hate politics' every time, it will be reason for concern - i.e. you are incapable of playing the Game at any serious level.
For the past two years, I had been working in the House of Representatives with quite possibly the worst boss on the face of the planet. He would pit people against one another, pay low, but talk as if we were given high, would fire people after a week just to keep all the other lackies in line, and would promise things that would never come to fruition (raises, new job functions, etc). I dealt with all this the entire time. I knew the first month I worked there that I hated the job, the politics (on Capitol Hill, hah), and management. I stayed on for those two years because I wanted experience. I basically created a pact with mysef: work here for two years and then leave if the conditions don't improve.
This has to be the longest employment of pain I've ever dealt.
A month before my two years lapsed, my boss started complaining to me about something unimportant on a weekend, on my birthday (we were forced into Blackberry bondage, there was no such thing as free time). Fortunately I had already set the groundwork in place to move on to the next job, because the conditions clearly had not improved. When he started threatening me with the normal items he would tell to everyone in the company, I had a nice library of complaints I let loose. He was noticeably shaken, and I was able to quit on the spot and tell him, to his face, that I had a better job, better pay, with less stress.
While I hated the time I spent there, it allowed me the opportunity to get the new job with little to no effort. Now I'm doing marketing off the Hill for about twice the amount of money I was originally offered by the prior job, and my workload has been decreased threefold.
Play the game smart, have something lined up before you start thinking about quitting, and for God's sake, if you have grievances with your boss and you know you have the new job, let him have it. While sometimes they'll react defensive about the whole thing, say you're burning bridges, sometimes they will actually treat the employees still working there better. Just make sure you picked up references other than your boss. ;-)
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