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Eman Resu
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Straight to the point - is it ever okay to quit?
Basically, I'm pretty damn unhappy in my job right now and, though I'm not proud to say it, I've been considering quitting. Problem is, I've got no other job offers and I'm really not sure if this is the best I can hope for.
Spoiler'd for whiney avoidance and smaller post size:
I could afford to quit, but it wouldn't exactly look good on a job application. Then there's the fact I used to think I was better than this job, now I'm coming to the realisation that it may well be the only thing that will take me. I know other people seem to manage in terrible jobs and seem to get by, and I'm not proud of even considering quitting, but I genuinely don't know how they do it and after this long it's getting harder to keep myself going.
tl;dr - In a bad job. Unhappy. Have been considering quitting, but quitting isn't and is never acceptible, right? Is there ever a right time or a good reason to throw in the towel? Alternatively, coping solutions: how to keep going? even willing to consider drink, drugs or something that equates to a mental lobotomy if need be.
Basically, I'm pretty damn unhappy in my job right now and, though I'm not proud to say it, I've been considering quitting. Problem is, I've got no other job offers and I'm really not sure if this is the best I can hope for.
Spoiler'd for whiney avoidance and smaller post size:
I work in a call center and have done for the past few years. I've never liked it and detested the idea of doing it, but I was desperate for money after taking some time off after finishing college. It was my first real job and I figured I'd have to stick it out for a while so I just bit my tongue and got on with it.. everyone has to compromise, right?
The problem is, a couple of years on, I'm still here, my degree has proven useless and I'm struggling to keep going. I'm not having much luck applying for jobs and can't stand the idea of going from one call center to another.. pathetic it may be, but after this long I just can't bear the thought of this being my working life. Nothing matters and it's a struggle to force myself into doing anything productive. I'm drained, work has been getting ever worse over the past year and I just don't have the energy to do anything anymore. Everyday it's "one more day", "X more hours", "just a bit longer", I have to kid myself to keep going. I often feel nautious about work, have been getting chest pains recently (I'm a bit young for that.. probably something irrelevant) and have had a few occasions where i've just lost it and struggled to get myself together.
I used to love playing videogames - can't seem to do it anymore though, for some reason I feel guilty doing it when I should be trying to find a way out or improving myself somehow. I used to be pretty confident in my technical ability and was the guy most people went to in college when project deadlines came around.. now I'm not so sure, after all I can't measure up to much if where I am is the best I can manage. I used to enjoy coding (my degree), but like everything else I've just lost the energy for it. I can't explain it, I just don't care about anything anymore. Life has just become about forcing myself though the next day then pushing myself to look for jobs between shifts, which just seems futile.
The problem is, a couple of years on, I'm still here, my degree has proven useless and I'm struggling to keep going. I'm not having much luck applying for jobs and can't stand the idea of going from one call center to another.. pathetic it may be, but after this long I just can't bear the thought of this being my working life. Nothing matters and it's a struggle to force myself into doing anything productive. I'm drained, work has been getting ever worse over the past year and I just don't have the energy to do anything anymore. Everyday it's "one more day", "X more hours", "just a bit longer", I have to kid myself to keep going. I often feel nautious about work, have been getting chest pains recently (I'm a bit young for that.. probably something irrelevant) and have had a few occasions where i've just lost it and struggled to get myself together.
I used to love playing videogames - can't seem to do it anymore though, for some reason I feel guilty doing it when I should be trying to find a way out or improving myself somehow. I used to be pretty confident in my technical ability and was the guy most people went to in college when project deadlines came around.. now I'm not so sure, after all I can't measure up to much if where I am is the best I can manage. I used to enjoy coding (my degree), but like everything else I've just lost the energy for it. I can't explain it, I just don't care about anything anymore. Life has just become about forcing myself though the next day then pushing myself to look for jobs between shifts, which just seems futile.
I could afford to quit, but it wouldn't exactly look good on a job application. Then there's the fact I used to think I was better than this job, now I'm coming to the realisation that it may well be the only thing that will take me. I know other people seem to manage in terrible jobs and seem to get by, and I'm not proud of even considering quitting, but I genuinely don't know how they do it and after this long it's getting harder to keep myself going.
tl;dr - In a bad job. Unhappy. Have been considering quitting, but quitting isn't and is never acceptible, right? Is there ever a right time or a good reason to throw in the towel? Alternatively, coping solutions: how to keep going? even willing to consider drink, drugs or something that equates to a mental lobotomy if need be.
Eman Resu on
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Especially if you're unhappy there. Its not standard practice for a person to begin working one job and work through to retirement anymore, there's no stigma when applying for a new position if you quit from your last job. There are a few things though you'll want to do.
Try looking for work before you finish at your current workplace. I know you said you were not having any luck finding work but you'll be far better off leaving one position and walking into another a week later than you will be looking to meet bills while looking through the employment section. Ideally, you want to finish at one workplace, take a week or so to have a break and get your life used to the new hours you'll be working then start the following week.
Employers love seeing someone who is still working while actively searching for a new job, it means you're looking to advance yourself and you're not just looking for work because you're unemployed. If someone is willing to hire you, you've been employed there for two years and you have that degree, its going to put you above a lot of other people who don't have any qualifications and are currently unemployed.
If they ask you about it in an interview, tell them you've spent 24 months there and felt you'd learnt everything there you felt it had to offer and were looking to expand your skills and put to use what you had gained in your previous position.
As long as you give the legal minimum notice (you may need to check with your states workplace laws on this) but its generally a fortnight's notice. A month is helpful as it gives them more time to train a replacement staff member but if you're not full time its possible they'll short your hours before you leave, depending on your employee and how friendly they are. These are people going to be a character reference for you, you want them to tell your new employer you're a solid dependable team member who gets things done. So don't piss them off by quitting your job the same day you told them, it'll only screw you over later down the track.
But absolutely. If you're unhappy for your workplace and are dragging yourself out of bed everyday dreading going to work then you don't want to be stuck like that forever.
Check the employment section of the paper, with employment agencies, online websites listing positions and keep looking. You'll find a job if you keep at it.
Edit: Also, stay away from taking drugs to get yourself through the day. You're going to kick yourself if you land a fantastic new job and then fail the drug test they ask you to do when you begin there.
I did quit and get a new job, but it turns out that what I thought was better is really not (at least financially speaking, I quite enjoy the job but it's not making my car payments...). I managed to stay away from the drink/drugs/mental lobotomy until that point, but now I've just given up.
Make sure if you do get a new job, you know exactly what you're getting, or that you have a good safety net so you don't get screwed over while trying to chase the promise of happiness.
I guess that came out a bit bitter. I agree with all the points made by Kelor. If you're unhappy, go for the change - but make sure you know what you're in for because it can be difficult in unexpected ways.
It is perfectly OK to quit. If you can support yourself until you get a new job, quit. If you can go looking for jobs whilst still in employment (this is what I did), do that. Then you get paid while you set everything up to quit.
Leaving a job is not the same as giving up. Just because it is given the word "quit" doesn't mean you are weak or "a quitter" anything else. The thing employers are looking for in your next interview is some serious personal reflection on why you quit, and why the new job you are applying for doesn't fit that category. Everyone understands that sometimes a job isn't what you want it to be for an all number of reasons. Just be cool and professional about it, say you felt the job was untenable because you had a very difficult relationship with a supervisor, or whatever you spoilered. Don't go mud-slinging or placing blame, just be calm and show you have properly thought out the problems you had, and why you feel they won't come up again, or what you will do to avoid them coming up again.
I know (well, had an idea) that it's better to get a job while you still have a job, that's why I've been hanging on for the past year. I can't help but see prospective employers looking down on a candidate who quit without having something else.
Been job hunting for months, but all that seems to come up are positions way above my station, or callcenter work. I've applied for as many jobs as I could, got interviews for a few and got knocked back, only to go right back to where I am. Been doing the saving for the worst thing for ages too, it's not the money that's in the way, it's the stigma and the mark it would put on me resume.
I don't know, mentally I'm.. well, yeah, boo hoo, let's skip that. Physically I'm going down hill. And what really bothers me is I just don't care anymore, nothing matters, and now it's just about trying not to be a burden. I had no idea it would or was supposed to be this way. What a fucking idiot.
Because it shows dedication. employers need someone they can depend on. What they don't need is someone that's gonna quit when they don't like their job. My advice to you is too just stay the course. Things won't always be this bad. Keep doin what your doin and things will get better. In a perfect world we would all land really awesome jobs after college, unfortunately this world is not perfect. But if you keep on keepin on you'll be alright.
Also:
This is terrible advice. You absolutely do not have to stick it out in the name of "dedication" if you hate your job. As the OP has discovered, it is utterly detrimental to your quality of life. The idea that people should be grateful for the jobs they have and they should just "make do" went out in the 1950s.
Wanting to leave a job that you hate is not a bad thing at all.
If I'm wrong and her next potential employer doesn't ponder this, leaving a job without another lined up is still a big risk. What if something really major happens to finances (like car breaking down and needing major repairs, or getting sick, remember no insurance) then times are gonna get tough real quick. So I stand by my advice of sticking it out until something better is found. Its tough but then again who said life isn't?
Sticking it out until something better is OK if it can be done, if the OP really really needs to leave, he should. I would stick it out myself.
The maturity thing is why I mentioned about showing heavy reflection. As I said, people leave jobs for all sorts of reasons. People who can properly reflect on what happened, why it went wrong, and why this job won't have those issues, are the ones that get new jobs. They show a maturity in their ability to deal with issues and analyse the situation around them, and bring experience with them. It might even work in your favour, as employers might feel better that you understand the bad bits of the job.
I know exactly how you feel. I went through the same thing about 6 years ago after working at a call center that shall not be named
I really hated it, but I was REALLY good at it. I was the number one tech on my team, and I was making pretty decent money for the type of position it was. Every time I thought of quitting I felt guilty, like I had it really good and I should just be happy where I am. It was my wife (girlfriend at the time) and friends that really convinced me to quit, because they saw how unhappy I was. I decided to get out of IT completely. I applied for a job I knew I'd love (QA tester at Activision.) and even thought it paid almost half of what I was making at the call center position, it was still the best work related decision I've ever made.
If you're unhappy I urge you to get the hell out, you won't get any happier.