Would you quit your job?

kikibaby · November 2009

If you really, really loathed your job and it made you miserable every day; and you had enough savings to cover 3-4 months... would you just quit your job without finding a new one first?

I've been looking, but things are so slow that I am tired of waiting and just want out of here. NOW.

crfische · November 2009

Not a chance. I'd always have one first.

goheels05 · November 2009

Hell yes, I would. I did back in May, actually. Best decision I made for my mental health ever.

suedoe · November 2009

If you have the savings I don't see why not. Everyone needs a break from time to time anyway.

kate51485 · November 2009

No. Unless I had a sugar daddy.

ac_in_dc · November 2009

My pat advice any time you're facing a tough decision like this one--keep a journal and write about your feelings for a few minutes every day. After a couple of weeks or a month look back over what you've written and that will help with your decision.

fangsiting · November 2009

I wouldn't, but my field is really bad, so it's unlikely I would find a new job in 3-4 months. It took me over 2 years to find my current job. I hated my previous job, but I never considered quitting without having something lined up.

SwedishChick2011 · November 2009

That's a tough one. I mean, you don't want to be miserable, but it could be really hard to find a job in this economy. So - what would happen if 4 months go by and you don't have a job? Would you wish you hadn't quit? Would you be going into debt to make ends meet?

kikibaby · November 2009

I just feel like I'm wasting my life away. I realized that if I got hit by a bus tomorrow, I would not die happy. It doesn't seem worth it, but at the same time... I don't want to feel stupid when I'm still unemployed 6 months from now, or working part-time at Target.

Nebb · November 2009

No I wouldnt because what if it takes you another 3-4 months to find a job, at best, and then you are stuck with no job and no savings. I think that has bad idea written all over it.

danieliza1127 · November 2009

Not in this economy.

My H is in the same situation you are and even though I make twice what he makes, he still isn't going to quit without a new job. It's just not smart right now. If you're having trouble finding something now, it will only be worse if you have a gap in your employment history. HR peeps don't take to kindly to you not being able to stick it out and when there is so much competition right now, they can easily choose someone with the same qualifications with no employment gap.

[Deleted User] · November 2009

As a teacher living in London I would quit my job and find a new one. There are more jobs then teachers here. If my job was less stable I would not.

Brie2010 · November 2009

No way. Having just come off unemployment, you would have to pry this job from my cold, dead hands before I'd leave.

But, then again, I'm in a field that's been hit hard by the economy and it's uncommonly hard to find a job now. 3-4 months would almost certainly not be long enough for me to find a new job.

kate51485 · November 2009

Kiki, do you think if your general outlook on life improved that it might not be as bad? Maybe if you could shake the depression stuff you mentioned the other day? Does everything else in life make the job worse, or is the job the big problem that makes everything else worse?

ZangiePants · November 2009

I would try to wait until January and then re-evaluate. Hopefully the job market will be a bit better in January after companies have finalized their budgets for the year.

tlv204 · November 2009

I would not. I hate my job but it took me so long to find this one after college and I've been trying to find a full time teaching job for 2 years, so I already know I would not be able to replenish my bank account soon enough, if ever.

Koopa17 · November 2009

No, but I'm not as adventurous as some. I would be more stressed if I didn't have a job and was spending savings b/c of it than I would be b/c of a job I hated. I don't LOVE this job by any means but I wouldn't dare quit it without a great back up plan. And I wouldn't want FI to do it either. What is your job?

wadingmoose · November 2009

No. Especially not in this economy.

tidetravel · November 2009

Nope. DH quit his job back in Feb because they were purposefully making him miserable, and trying to force him out. I told him to go ahead and do it, because we figured he could just get another server job somewhere else and that his mental health was more important. He was out of work for 3/4 months and then ended up picking up a job at Taco Bell just to bring SOMETHING home. Talk about being miserable and feeling worthless.

No way would I do it in this economy.

georgia_bride09 · November 2009

I wouldn't quit my current job without having something else lined up, even if it WAS part-time at Target. The economy isn't stable enough yet to be able to absolutely count on getting a new job within 3 months.

Sine your current job is sucking the life out of you, maybe try to make some personal changes at work and home for the time being. Take a few breaks and just walk outside and clear your head, or spend some time in the evenings at home focusing on yourself and your sanity.

My husband is in your exact position, and I actually told him to quit his job, but he won't because he's afraid of not finding a new one. We would be able to live on just my salary if we wanted to- we'd have to cut back, but in all honesty, we really need to anyway- but he's not willing to do that right now.

vallyhoo · November 2009

My best friend just found a job after being unemployed for almost a year. I don't think 3-4 months is enough in savings to consider that.

Kati0105 · November 2009

After seeing FI go through a full year of unemployment and dozens of unsuccessful interviews, hell no. I am miserable too but am determined to stick it out until I can return to school or find a job with at least the same pay.

lpstl · November 2009

No way in hell. For one I wouldn't want to give up my benefits, and I work in a highly specialized field. In order to change companies I'd most likely have to relocate or commute.

I don't think it's smart to use that chunk of savings when you don't have to. What if you drained it and a major emergency came up? I think your situation would depend upon what industry you're in and how affected it's been by the economy.

cupcake_rampage · November 2009

If it weren't for the economy, I absolutely would if it was making me miserable. In fact, I have quit a number of jobs for that very reason, although I was a student and had a secondary job so no big gaps on my resume or anything.

Normally I am a huge believer in mental health coming before most other things, and if I'm truly miserable, I believe it is just not worth it. That being said, right now just seems like a bad time to do it.

kikibaby · November 2009

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_would-quit-job?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:b6741a48-68ef-42fa-9b1d-d678221f581aPost:6bd88cff-28c4-4eaf-a7d1-7da38ecd1217">Re: Would you quit your job?</a>:
[QUOTE]Kiki, do you think if your general outlook on life improved that it might not be as bad? Maybe if you could shake the depression stuff you mentioned the other day? Does everything else in life make the job worse, or is the job the big problem that makes everything else worse?
Posted by kate51485[/QUOTE]

I guess it might make it seems a little better, but I know that most my co-workers don't like our job either. I work for the city government in customer service, answering calls about peoples bills. They're rude and stupid and annoying. I'm chained to a desk with a set lunch break for exactly 30 minutes. I have to be here at 7 am. It sucks :(

salt78 · November 2009

It would depend on the level of loathing. Then again, even if I did quit, it is pretty easy for me to find side work so you probably shouldn't listen to me.

Night_Sprite · November 2009

I am a little OCD about responsibility. I would what if myself into staying. What if I can't find something else? What if one of us ends up the hospital? What if a car dies? I'd stay and look for jobs aggressively.

mandapanda78 · November 2009

I wouldn't quit. In this economy it's not unthinkable that you could burn through 4 months worth out of your savings and still not have a job. What about if you got a part-time job in a totally different field? At least that way you're not living solely off your savings while you search for something else full time.

tenofcups4me · November 2009

Not unless I had a plan to do something else.

I did quit a job I hated in the '90s in the middle of a recession. But I was a magazine writer/editor and knew that I had enough contacts to make a go of it as a freelancer. The timing wasn't great in that the economy totally sucked, but it made sense because of what was going on at the company. It also made sense because I'd done enough freelance work while working full-time that I had contacts in place and knew I could continue to support myself. It worked out so well that I freelanced for 7 years. (Eventually I took another full-time position for close to 5 years and then because of life changes ended up freelancing again, which I'm still happily doing.)

I'm all for taking a risk and making change -- but only when it's part of a well-thought-out plan. And it doesn't sound like you have an actual plan.

nda_roxybabe · November 2009

Ooh, I don't know. I know how that feels but I wouldnt feel say quitting without having something lined up. Although, bringing home the stress and crap from work sucks.

bbyckes · November 2009

I'm in the same boat, but with the economy and its outlook, there is no way I can walk away. We would sink financially if I couldn't find something else. I'm trying to hang on best I can. I know that my job has contributed to my depression.

Would you quit your job?

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