Have you ever quit a job without having a new one lined up?
Have you ever quit a job without having a new one lined up? Why did you quit? Then what happened?
I’ve done it myself once. I was working really hard as a developer, when one seriously under-qualified manager called me unprofessional in a meeting. I stood up, left the meeting and resigned the next day.
Everything worked out fine for me – I went out on my own and became an independent consultant and went on from there to co-found an IT consulting company where we treated people right – and now I make people happy at work :o)
What about you?
I’m working on a new cool project and I could really use your stories about quitting “blind”.
Mark Said,
February 12, 2013 @ 11:29 pm
I’ve done this a few times now! In fact I can’t remember having resigned from one job and had another one lined up immediately. My periods of full-time employment are generally followed by working on a freelance basis.
I’m always incredibly optimistic. Possibly blindly so! But experience tells me that things turn out well and it’s always better to be in charge of your own destiny. I’ve never been one to stay in an unrewarding position until I’ve found something else. Indeed, I often feel that the need to have a new job lined up before resigning from an existing one creates a pressure which can lead to the wrong move being made. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Personally I prefer a period of reflection. I’m actually in one now, having left my previous role just before Christmas.
Feel free to get in touch if you’d like to discuss.
Pamela Said,
February 13, 2013 @ 12:21 am
I quit when the new office manager decided that since I was the youngest I would be the one who had to be there every day from 9 exactly till 5 exactly. I also had the longest commute. I had worked there 2 years and spent half my time out of the office on site of training workshops we ran – loved my work and did a great job – I figured since I worked WAY more then 9-5 2 weeks of every month – it made very little sense to require me to cover the phones the two weeks I was in office. He refused to compromise – so I took a big trip to Europe for 3 weeks and quit.
Prescott Perez-Fox Said,
February 13, 2013 @ 4:28 am
A few years ago I was in crappy job and I finally had the courage to “blindly” quit after 10 months. At the time, I went from full-time back to being a freelancer, and remained that way until very recently. I never loved freelancing and at times it was downright infuriating, but there is no way I could have stayed in that particular job.
To anyone considering a blind quit I’d recommend two things. First, have at least 3 months of expenses in savings. Freelancers are used to this, but salaried people sometimes have a hard time saving a big chunk of cash, only to spend it on everything things like rent and groceries. Second, have a plan on how to find a job. Online job ads don’t bloody work. You need to have a strategy ready to go on the first day after quitting. The last piece of the puzzle should be the extra time otherwise spent at work.
Guy Griffiths Said,
February 13, 2013 @ 11:32 am
I quit as director of sales & marketing of a city consultancy in 2007 with a vague idea of what I wanted to do, and spent a couple of months contemplating life, mainly from the top of snow capped mountains, before snowboarding down, which was nice! Like Mark, a period of reflection was really really good for me.
One of the new threads I picked up is coaching people in and out of careers (not using my experience, but their own drivers), and it is really interesting to see the two different sides:
It’s great to build slowly and grow a business as a sideline, start working evenings/weekends, one or two days per week, and then quit the ‘day job’.
But I prefer the quitting blind approach – you need full commitment, there’s pressure to make it work, and you can really give it your all and get things up and running much quicker.
Advice? Make sure you’ve other stability around you… relationships, support network, etc, a plan and adaptability are good too. Then leap!
Jobs with no Degree Said,
February 13, 2013 @ 3:11 pm
I never quit without having another job lined up. It was very hard to get a job without having a degree in the first place. But if you dare to take the leap of faith… good for you.
Sara Said,
February 13, 2013 @ 3:28 pm
My husband quit blind almost 2 years ago. The startup for which he was working was asking him to lie when presenting to potential investors. He didn’t think it was the right thing to do, and didn’t want to compromise his reputation, so he quit. I was 6 months pregnant.
Flash forward about 2 years and he just found a part time consulting gig to put the “Band-Aid” on our hemorrhaging finances.
He’s determined to find a good company with strong leadership from whom he can learn, as well as a place where he feels he’s making a significant contribution.
I’m not sure how this will all end up, but I have to think that it was for the best, and the stress of the last couple of years will be something we’ll look back on and say, “it was worth it!”
Lisa Said,
February 13, 2013 @ 5:30 pm
I spent 10 years with a reputable company with good pay and benefits, and I was doing the job I wanted. But despite that, we were all miserable at work. Management pretended they valued us while taking away our authority to make decisions. Every day, people complained about their jobs. After three years of being promised a raise that never came, I said, “I quit!” They offered me more $$ and responsibility, but I knew I wouldn’t be happy in such a miserable place.
I didn’t have anywhere to go, but I had been saving and planning for this for more than a year. I started consulting my services to the contacts I’d made over the years. It’s stressful, but so much more fun!
One added bonus is that my quitting gave my former coworkers a wake-up call. They decided they either needed to do what I did or stop complaining. Now, even they are a little happier.
Simon Said,
February 14, 2013 @ 11:07 am
Yes, twice! 3 times if you include quitting to go travelling for a year!
First time the company had decided to relocate which was going to add lots of time to my commute… I also didn’t like the way the company was being managed. The second time I got offered redundancy although I had had my eye on the door for a while. On both occasions I had nothing to go to and yet quitting felt so right.
I temped for a bit, caught up on some hobbies, spent time with my family etc. I was lucky in that my wife also works so we could afford to have the temporary drop in income.
Recharged and refreshed I got back into work about 4 months later on both occasions.
Never be afraid to quit a job you don’t like! A job you don’t like will eat you up until you are hollow inside.
Cheers,
Simon
Sander Said,
February 14, 2013 @ 11:20 am
The company I was working for was bought be a bigger competitor.
I had some previous dealings with the company and wasn’t too eager to join them. But when their CEO told me during a meeting to “Just shut up and trust them” when I asked about our future with the new company.
I got up out of the meeting and printed my resignation. Went back into the meeting and handed it over to him.
Went back out of the meeting and put out the word I needed a new job.
Before the day was over I had an interview lined up…
I ended up taking 3 guys with me to my new boss, and we still work there to this day!
Mike Said,
February 14, 2013 @ 11:52 am
I just did. I resigned on Monday, got an offer on Tuesday :)
Tine Said,
February 14, 2013 @ 12:00 pm
Yep.
I was in the wrong job, which was leading nowhere near where I wanted to go. Didn’t like or respect my manager and every night when I came home, my husband would ask “how was your day” and I decided I (and my family) should not have to live with me answering “bad”.
So I quit and went home. Providing first aid to myself was crucial, the first rule of first aid is to stop the accident, so I did. Then I started building myself up with the help of time and thinking and a few good advisors.
Found a new job after 10 months and never regretted pulling the plug. I may not stay in my new job for years and years but I have learnt to be true to my values and to focus on results and relationships!
Tine
Pedro Gustavo Torres Said,
February 14, 2013 @ 5:14 pm
I did it once as well.
It was after my first year as a professional and basically a couple of weeks before my vacations I had a sore throat and I stayed at home. When my vacations were just around the corner my boss asked me if I really needed the vacations since I was on vacations a few weeks before!
Basically he was insinuating that I lied and that I stayed home just because I wanted to.
I quit right the next day and I told him face2face that that kind of insinuation was totally intolerable to me.
I waited 3 months to get a new job and I was happy when it arrived.
The new job was 10 times better then the old one.
One of the best decisions of my life. I never regretted it. :-)
No way Said,
February 14, 2013 @ 6:01 pm
I’ve never quit without having something else lined up. People always say that it’s easier to find a job when you have a job, and I know that to be true. I was laid off from a company about 3 years ago when it was bought-out by another company. It took me almost 3 months to find a new job. Since then I haven’t applied on a single job, but people seem to find me an offer me new opportunities. Financially I think it’s smart to wait, even if you hate your job/boss/coworkers/etc.
Bo Gatzwiller Said,
February 15, 2013 @ 12:40 pm
Hi Alexander
I was quitting a job as a CEO in a company. The company was primarily hiring me to make culture changes and rebuild the organization in a way that would create focus on innovation and development. But I had to it slowly – after a few month a realized it was an uphill climb, because the board didn’t really mean it with all of there hearts and behind my back they tried to stop the process, that I have started. I told the board my difficulties with there untold resistance and I told them I was quitting. My life was to short to waste it on a company that didn’t wanted to be a part of the future I told them.
After that I followed an old dream and started my own company as an independent consultant on organization development, where I only had costumers that were really interested in creating development and innovation. After a year I was headhunted to another company to be CEO and lake a culture change in a “Happy Manifesto” combined with LEAN principles – it can be done if you are open and transparent !!! And it’s a success even to day.
Robert Said,
February 15, 2013 @ 9:24 pm
Sadly I have left a job without a backup plan – the situation was very similar to yours. The company was small, the manager very unprofessional. But I later ended up in a much better company and that is where I have been for the last seven years. One book I have gotten a lot of insight about this is called, Green Beans & Ice Cream by Bill Sims, Jr., who writes about the psychology of the workplace. One point in particular I agree with is that the popular company tactic, “Employee of the Month” awards, aren’t what they’re cracked up to be. Love this book! You can find out more about it here: http://greenbeanleadership.com/
Nikki Said,
February 16, 2013 @ 3:00 pm
Out of the 12 hourly wage jobs I’ve held, I quit six “blind.” But I’ve never been unemployed longer than three months since I started working at 16 years old. That was just me being young and careless because I know it doesn’t take long for me to find work.
But my latest, most significant episode of quitting without a back up plan was mandatory. Due to complications from pregnancy, I had to stop working. I ended up moving back in with my parents since I had no support.
BUT, I refused to just sit around “barefoot and pregnant,” so I started freelance copywriting. The idea came to me about three months after I had to stop working. Six months after that (by the time my son was two months old), I’d reached a full time income that brought in three times more than the highest paying jobI’d ever had.
Now Im working on building a passive income business around my blog. No quitting this time though. Just a lot of hard work and over time.
Writing was always a hobby of mine and the easiest form of self expression. So I’m happy to have made something of it – even if it wasn’t planned. Quiting blind isn’t as bad as most make it seem. :)
Ola Said,
February 16, 2013 @ 8:20 pm
I’ve quit cold several times, for various reasons (it is not for the faint of heart!): Many of my jobs were such that I was hired to implement a project that eventually ended with no advancement opportunity–so nothing to do after the project was completed; the job was dramatically changed, without my input or desire to do the new job; job I was hired for did not exist and I was given a different job (bait and switch); bullied by boss; unrealistic expectations–under-capitalized company, no resources, no (software) tools, yet big demands for productivity and success. Those are a few of the reasons. I have changed careers 4 times, which included re-education, but that never bothered me; I love to learn new things. Yes, as one other comment said, you have to have some financial resources, especially now. It may mean changing your lifestyle, but isn’t it better to reduce your financial demands than spend every day doing something you hate?
In the US it seems people stay in horrible work situations out of fear–fear of no income, fear of no healthcare, fear of losing network, fear of losing status. Fear should not be the driving force in employment. It makes people take jobs they wouldn’t otherwise take because they are afraid to be without a job. Then they are stuck in that job. We talk a lot about “creating jobs” in this country, but not about “creating careers.” Nobody really wants a “job,” we want fulfillment and a positive reason to get up every day–that is a career. How many people are working in jobs for which they prepared in college? Many do not ever work in the field they studied. Presumably, what they studied was where their interests lie, but they don’t get to realize them. We tend to think of people who have “30 years experience in X” as accomplished. However, isn’t it the outliers that we truly reward? The risk-takers, the wild ones who won’t toe the line ? You bet! No one here gets on the cover of Time, Fortune, etc., by being content in a job.
I don’t believe anyone should want to stay in a job forever. Read the Third Wave. Things change quickly now and we all have to adapt and be flexible. If you are growing as a person, you should eventually want to move on. Sometimes it is not clear where to move on to, and when you are focused on a particular occupation, you don’t always see what else is out there. You tend to see only what you do and whom you work with as the only thing going. When you quit a job, without something lined up, the adrenaline flows; you have an opportunity to explore, to think, to breathe.
Flying without a net is scary, but it is also a time to grow. I say take an occasional leap of faith.
TM Said,
February 22, 2013 @ 8:18 pm
After reading your book I quit my job of 2 years. I remember the day I finished your book (same day I started) I knew it was time. I literally went home, told my husband, and we decided if that is what I had to do, do it.
Now, at the time I was the only source of income/insurance for my family (husband’s biz just went under), we had 2 small children, we were saving for a new house (had put an offer in), and it was at the height of the recession. I was literally stressed out every day up until I gave notice. I had gained 50 lbs, was taking muscle relaxers, and literally suffering from insomnia. I won’t even go into my work-load.
At the same time the multi billion dollar firm I worked for was running ads on TV telling the world they were a great place to work. I gave my notice, stayed to help finalize my projects, and never looked back. Eventually most of my colleagues left too.
The up side to leaving, literally the Friday night of my last day, I got home to a message from an industry leading company extending an offer for a job I interviewed for almost a year prior. Turns out they did a re-org and had to do a hiring freeze. I called them back, accepted the offer and started that following Monday.
I’m going on 3 years at my new company making much much more and could not be happier!
Mr. C Said,
February 24, 2013 @ 2:20 pm
I have half done this once, and then again properly 10 months later.
The first time I had been working at a subsidiary of a very well known Swiss company for 13 years and putting my life and soul into my work. The dynamics at the workplace were challenging but I loved my job, the only downside was it was physically and mentally exhausting.
One day the old MD got the boot and a new one was appointed to reinvent the wheel. With this came a management restructure. It was decided that my department would be merged with another and hence I had to re-apply for what was essentially my current job. I desperately wanted it. Anyway, I walked into the interview room and found myself saying “If you want me to sit through an interview for a job I’ve been doing to the best of my ability for this many years here you may as well write my redundancy papers”. They tried to convince me otherwise But I just couldn’t listen. Three months later I was out and spent 4 months contemplating everything that had happened, getting my energy back and looking at what direction to take next.
I ended up leaving the country to work abroad, in the same industry but with a twist… a twist that I felt would make my quality of life outside work much better. This was not to be the case and I found I had simply exchanged one trying dynamic for another. After about 6 months there I was sitting at home one evening and decided to email my notice. It was a great experience to work there but I have not looked back since that day a couple of years ago. I’ve used the time since to immerse in other cultures and, amongst other things, to ‘find myself’ again. Now I’m no longer motivated by money as I was before. Nothing is more important to me than my happiness and contentment from one moment to the next. I have also washed out the constant anxiety of ‘is there anything I have missed/forgotten?’ that was so ingrained in the way I was working (my job involved tight deadlines and running many simultaneous tasks and projects) that I was completely blind to it and only noticed it by its absence!
mary Said,
February 28, 2013 @ 11:56 pm
I did this once. I knew it was time to quit when I started crying as I drove home Friday night knowing I would have to come back on Monday. I went home, revised my resume, wrote my resignation letter and turned in my two weeks notice first thing Monday. At the time I was single, with no other income and no savings to speak of. I realized that no matter what I had to give up or do it couldn’t be any worse than the way I was feeling every day. The weight that was lifted when I turned in my notice was the motivation I needed to get moving on finding another job. I called and emailed everyone in my professional network and started looking through the phone book for organizations where I thought I might want to work and used my lunch times to call them. One of the organizations I called just happened to be hiring for a job in my field (which by the way I had never seen advertised anywhere). I applied, got the job and it started exactly one month to the day after giving my notice. If it weren’t for the fact that I paid attention to how I really felt, had the faith in my abilities (which had gotten me the dreaded job I was leaving in the first place) and taken a leap into the great unknown I would have probably stayed until I collapsed, got fired or something worse! No job is worth your life or your sanity! That experience taught me that living my life out of fear of the unknown is not really living at all.
Tony Said,
March 31, 2013 @ 12:13 am
I quit my retail job of 5 years just recently without another job lined up and in way it felt good but I was also scared out of my mind. I applied to another retail job only to turn it down because of the horror I faced at my last job. If you’re truly not happy at your current job than quit but do everything in your power to find another job first before quitting. One of the posters above said that the pressure of finding another job while still at your current job may make you choose the wrong job. Becareful of other job you choose as your next job because it maybe a crap job and you don’t want to leave a crap job for another crap job. It’s ok to say NO to job offers if you truly feel that it’s not the right fit and go with your GUT instinct.
Jason Said,
April 3, 2013 @ 7:52 pm
I’m about to do this now, I am just counting the days until I have to give notice. While I am in the general field I went to university for, I’m not on a career path that will lead me anywhere at my current organization – at best, I can delve further along a path leading me away from where I want to be some day.
I tell myself: I didn’t put all that effort and money (that I’ll be repaying for years) into improving myself to get tied down to a getting-paid-lower-than-I-should-be position _unless_ it is directly moving me forward on my envisioned career path. I’ll accept some pain in the pocketbook today if there is a light at the end of the tunnel … but I cannot stomach a pay disparity coupled with a dim future outlook on things.
Toss in the fact that the office culture and I just do not mesh well. I need to leave feeling like we accomplished something and made a difference and without that I’m just left feeling bummed and burned out. The prevailing office culture here seems to be more “sit around and gab all day (personal phone calls & drop-by guests) and then fake busy for a bit, only duck out 15 minutes early”. Worse, management seems to work on a “avoidance of the issue works good enough” approach to dealing with these office problems.
Lastly, I know myself well enough; I know I cannot put the real effort required into a serious job search while I’m mentally and emotionally drained from working in a combative office for 8-9 hours a day. I need to be able to look at myself, and my abilities, and say “I’m definitely worth hiring” … and I cannot accomplish that if I feel beaten down by a poor work place and/or boss.
So … despite the economy I’m on my way out. Thankfully, knowing full well I wasn’t happy for a while, I stocked up a solid financial buffer to tide me over. My sanity is worth more than the paycheck, and I already know in my heart that first sigh of relief the Monday morning I can sit down at my desk at home and focus on ME instead of heading in to work and suffering all day will be priceless.
Jeanine Karabi Said,
April 4, 2013 @ 3:22 pm
Hi, I did it once. I joined a famous IT Consulting Company as a lawyer and I was coming from the competition. On paper, everything was perfect : company, mission, salary, localization, etc.. except that the atmosphere was terrible, without any team spirit and a strong competition between people to get the legal director’s favor, with contestable business law practices, and this, in the detriment of the Company’s business, its Customers and business partners.
After 4 months I started to suffer with my back, after 10 months, I decided to quit without any pending job offer. I was strongly afraid about the perspective of not having a work but the worst for me would be to stay in environment which was totally against my beliefs and values.
My husband supported me in that decision and after 1 month I had several propositions and I took time to choose the one which was more in accordance with my expectations and my vision of work environment.
My take away from this experience is : never compromise with what is essential for you and be confident in yourself to move forward front of any difficult situation.
Esther Said,
April 10, 2013 @ 8:39 pm
I’m thinking about it now, actually. This is my first professional job out of university. But I’m mostly running from my job and I don’t know what the next best steps to take would be. I work at a small privately owned doctors office in a rural area as a Care Coordinator for patients. We were recently bought out by a larger hospital two months ago and my plate is incredibly full with responsibilities that I was never trained in during my university years. I graduated in 2011 with a B.S. in public health and found no work until this clinic in my hometown hired me to be Care Coordinator AND Medical Assistant. I took the job even though it was severely underpaid for my degree. Because i was so busy taking over for another MA who had maternity leave for three months, important deadlines for my Care Coordination part have been missed and my new boss has become aware of it.
I go home crying sometomes just knowing I have to return the mext day to do it all over again.I am miserable working for this company trying to fix issues that only I caused… when I was hired I didn’t know what I was doing or getting into and received no proper training or guidance doing it.Im not even sure this is what i want to do for the rest of my life. Not only that but now i have an interest in orthodontic assistance which would require more schooling (and i dont mind that at all!) Should I quit blindly or follow through with the job i have and try tying up the loose ends? Or turn in a resignation letter? Or should I put paying off my student loans and go back to school? Anyones help would be greatly appreciated.
Esther Said,
April 10, 2013 @ 8:41 pm
How would that look to a future employer though?
Paul Said,
April 25, 2013 @ 5:41 am
My last day will be in two days. I gave two weeks notice without a new job lined up. I was hired into a job where I was told that my experience was important but my boss, who had never worked anywhere else, didn’t like my ideas and began to shut me out. It went into a downward spiral which led to lies about poor performance from me in order to justify a Personal Improvement Plan. No thanks, I would rather work somewhere where I am wanted. “Hey boss, go **** yourself!”
Matt Said,
April 29, 2013 @ 5:00 pm
I am seriously considering dropping all of my work on my bosses desk and walking out. My “boss” isn’t really a boss but since I work in local government, nothing is clearly defined. This girl happens to be a sorority sister to my actual boss. She curses daily, misuses her time, treats clients like dogs, and talks to our team like we are the worst plague on the planet. She gets away with it because my boss is a complete push over who has no idea how to be a leader. I got to watch as this girl told my boss how to run things in the middle of a conference call and my boss totally squirmed and caved in. I feel like a complete fool for sitting here and taking this like I am. I have a bartending job already lined up but I fear it won’t be enough. I believe that I shouldn’t let fear run my life but it is. It seems to clear what to do as I re read this.
kwasi Said,
May 16, 2013 @ 3:57 am
I also quit my job at burger king some few months ago….the people there were racist and i literally wanted to beat the hell out of all of them …well most of them which i could have done easily if not for the police….i landed my self a new job some 3 months after and which im looking forward to quitting..i habve an interview tomorrow and if it goes well, ill quit and join
Frosty Mxz Said,
May 24, 2013 @ 2:40 am
Hello All,
One of the joys of the internet- reading the experiences of others helping build the confidence needed to make such a bold move.
Today after lurking around the web and building my confidence for a while I gave my notice. All situations are different and here is my story.
I have been working for a large corporation for 10 years and had worked my way into a management role very quickly and had gotten a couple more small promotions and increased responsibility along the way. I was able to do this without a college education so that made me proud. I was making very good money, for the last 4 years I have had a great boss, great counterparts, and my team of about 20 were 90% great people.
The problem for me was the way this corporation (and I suspect much of corporate America) works. Pointless tasks, pointless meetings, goals in direct conflict with each other (quality versus costs for example). Compensation plans and incentives supposedly designed to motivate but really they were arbitrary. Telling customers we are world class, but operations are run on a shoestring and it showed. For years financial goals have been achieved on cost cuts alone which have lead to labor shortages, not enough people to complete routine tasks. Cuts in capital- the plants and equipment keep getting older and more problematic, and even upgrades that are required to keep up with changing legislation have capital cut, I wonder if that will really save money in the end??
All of this stuff has incubated and environment of stress, fear, and downright panic on a regular basis. That environment is what has turned me away. Pressure, stress, no chance of “winning” the daily battles because in the end you do not have the required tools all in the name of the shareholder. It is like the story of the golden goose- lets just kill it and get all the gold up front.
I began a while back having relationship issues, didn’t feel like doing anything nights and weekends, couldn’t decide basic things like where to go on vacation. then I started dreading work on Sunday nights, and dreaming about problems at work when trying to sleep. That went on for a while and then I started feeling pressure and tension in my gut and my chest, finding myself not breathing. I slowly realized I could not even hold a thought for more than a couple seconds, even though it had now dawned on me I was not doing something that was good for me, I could not put two thoughts to have any clue as to what I would like to do or what I am passionate about. it was like I was lost in the forest and it is getting dark.
So I decided about a week ago if I didn’t make a change my relationships would suffer, my health would eventually suffer (in my early 40′s) and I would not be HAPPY.
Luckily I had voraciously been saving money, and really had no idea why but now I know. I realized I could go a long way with no job.
I met with my boss today, and gave him my notice- a month basically since I respect him and the team so much. He was supportive, I didn’t have to say a word and he recited all the reasons why he could see me (and others if they decided) leaving which tells me in a lot of ways he feels the same. I kept my cards close to my chest, I did tell him I had no job lined up, and that was intentional and that I would likely go into business for myself like I had been in the past. He is on vacation next week and asked me to keep it quiet until he returned, I suspect he will use his time to figure out how he will fill the void in the team.
I immediately felt better- it is 830pm and all the tension is gone and we talked at 11am.
Once I have completed my last day- I have a motorcycle trip scheduled with close friends (who are not aware of what I am up to yet) and my girlfriend that will be the official kickoff of my new life. I have no idea what I am going to do but I am going to recharge for a bit and then get down to business, the business of building my happiness.
Any comments, ideas, and feedback will be appreciated!