Have you ever quit a job without having a new one lined up?

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February 12, 2013

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 have a suspicion that if you’re reading this, you’re thinking of quitting.

In that case, remember that March 31st is International Quit Your Crappy Job Day. Check out the site – it is packed with information for anyone considering whether or not to quit their job.

Comments

125 responses to “Have you ever quit a job without having a new one lined up?”

February 12, 2013

Mark

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.
February 13, 2013

Pamela

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.
February 13, 2013

Prescott Perez-Fox

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.
February 13, 2013

Guy Griffiths

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!
February 13, 2013

Jobs with no Degree

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.
February 13, 2013

Sara

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!”
February 13, 2013

Lisa

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.
February 14, 2013

Simon

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
February 14, 2013

Sander

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!
February 14, 2013

Mike

I just did. I resigned on Monday, got an offer on Tuesday :)
February 14, 2013

Tine

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
February 14, 2013

Pedro Gustavo Torres

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. :-)
February 14, 2013

No way

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.
February 15, 2013

Bo Gatzwiller

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
February 15, 2013

Robert

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,
February 16, 2013

Nikki

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. :)
February 16, 2013

Ola

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.
February 22, 2013

TM

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!
February 24, 2013

Mr. C

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!
February 28, 2013

mary

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.
March 31, 2013

Tony

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.
April 3, 2013

Jason

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.
April 4, 2013

Jeanine Karabi

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.
April 10, 2013

Esther

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?
April 10, 2013

Esther

How would that look to a future employer though?
April 25, 2013

Paul

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!”
April 29, 2013

Matt

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.
May 16, 2013

kwasi

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
May 24, 2013

Frosty Mxz

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!
June 9, 2013

Mike

Never quit a job immediately unless you have some decent savings, or are prepared to sell an asset to survive. This can be important, even for professionals as you may have a niche skill or it could be a bad time of the year to be recruited. If you do walk out of a toxic work environment, get busy straight away finding your next job, don’t coast hoping you’ll find something in good time as it may not happen to your schedule.

I have only ever done this once, took an entire year out, and had a hard time getting a decent role again. Sold a car to survive.
June 18, 2013

Ms. G

I am getting ready to say good-bye to my job that I really liked for many years. As said by Frosty Mxz Said, the daily battles, pointing fingers, pointless meetings, management by fear, nasty e-mails..the culture has changed dramatically. My health has taken a beating, the stress makes me not even want to get up in the morning. I see others at work undergoing the same feelings. Working weekends, nights, holidays where it is expected and not even “nice job” when an accomplishment is done. Life is way too short to work that way. Luckily I started looking and have some interviews lined up and other contacts but am taking some time off to take care of “me”. I have been through major re-orgs before where my entire department was “displaced”. It was a terrible time BUT survived. I will also survive this one way or another. Time to live a better life! Good Luck to everyone who is taking the leap.
June 24, 2013

Miss

My thanks to Ola @ February 16, 2013 for your motivational speech.
June 27, 2013

Mr. Morgan

I did this once before, and I’m about to do it again.

A few years ago, I was working for DoD as a well-paid engineering intern. I was making great money, but the program I was in was rotational, and my homeport coworkers were so intolerably unprofessional and rude that coming back from my first rotation put me in a severe depression. During my second rotation, I decided not to go back, and put in 3 weeks notice. Thankfully, I had good references from my rotations who were helpful in my job search. I was unemployed for almost two months (during which I submitted 200+ applications and had 3 in-person interviews) when I was recruited by a firm seeking someone with my unique skills. But I took a substantial pay cut to develop those skills further.

Flash forward two years later, and I’ve received numerous awards at my company. I’ve even received substantial pay increases, but I’m only recently making slightly more money than I made as an intern. I researched my salary only to find I’m terribly undervalued, and I could easily be making much more per year. It’s no wonder I’ve been making so many awards; my company low-balled me and got me for a bargain! To make matters worse, my list of responsibilities practically doubled due to a recent merger… two of my colleagues who were slated to get post-merger service training ended up getting yanked out by upper management at the last minute to attend a routine team-building exercise, leaving me with the entire workload for 9 states.

To complicate matters further, one of our competitors has been actively trying to recruit me, essentially for the same job plus additional responsibilities.They would have paid me a decent salary, but I realized that there was a significant conflict of interest that they were trying to embroil me in. I backed out before getting ensnared in it. But then they tried to contact me at work, despite me telling them that my job search was confidential.

And today, things really hit the fan. I had to deliver and install an expensive product (from the merging company) for a new client, only to find out that the vendor shipped the unit with faulty components. It was dead on arrival, a great way to start my post-merger responsibilities (which otherwise would have been done by one of my colleagues had they received the required service training).

I’ve come to the realization that my company has completely cornered me into a low-paying dead-end job that requires me to constantly apologize for the lies and incompetence of other people who are way out of their depth. I’m always having to save the day and play the role of hero…it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, even if it does entail job security.

Tomorrow, I’m handing in my resignation letter and moving on. My parents think I’m crazy for doing this, but they’ve been stuck in crappy jobs their entire lives, perpetually afraid of taking risks. I took the risk once before, and I’m confident that it will pay off again.
July 21, 2013

Stephanie Hard

I recently resigned from a supervisory position. I worked in parks and recreation. I dreamed of this career as a teenager, and I loved it, however, being suspended on one’s birthday for incorrect numbers is enough to make the strongest weak. Sometimes we have to “lose to win”..I resigned with nothing, but my pride, my faith and my dignity,….everything else will come…even sometimes doubt settles, I have to quickly remind myself..this is a journey…not my destination.
July 23, 2013

Michael

I quitted after I worked for two years and half since my co-workers stabbed behind my back many times. They were very miserable, angry and jealous. I was the hardest and quietest worker. My manager favoritismed these “miserable” co-workers since co-workers lied to her about me! The HR dept people (they know I worked very hard) told me to work it out with my co-workers (were they kidding?). There are still many turnovers. Please back up your financial plan (one to three months) before quitting your miserable job. Good luck!
July 24, 2013

Philip Utah

I quit my previous two teaching jobs. I quit the first one as I had a job lined up as a cameraman/editor. Unfortunately, for various reasons, the job immediately fell through without me starting work.

Roughly three months later, I found another teaching job. I took on this role while receiving training to become an actor and hoped to combine the two for as long as humanly possible. After four months, I was given a lead role for my training for the end of year production, which meant a much tougher workload. Consequently it was no longer possible for me to combine the two together and so I elected to go ahead with the production. It was a difficult choice but acting is a stronger passion of mine.

The production has now finished and, since teaching is currently my best source of income, I am looking for a another job in that area to tidy me over. However, I am concerned because employers always wish to know how a candidate’s previous jobs ended.

Basically, I need to convince a new employer that I am not going to suddenly get up and leave half way through into the job. I am really not sure how best to approach this.

To my advantage, a portion of the teaching jobs I am applying for right now entail greater responsibility, and a much larger salary, than anything I have done before. To me, that seems like a fairly reasonable justification for me quitting my previous two jobs. As an afterthought, I could add that, at the time, I had also wished to honour other less serious commitments, namely the acting and restoring a property, which have since then been accomplished.

What do you think my best strategy is? ANY THOUGHTS/IDEAS?
July 28, 2013

Beatrice

well said, Stephanie, with your dignity intact – that is key

I offered my resignation yesterday (which was not accepted by my line manager) and formalities will start with a meeting with him and our boss on Monday to explain why I want to leave (six weeks notice). After nearly eight years, I feel my performance has been suffering for a while, due to lack of motivation. I assumed my (new) manager would be happy to let me go as he had started this really strict process of performance reviews – but either he was in shock or he is a very good actor (I quit over the phone). I have some savings and am planning to go travelling for a few months before starting to look for a job although I will be keeping an eye on the market for sure. At the age of 43, quitting a steady job and decent income may not look like the most sensible move but I am hopeful it will be for the best over the longer term. It sure feels scary but I have been here before and have the tools to survive, of that I am positive. Quite frankly life is way too short to live in fear.
August 6, 2013

Mike

I am informing my manager of my intention to quit tomorrow, I’m excited and also quite nervous about it. I’ve been there 2.5 years, pretty much straight out of uni and although I like the company, people and management, I want to leave and take a chance on something more exciting.

I’ve always liked the idea of working for myself, organising my own schedule and having control over the methods I use to get work done. I’ve learnt a lot about software development where I am and I imagine I could get promoted and make a career in the company but it can only go so far. I want to roll the dice and see how it goes, I have barely any plans but I will move to another country and budget tightly to try to stretch my savings to 3 months. I’ll take some time to learn my first foreign language, reflect, use my leaisure time better and try working on the ideas I thought were brilliant over my life but never had the time to work on.

I hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew but it can only go so badly, there seems to be a lot of work in my field so I think I could get another job if it doesn’t go so well – consultancy and freelancing could also be options. Luck is taking chances, focussing on your successes and managing your failures.
August 6, 2013

Anne

I’m considering giving my two weeks notice and all of these stories have helped immensely! I was thrown into a job right out of college (while I was extremely greatful for it) recieved no training whatsoever. Now I do think a hit the ground running method does teach you to hustle and builds some character, for an unexperienced postgraduate this is not the best situation. I was also replacing a man who was fired somewhat controversially, which the rest of the staff I guess didn’t agree with. Lets just say I wasn’t welcomed with open arms. I got the job via a friend of my brothers who was chief of staff and we became both a great friend and a mentor. Fast forward two years after backstabbing, ill treatment and false accusations that I am having an affair with him, my mentor is fired. After this they decide to retain me but think I cannot be trusted and take away access to my boss ‘s email and calendar, to which I accepted and said nothing. Now I am under new management with a woman who finds fault in everything I do no matter how hard I try, has taken away responsibilities and relentlessly picks favorites. I have had to go to a therapist. I have withdrawn from friends and family due to severe depression. I am trying to work on a applying to graduate school but lack the time, energy and confidence. Right now I have a lot of money saved and little expenses. Ideally I would like to have some time to focus, apply to school, regain some confidence and possibly volunteer or temp for a while.
September 5, 2013

Trudi

I left my job at the end of May 2013, had a week in Berlin and then moved back to London from the Midlands at the end of June 2013. Essentially, the role that I was offered never transpired and they moved me to a new team, but the job wasn’t really for me.

My advice if you are thinking about quitting without a role to go to is the following:

1) Have enough saved to keep you going for six months

2) Be prepared to temp whilst looking for the right role, even if it means earning much less than before – it beats dipping into your savings

3) Have a plan on how you are going to achieve your dream job. Research the market place thoroughly and network like crazy

4) If you’re entering a new field like me, be prepared to work for free to build up experience – this will impress new would be employers

Finally, try not to stress out too much. I was really scared when I quit and put myself through undue stress. Just have a bit of self-belief and keep going.

I managed to secure a role in my chosen field at the end of last week and start on the 1st October for an excellent company. It’s taken me 3 months to find it and I’ve done a bit of contracting and voluntary work along the way.

Definitely the best decision I ever made. Life’s too short to spend time working for an organisation or job that isn’t for you.
September 15, 2013

Anni

I am thinking to do this on Monday.

I graduated from uni with no job experience and had a real hard time getting a fulltime job; Eventually I found my current job. it was not a field I wanted to get into and i also soon realised the company culture was horrible with bad ethics/morale. but I wanted experience and wasn’t sure what field i wanted to get into anyway, so i worked really hard nonethless, to gain as much knowledge and discover my own abilities as much as i can to gear up for future jobs. .

Very soon, i was promoted as supervisor but meant far more responsibilties and work hours. I work 6 days a week roughly 55-60 hrs if not more for a very low salary. I took the promotion anyway as i still told myself take the challenge, if not, just “take it until i find a new job” even tho i knew The Ceo is a control freak and extremely tempermental and disrespectul to all his employees and i would have to work very closely with him.

2 month after my promotion, Manager resigned out of the blue and didnt even do her notice period, as she couldnt tolerate the ceo any longer, leaving me and the other supervisor, who was going on holiday for 2wks in a wk, behind running the department. I was still very inexperienced as a supervisor, but i survived the 2 wks managing the department alone, but i was scared, overworked, stressed and depressed and hated my job and the ceo even more. I survived the 2 wks and we got a new manager few weeks later but he is already very unhappy with his job/the ceo after 2wks and is probably not going to last long in this company either. The other supervisor is also planning to resign but needs a job lined up first due to her circumstances. Although the ceo is very happy with my perormance (for now) lately, my work life is really effecting my personal life and i find myself constantly complaining about my job to friends and family and its really bringing the worst out of me.
Ideally i want a job lined up first but with the hrs n days im working i have no proper time and energy to actively job hunt, and seeing how manager and the other supervisor is also planning to leave, i must leave ASAP and hopefully before them, as the last thing i want is having to manage a department alone once gain and this ime not knowing how long until they replace two important people. employees are constantly getting fired in this place for bad/personal reasons and I’d much rather resign before i also end up in the ceos bad books and get terminated. i’d rather resign and be able to leave with my head held up high!!!

I wasted too much time on this crap company, and i think it is time for me to kick myself to move on and take the risk! Luckily, i knew this job wasnt for me for a while and i have prepared some savings to survive in case something like this would happen. The day has come!
October 20, 2013

EL

In my 14 years of working, I have quit jobs twice in the first 3 weeks without another one lining up, because the company culture and values were clashing severely with my own ethics, principle and norms. Obviously it was something I found out too late.

At both occasions, it was extremely stressful for myself and my wife not primarily for financial reasons but because there was so little understanding from family, friends and in general our society. For both occasions, I am still 100% convinced it was the right choice and I don’t regret a minute the decisions.

The first occasion was at a company called TeleAtlas (now part of TomTom) : during 2 weeks in the job, my manager had exactly one 20-minute meeting with me, without giving any further clue about actual work to perform. The rest of the 2 weeks, he totally ignored me. On top of that, the quality of the products that the company was producing turned out to be low, general morale and drive of the employees was low and even one colleague was drunk at work at 2 occasions. Since I have a very high standard of work and want to be challenged in my job, to deliver the best of myself and grow my skills, this turned out to be a nightmare. For some other people, it would have been a “great place to hide”.

At the second occasion, I was a consultant : the team in which I was operating at the customer was very lowly skilled and the team’s priority was to have the least amount of work possible, rather than delivering world class results. In my attempt to implement some change management, one of the team members called me incompetent in a public meeting : I quit that assignment the same day, ran into a conflict with the consulting company who was not supporting me and quit the job alltogether.

All turned out fine after a couple of months and I now work for an international company with a compatible working culture.

My family, friends and in general the West-European culture of anxiety and conformism, didn’t support me wholeheartedly in my choices. This was the most stressful aspect of it.

Steve Jobs said : “Stay hungry, stay foolish”.

Never undermine your own values and be true to your values and destiny!! Many people are in a job simply to get a salary and don’t care much about the rest.
If eventually your working environs is not compatible with your own goals and values, then make firm choices and don’t just stay in a job for purely financial reasons.

Good luck to all in dealing with such a difficult choice.
February 5, 2014

Steve N.

After 13 years as IT Operations Director i quit. Not because I have everything figured out, but because at my 44 years old, I don’t want such a stressful job. I’m very good at what I do, but really I don’t want to be 50 with the same job. So far I have received my wife support, although you can tell she is really worried inside. I’m taking things calmly. As someone said, things happen for a reason and I’m confident this is the case.
February 24, 2014

T

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I have not managed to build my confidence to submit my letter of resignation although I know that it is best for my mental and physical health.

I am a engineer and I have worked for my company for 4 years. It is a horrible environment (poor morale, lieing and back stabbing managers, and jealousy).
I had no idea the stress from work was affecting me so deeply until I was admitted to the hospital for several days. Although my diagnosis was related to minor physical issues, I am convinced it happened due to mental stress and fatigue. When I returned to work, I was not able to work. It’s like I am in quick sand everytime I try to perform a task. I know it is a matter of time before the managers comment about my lack of work.
I do have enough money to cover my expenses for about 6-7 months but I realize I am afraid to take the leap of faith. Yet, something tells me that I will not have a choice very soon, as I will have to resign or risk being fired.
The former action is much better, so I guess I will keep trying to work until I can’t do if anymore.
Thanks for allowing me to share, and your comments are welcome.
Good luck to my fellow soon to be leaders of faith!!!
Ps. Another great book to read is The Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong.
February 24, 2014

T

*I meant leapers of faith.
March 28, 2014

Greg Olson

In 2008, I worked at a very well known/ established firearm store. I have a kinetic personality and like to keep moving and not stuck in place ie, a desk. I took this job because it paid better than the local sports store. From the first day, I was labeled not a team player because I was a little on the quiet side. The coworkers made my life hell for the first six months but I endured just to shove it back in there faces. I was placed at a desk to answer emails because no one else stepped up to the job so I was told to work the computer.About three months in, this drove me off the wall. I would often go crazy from sitting for longer than an hour. The coworkers despised it because it was a step up, but most of the nasty coworkers ended up leaving to live back in there hometowns. This job attracted many ex military/vets, which I appreciated their service to no end, but hated the way they treated “civilians” if you will. A customer got angry and broke a door off its hinges because they didn’t like the treatment they received from this establishment, verbal quarrels between coworkers was normal. Managers would often gang up on subordinates. Every dirty trick in the book was played. After nine months on the job, I had enough, after complaining to a manager, I was told I needed to toughen up, and that the treatment was to “build character”. No action was taken. I started to verbally fight back but the treatment just became worse, and I started to dread getting up in the morning, I wanted to leave but I had no job lined up, till I had an opportunity to move.

Upon leaving, my manager doomed me to a lifetime without a purpose, and how I was lost and was never to be recovered. Anger, fear, regret, and depression seemed pretty common at this job. Many lessons were learned from this experience, I went months without a job, and was driven crazy by the “what if” I had stayed mind games I played on myself. Sometimes being miserable with money is better than being miserable without money. In this present day, many people leave jobs that don’t pay well, this one paid well for retail, I was stressed, but sometimes being stressed out can make you stronger and more resilient if you want it to in the long run.

I read a lot on the net about people who complain about “dumb” jobs and I work with people who often “cop” out because the job is not fun. I took the majority of my mid to late twenties and did what I wanted to, started my own business, worked for myself. Learned what it actually took to run a business myself. I now kinda understand why businesses are run the way they are. It is still a hard pill to swallow, but it is reality.

To most of my excoworkers I am a fool, I guess the bottom line is find a job, give yourself to it, put your wants on the back burner, and see where it takes you.
May 9, 2014

Marcus Rauls

I took a job 4 months ago as an onsite manager of an HOA controlled property. The mistreatment got to be too much for me. I asked my boss who still is for the next two weeks since handing in my resignation yesterday. I asked my boss about two months ago when I realized that it wasn’t a good fit If I would be able to live in the unit with my family if I quit or get fired. She proceeded to mock me as though I was paranoid and elude answering the question finally resulting with telling me that she was quite sure that the board would most likely let me stay if I quit as opposed to get fired. I had the most awesome interview yesterday with a client that I clean for with my janitorial business. The job is out of another office same company though. I really hope I get the job. I’m trying to hold on for one more check and keep my two week promise to continue working. I will find out if I got the job yet. I have ideas as I will be a 1099 employee thinking of starting another business doing what I will be doing with this new opportunity hopefully. Any how I’m so glad I quit. It was empowering but I just hope I get the new job.
May 19, 2014

MGW

Been thinking about resigning for a while, not that I hate my job, its just a job (I am not a career person).

This year my partner and I have taken the plunge and we have both decided to quit our jobs and travel the world, we are both in our forties in good paying jobs. After 20 years of working hard we woke up one day and realised that if we didn’t do it now we never would.

So we have just sold our house, paid off our debts, moved into a small flat and now we are living off one salary whilst we save the other.

We are resigning from our jobs in October 2014 (3 months notice required!!) and starting our travels in January 2015. The plan hopefully is to find a place we like and make a life there!
October 15, 2014

olabisi

I’m planning on resigning this month,I hated my job but stayed because of my former manager,a new manager came 2months ago and its been living hell for me,the thought of going to the office scares the hell out of me,cant cope with my back stabbing,control freak,rude and crazy manager,horrible organisation culture and aim,my co workers are worst(they dont av a mind of theirs and always talking ill abt me2 d manager)I stay with my parents and they are not in support of my resignation but I’ll do it and then tell them.i’m a living proof of working in hell and the next 2weeks left for me to resign looks like eternity.
November 12, 2014

M

I JUST turned in my keys and quit a horrible job tonight! I do feel a bit guilty about leaving people in the lurch, but I just couldn’t stay there… even my psychiatrist, who almost never recommends quitting a job, was telling me my situation “was not sustainable and was bad for my health.”

The last in a long list of toxic behavior from my boss: She tried to make me feel guilty for her having to come in to work for a couple of hours on a holiday (to supervise a handyman).

Well, long story short, there was one thing he had NOT done yet. She was angry that he had left before completing it, and tried guilt-tripping me because I hadn’t stopped him on his way out the door “because that means I have to work on my [dead] mother’s birthday.”

Not my fault or problem if he didn’t do the job right the first time! And I think she needs to look at her own behavior to see why in the past 5 months, 4 people have quit without notice–2 of those quits citing health/stress reasons–and I’m now a third person who’s left for similar reasons.

I spent most of last night crying, and most definitely NOT wanting to come back to work after the holiday… at least not for her.

I don’t have anything lined up, except a couple leads on some temp work, and one interview. If I did have another offer, I’d have made the decision to leave a lot sooner and more easily.
November 19, 2014

FLCLGamer

I’ll be making this grand decision next year. It’s been a year full of drama, what with 20 or more people that have left this job. After 7 years of drama, bad managers, complaints, a change in culture and ethics, I am done with this job. Done with the close opens, done working the holidays, done having spend the whole weekend at work. I’ve had enough. I don’t have a 2nd job lined up but I have money saved up and I’m moving out of my parent’s house next year so it doesn’t really matter. My happiness is much more important than staying at a crappy job that plays games with people.
November 30, 2014

n lupton

I just quit, after years of devoting endless hours of unpaid time and being bullied by a supervisor who decided to justify her dishonest actions by trying to find something on me. After being unsuccessful, she decided to do an investigation for fraudulent billing. I was so insulted!!! Between feeling so betrayed and the fear that she might succeed in finding something that I knew nothing about and pin it on me, I quit. I loved my co workers and clients even though my supervisor is a bully with a bag of tricks. I would value any advice, Im rock bottom and worried about finances??
January 15, 2015

Mackenzie

Reading these posts makes me feel that I am not alone, My story goes like this I moved from one department to another because at the time I felt stagnant and slighted in my Digital Media position and my co-workers were catty and petty. (One guy actually wanted to fight another.) I am the type of person that likes learning new things so I asked my now manager in between my breaks to teach me some new things in which she was eager to oblige. Weeks followed and a guy that worked for her quit so she called me and asked me if I knew anyone or would I be interested in the position. I informed my manager I was grateful for the position but that I wasn’t happy and needed a change. He told me that where I wanted to go would be no better(I thought he was saying that because he didn’t want me to leave) Well folks not knowing then what I know now he was right and Yes …what a BIG mistake. Looking back she had two people quit on her and I see why. The first two weeks she was nice then the fangs came out. I had minimal training and man she criticizes everything I do. She even told me in my performance review that she was not there to help me do the work that I have to learn it on my own and only come to her as a last resort. WTF(excuse my french-no pun intended) who gave her the title of manager but what kind of crap is that. When I do try to speak with her she always has either a major attitude probably because I’m interrupting her watching TV or instant chatting and tries to over talk me and never listens to my suggestions. A year and a half into the position I’m at the point now where I regret leaving my old department and I don’t care about productivity because we offer a free service anyway. She hyped the position up but I spend 6 hours of my way waiting on work to come in for the free service that really does not make a difference if someone has it or not. I’m so desperate I was thinking about eating crow and going back to my old department.
IF the old switch-a-roo doesn’t work I’m going to find something else outside of the company, My happiness and well being are more important than some dumb program nobody even really knows about.
January 15, 2015

rtbm

I’m SO glad I found this webpage – I am seriously depressed in my job – its the same rubbish, day in, day out, a job that is not going anywhere fast. I feel that I don’t have support of my colleagues and any little mistake I make or indeed, anything I do is questioned and I feel I am put on the spot.
Its not just that, I haven’t received support for a specific administrative project and I tried so hard to make it right and nobody gave me the help to make it right – they didn’t care, otherwise they would’ve made sure it would be correct. I have my morals and pride and want to do a job where things will be professional with colleagues, the job is rewarding and I can go home each night happy.
I have been on long term sick and have just recently returned to work and have experienced a lot of stress already and I shouldn’t be experiencing these stress levels. Sure, the workplace made adjustments to try and help but when your colleagues are difficult and the job is pressurising at the best of times (I am on my own right now), it doesn’t help matters.
Therefore, I’m going to tell my workplace I want to move positions immediately as its having a strain on my mental health and if they refuse, I will hand in my notice – better my health be better and that’s worth more to me than any job and since my finances are also good, that’s another bonus for me, too and as I have little in the way of outgoings, if anything, I am in a good position for now and the search for another job won’t prove to be an immediacy for me, so I can have time to relax for a bit, reflect and have experience for the future.
I am confident my future could be better because of this as I have learnt a valuable education within my job and can use that in another job, which could and should be good for me.
January 24, 2015

lol

I have had about 15 jobs in the past 10 years , I’ve never been fired, I’ve never lasted longer then 5 months at any job , and i have never given 2 weeks notice before quitting any of them. I just hate working, id rather sit around and study mathematics all day, i have a B.S. in math and am currently working on getting my M.S.
January 29, 2015

rieann

i’ve done it. resigning without having a new job and i think it turned out worst. i was 8 months just sleeping and eating. i used my backpay until nothing was left for me. i struggle to find another job because i was not able to finish a bachelors degree plus my age.
i resigned because i was not happy anymore plus someone dated me at our office before and he’s younger than me. i said to everyone that i don’t like him because he still young and i ended up having a relationship with him. it’s like more of a pride that made me quit my job.
i still regret that i resigned my job. and really wanted to do something right now.
January 29, 2015

rieann

After reading all the comments above i felt i’m back on tracks. just be positive. i know i can do more and live more. lol
February 3, 2015

Amanda

I recently resigned from a position that I felt completely undervalued, overworked, under-payed and disrespected. INSTANT weight lifted off my shoulders. I feel like like my soul is smiling through my skin. I have never felt so empowered making such a well-informed decision. I don’t have anything lined up, but am going to continue my search until I find something.
February 5, 2015

glache

I did, a month ago, and how this month has flown so much faster than any month I was there, especially in the last few months. Everyone said I looked more relaxed, even just a week after quitting. Then there’s all the other bodily signs like more regular bowel motions and hair growing back faster. Yes TMI maybe but your body is a good sign. If I’d listened to my body earlier I would’ve spared myself at least a good 6 months of misery if not 12.
February 9, 2015

Mary

I’m so happy I found this page, I really needed the confidence booster. I’m giving my 2 week notice tomorrow and am a total bundle of nerves just thinking about it.

I’ve been at my company for 5 years and while I’ve been promoted and had the chance to work on some interesting projects, I’ve never felt valued or fulfilled. The woman who currently oversees my group is a neurotic micro-manager with severe control and trust issues. She only values a very specific kind of person, someone exactly like her – operational, type A++++ personality, lives and breathes their job. That’s just not who I am. I’m a creative and bring a completely different skill set to the table. Unfortunately it’s not something she values or knows how to work with. I feel miscast and am not in a position that plays to my strengths or sets me up to succeed. I’m a round peg being forced into a square hole.

Being unhappy in my professional life has transcended into my personal life. I’m always tired, dread getting up in the morning, and feel completely burnt out and anti-social. After months of depression and slowly turning into a recluse, I decided it’s time to take control of my own destiny.

I’m scared about not having something else lined up, but also excited about finally getting the chance to fully explore other opportunities and try something. I have plenty of money saved up and a strong support system, so why not take a risk?

I’ve been reluctant to leave thus far because I don’t like to think of myself as someone who runs away from a problem. I take pride in my ability to adapt and overcome obstacles. But after everything I’ve been throw, I realized there’s a distinct difference in “giving up” and “letting go”. It’s time for me to let go.

Good luck to everyone else out there in a similar position – you can do it!
March 2, 2015

Sandra

Just walked out on a relatively high paying job. 22 years in a profession that I hate was enough. Have found a dead end, part time job to cover my bills, so I don’t dip into hard-earned savings. With my spare time, I’m trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life, as well as starting to tick off things on my bucket list.
March 2, 2015

Seperate

Hi,

I’m a professional Engineer and it is not common in my field to quit cold. It is often considered highly suspicious to have gaps in your CV.
Having said that, I’m different.

I’ve quit ‘cold turkey’ 4 times and just have done again for the 5th time after spending nearly 5 years with this company. I always find it very stressful at the time being, looking for a job wondering what to do next, how to pay bills when the small savings are finished (and they have). But somehow I’ve always survived, through a loving, supporting wife and wonderful children. When I eventually am in a job again and reflect back, I cant help thinking that I’ve just had the best time of my life! My relationship with my wife and children are so good, I am really down to earth, in peace with myself and just happy, relaxed. In addition, so far new jobs I’ve eventually found have always been better than any of the previous ones.

I wish all the best and strength to all in this situation, you need to follow your heart. I know I don’t want to just survive this life, but actually live it!

Love and peace!
March 12, 2015

Chris

I was made director of one of my brothers companies, I had previously worked as a manager at the other one, for 6 years prior. After 12 months in the role, I had built a solid work force who were all good at their jobs and highly efficient and productive, I had also increased turnover by carrying out a successful sales campaign. We were about to really spring into year 2.
My brother then decided to bring in a friend of his, as an external advisor. He sat me down and gave me some “corporate home truths”, despite my objections he forced the idea of my own failure down my throat and then told me he could help me get it right. I understood the ploy immediately (he wanted to be the hero) and I resigned. My own brother had shown this imposter more loyalty than to his own flesh and blood.
I have since (3 weeks) started up my own business in the same market and already have some very interesting things in the pipeline.
I cant tell you what will happen, and obviously im scared, but I think that what I have been put through cant get any worse so its worth the chance.
At every opportunity in recent years, when faced with a challenge, I have thrown myself in at the deep end and always surfaced a better person. I believe that this has served me well to get me to this point. This is just a deeper pool.
March 15, 2015

Snix

I’m glad I found this. I am an interior designer and have been working at a crappy company for almost 4 years (low pay, rude boss, no benefits and no growth at all) and I have finally found the courage to resign without a job in line last February 13. This is considered a dangerous move in my field and in my country because employment here in my field is very very low. Although ai’ve been getting interviews, none have hired me so far. Though I took a part time job, I hope I can find a better job soon.

Funds and little arnings are getting low and bills are getting high. I’m in a desperate and depressing situation but I’m trying very hard not to fall into the despairs of finding a job. I I’m reading all the comments here and I’m a bit glad I’m not alone. I wish you all luck as well.
March 16, 2015

Yuv

I just sent my resignation letter without any job lined up.

And right now i don’t know how i’m feeling because i’m listening sega (my country music).

So i can’t tell my full story right now but wish me luck guys.. But im positive that i wont be left on the streets :)
March 25, 2015

Micki

Thank you for the inspiring comments everyone! I am debating quitting my job or simply going part-time. I’m in the midst of starting my own business as a health coach, which is ironically what my job is now, except that I spend the majority of my time cold-calling people and very little time actually doing any sort of health coaching. I’m not sure if anyone here has spent a good amount of time cold-calling, but it’s no joke and taking a serious toll on me. Moreover, it was not my initial assignment, and though I’ve been trying to tough it out since last July, I’m wearing thin. I really appreciate everyone’s stories, it has given me some hope. I have about 3 months worth of living expenses saved up, and I’m just trying to figure out the next move. I especially loved hearing from those of you who left and successfully started your own business or traveled . . . I think either of those would be a good option for me, though it’s difficult when society (and even some of you in this thread) are saying that it’s a terrible idea to leave without a sure source of income lined up for the future. Still building up my courage . . . I’ve bookmarked this page for motivation in the future :-)
March 27, 2015

Akko

Hi , I resigned last month without new job lined up .. My appraisal came and my manager screwed it completely. Worked so hard , I alone was doing 3 ppl work plus 4 hrs daily travel. I resigned in within an hour when my appraisal was published. No idea what’s gonna happen, have country language problem, but my heart feels light and confident . Hopefully i will get better job soon :)
March 30, 2015

Did that Not Doing Again

I quit a lousy job – was being bullied and management couldn’t care less. A single mom with only about 2 months worth of savings and 3 kids to take care of and a house, etc. Finally after 6 months I took a job that paid about a third as much just to get some medical insurance. It set me way back, now I’m looking at leaving a bad job again, but this time I will not walk out until I have something lined up. The stress of not having enough to pay bills was way too much for me. Good for some, but while others can handle it, some cannot.
April 2, 2015

blessing

Hi, I feel so blessed reading comments from everyone here.I feel like I’m not alone.Ive been playing with the idea of quitting my job, in my head, but the fear of the unknown, stops me from doing so.Nothing is better than being happy doing something you love and being appreciated too.ive been depressed for a while now, because of my job.I cry most times at night before I go to bed.when I wake up in the morning, that hollow, empty feeling returns.i feel that if I don’t leave now, the depression will worsen.ive chosen happiness, so I must leave.i don’t mind starting over and picking up the pieces.As long as there’s life, there’s hope.
April 8, 2015

Andy

Great stories – seems to be a common theme happening.

I quit my job after 24 years of faithful service (you read it correctly, 24 years). I had been in law enforcement since I was 18 but never really felt I was suited to that role. Why stay so long? Initially, I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do with my life so why not do something honourable. I was eventually promoted and that’s when things started to change. My bosses were okay and my colleagues were the best people I know, but the stress, violence and shift work that really started to take it’s toll. The point I wanted to make to the readers is this – the longer you wait to leave an unhealthy job, the longer it will take to recover from the damage of ‘toughing’ it out. I lacked the courage to make the change and I sometimes wonder where I would be now if I had taken a chance.Prior to leaving I became ill and still suffer from the effects of burn out. I’ve been out 2 years now and while I’m unsure about what my (work) passion is, my health is way better (more valuable than $$), my wife and I have a great relationship and I’m a very different person. So, to the long term employed – it’s not easy taking the plunge and you’ll experience moments of doubt and fear, but the rewards are great. Goodluck!
April 10, 2015

Dinky

Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences guys! Glad to know that I’m not alone. After being hired for a position that I didn’t even apply for in the first place (I applied for a different position with the same company and the boss thought she had something else for me).. Well that “something else” was nothing but filing and doing miscellaneous stuff around the office and expecting me to learn and fix their technology issues (they’re still using widows 95 BTW and have old crashing servers), even though I don’t know anything about them…

Well, 2 months ago, out of the blues, she came up to me and told me to install an accounting software and enter in all the invoices and documents for a company that they used to invest in and just recently closed down (she needed to do the tax returns).. She didn’t give me ANY instructions on how to actually enter them and she procrastinated herself (she got the notice from the govt a year before she gave me the task) and she would complain that I was the one wasting time..

Well, I soon realized that the purpose of her entering everything into the software was because the govt seized all the assets of the company and to get it back, they need to show proof that they’ve filed taxes and they have no taxes in arrears.. The amt of tax that govt is expecting is $33k and I tried my best to reduce the taxes payable to $20k.. However, that cheap b**** is trying to reduce it to $0!!

So, after 2 months of searching 5 boxes of invoices and entering 3500 invoices, I went up to her to tell her everything was done and all is left is for u to do the tax return.. BUT, she didn’t like the fact that we still owed money to the govt and actually wants to see the sales journal (even though it would do NOTHING to reduce the tax).. After realizing that the sales journal can’t be obtained because I entered everything in the form of journal entries (that’s how she told me to enter everything, mind u). But, she wanted to cover her own ass, she blamed everything on me and told me u shouldn’t have done that… AND she deleted ALL of my 2 months worth of work and told me to REDO EVERYTHING!!!

At that point I decided to quit the next day.
Im trying my best to look for another job asap and since I just bought a car recently, I need another job. I have a part time job going on and I have money saved up and I live with my parents so I won’t be at that big of a disadvantage..

Today is a Friday, which I’m going to call in sick and on Monday, I’m going to call her up and tell her I quit.. If she says ananythign about 2 weeks notice, I will tell her to take the 2 week notice and shove it.

The boss is known around the whole office for placing blames on ppl if something goes wrong and she loses everything that u give her and blames u. Also, she is known for her deceiving self and lies to her employees if it means getting them to do what she wants (such as lying about deadlines so that her employees get it done faster).

Although I did appreciate her act of creating a position for me and giving me a source of income for 2 and a half months, the job is just not worth it. The coworkers r all awesome and i don’t have any complaints but having no predictability of how ur day is going to go is just not worth it.

Not to mention the company is BADLY managed and all employees from the truck drivers to the office staff hate the management for their selfishness, arrogance, and ignorance (they r family owned business).

Although I did meet some very nice people in that job, its just not worth being hassled by the boss. Good luck to everyone who is thinking of quitting their job. If you dread going into work every morning, just realize ur life is too short to be working in a job that you hate. I’m 19 years old and I know I’m not going to work at this company/job forever so might as well just quit now.
April 14, 2015

Fellow Leaper

I have to tell you that you guys are an inspiration. I too am in a similar situation. Made a career move into the industrial rental company and was hired by a family owned business. It was amazing, the culture and the customer base loved us! We have big Christmas parties which the owners stood at the front door shaking hands and prayed before dinner. We were bought by a large European company and it all started to go down hill. I was an assistant and was promoted to manager in the meantime. We were bought again a year later but a large American conglomerate. Morale plummeted and people started leaving without notice. My favorite manager was fired for not “meshing” well with the corporate office. A new young manager replaced him and he told me, “If you fail, then I fail…and I don’t fail.” I knew at that moment I had to make a decision.

Although I have thought about quitting before, now I was serious. I was very grateful for the opportunity to work with great people but the work culture was killing me. I was doing the work of 2-3 people, on call 24/7 and didn’t have a lunch break in over a year. Help was supposed to be hired and it never happened. Against most people’s advice, I put my two weeks in. My manager asked if I could please put in 4-6 weeks in which I politely declined. I did feel pressure taken off me temporarily. Today is day 53 without employment. I kept thinking, life is too short and I would rather be happy and poor than depressed and comfortable. It IS NOT an easy situation, I assure you. But might be worth it in the end.
I have a masters but do not plan on using it, all my classmates switched fields also. I don’t know many college graduates using their degrees recently. I have had two interviews but nothing promising. It is a fine balance in looking for the right place and desperately taking a job. I am blessed with a support system of my family and girlfriend who were proud of me for leaving. I am on a very productive and ongoing job hunt. Networking is key and that it what I am trying to do. Daily I read quotes, tell my self everything is okay and I made the right decision and apply for more jobs. I currently have 34 applications out with some promising leads…All my jobs have gotten better, this is the first I left without a job.
My advice to people preparing to take this leap. Sometimes grass isn’t greener on the other side, sometimes it is. SAVE UP, have 4-6 months of savings to live off of, learn to budget. Stay structured, productive and active. I wake up every morning and read, journal, job hunt or exercise. Look into the book, “What Color is Your Parachute?” Although I don’t honestly know where to go with my life, this book is a helpful and positive resource. I am doing part time labor work to have some small income but the work is not consistent. I have also turned down two jobs that I know I would be miserable at. It is difficult to be honest with yourself and just need a darn job.
Good luck to everyone, keep pushing. There is something out there for us. Someone or some company out there needs us, we will be an asset and hopefully can have a good life. God be with you all.
April 17, 2015

Jobseeker

Majority of the folks leave their jobs due to stress and fatigue. I have seen many people quitting due to this. But then there are those who don’t. And they stop being productive at work. I suggest that you quit when your inner-self tell you its time. Don’t linger around and become a patient of depression or depress your organization.
May 2, 2015

A Guy In Marketing

I spent 10 years teaching Spanish in public high school and at the university level. After enduring suspension on false pretenses, job losses due to cutbacks, bureaucracy that would make your head spin, 95-item long evaluations, the expectation that I would work long into the night every night planning and grading, backstabbing administrators, false accusations by colleagues, physical assault, and of course low pay, I came to my sesnses. I left teaching and have since been a communications officer for a consulting firm, a translator, a manager at a country club, the executive director of an educational services firm and now work in marketing. Why so many roles? Some were temporary, two companies folded, and I still do translations. I have been in marketing for nearly a year and while I am not unhappy, I know this is not the field where my talents will be best utilized and where I will be fulfilled. It is nice to find a page full of people who are committed to their own happiness and well-being. Work does not have to be a grind and even though the economy is less than perfect (truly it never will be) we do not have to settle or work for people who do not appreciate us and the talents we offer. Employers who want mindless drones attract mindless drones. Everyone else flies away. I send you all my sincere best wishes on finding the job of your dreams or on creating the business of your dreams. Never give up.
May 4, 2015

Stef

I’m young and a fairly new to career leaps in general. I’m sending in my resignation tonight.

The job I’m quitting I’ve been in 10 months and it was a quick move after my previous dream job went away because the company went bankrupt. I lost my job 3 weeks before my wedding.

I’m leaving because the inner management may think they’re fooling us but I see the company falling apart (can I just say that our division has gone through FOUR management changes since started).

I’m currently in the process of developing an e-store for a brick and mortar location of 20 years. Once it launches this will be my new full time job. it scares me because it has many risks, but I love the product. I’m running a fine line between new awesome career and a high chance of me have no job at all.

I notice the constant conflict of interest is not only running me thin, but my performance overall is lacking. I guess you could say I’m quitting half blind… Or a tightrope of sort, the comments above really helped me. Please wish me the best. :)
May 5, 2015

Transitioning

Wow…this thread of comments have been running since February 2013! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because this topic is so universal. I’m really thankful I found these comments because I have been struggling to make a decision about whether to quit or stay for the past couple of weeks.

I recently took a new job after leaving another position that came with its own issues. I left my previous company because the management was highly disorganized, my superiors made decisions that directly hurt the quality of our product, and my opinions were undervalued. That company had been performing in the negatives for a while and many other employees had quit as well, thinking it was a sinking ship.

Fast forward to my position at a new company. Within hours of my first day on the job I realized I had made a mistake. I realized I had entered into a high stress zone where the workers were overworking and frantic. While I do possess the skill set to handle the work, there is just so much of it that it is overwhelming. While I may expect to see some downtimes in the future, from what I’ve seen and heard, this extreme work culture will never go away. If I stay, this is a position that will wear me out.

From my experience at my previous work experience, I already know what it feels like to dread going into work because of stress and fatigue. I have not been at my current position for long, but I already know in my gut that it is not the right place for me.

I don’t have anything solid lined up, but do have savings. Of course, I feel the anxiety of heading toward the unknown, but my health and sanity are too important to ignore.

I know being unemployed will make me anxious, but I will try to enjoy the free time I will have. I will need to remind myself that time to slow down, meditate and try new things is too rare to squander.

I wish everyone the best. Your health/sanity are too precious to ignore! Good luck!
May 9, 2015

M

Just an update, almost 6 months after I quit my job:

I still don’t have a permanent job (fortunately I had some f***-you money saved up before walking out the door), but I’ve been temping. My current assignment, which keeps getting extended because they’re so happy with my work, is in an environment completely the opposite of the one I left: no nighttime-soap-opera-worthy drama, no blaming, no 60-hour work weeks. And as an added bonus, I have a much shorter commute!

Yes, I did have to take a small pay cut when I started the assignment, and it hasn’t been easy for me financially, but the improvement in my mood and in the quality of my life outside work has been dramatic (to the point that others have noticed) and so worth it!

I felt guilty at the time about walking away from that bad job, but now I know I did the right thing to take care of my physical and mental health, and I finally feel like I have my life back.
May 9, 2015

FollowedMyHeart

Around mid-month last month I quit my well-paying job with nothing lined up. I had filed many applications but the only communication I received back were those auto replies. I didn’t even have one single interview lined up.

The job I left had a very vindictive atmosphere in which my manager only made it worse and did nothing to improve it. He’d pick at small things I’d do and he run to HR and complain first rather than come to me about the issue. He was the definition of a corporate coward. It was obvious that the only power in life he had was from behind his keyboard.

I became extremely stressed due to my working conditions and I absolutely dreaded coming to work each day. It got so bad that I started getting stomach ulcers. At this time, I knew I had to look out for myself and leave. I put in three weeks notice and closed out/transferred all open projects I had and left on good terms with my co-workers. Although it was extremely difficult, I made a concentrated effort to leave on a “good note” even though it was not the case.

Before I left I spoke to a co-worker who had gone through a similar situation before and he told me that although I was leaving behind my problems at that job, my real troubles were about to begin. By saying that he meant that the job application process to find a new position would be long, frustrating and deflating. He said that I would spend A LOT of time crafting resumes for specific jobs and for most of them it would all be for nothing – he was right.

About a week after I left I had my first phone interview lined up for a position that would better fit and provided a greater advancement potential. After several rounds of interviewing I landedand accepted an offer three weeks after I left my old job. I utilized all of my resources including: professional networks, my university’s career center and job boards and it paid off for me.

The moral of the story is to always have a nest egg saved up (I’d say a minimum if 3 months) and if the your health, happiness and/or sanity is at risk then leave and seek better opportunities. And always keep your faith that you’ll find something new.
May 14, 2015

ESt

I studied for years, found a job after 8 months search and worked like a horse. Yes my work was acknowledged but at the same time the company did not provide any support whatsoever and started to introduce new dodgy policies. I resigned and after 4 months ended with another job, higher pay but lower respect. We were treated as disposable, our skills and experiences were considered to be a value of zero. I was bullied and while worked three roles at the same time, nothing was acknowledged. I resigned, thought no one deserves that. Since then my life is in hell. I feel worthless, I tried to apply for jobs but without success and now after 6 months, despite my work experience and professional background (I am even doing my Masters at the moment) it appears that I am not employable. During my job search and also in communication with people I realised that Hell Jobs are so common that one either can be in Hell Job or be unemployed. I feel that all my studying and working hard produced nothing. Should I have stayed in the previous job? I am not sure anymore, I know for sure that my life would be nightmare and short, with that kind of treatment. However now being without a job is as if I am not existing at all, and have no worth at all. I try to keep on with my professional development and attend every conference or presentation available through providers that I have been attending for years, but I can see that they find my attendance puzzling since I am not working. I just don’t fit anywhere. And I am not getting younger, soon I will be part of the ageing workers that everyone wants to get rid of, let alone employ.
May 21, 2015

Vee

I quit my job in March 2015 because it was a thankless one. My new, immature manager was threatened by my experience and starting making comments about my performance. then forced me to pick up the job of a position they decided not to fill and expected me to be available after working hours and on leave. He started bullying me on our one on sessions and was fake “nice” to me in team meetings and in front of other people, so it looked like I was the one with issues. He expected me to provide training to our marketing team on a subject on which I wasn’t the expert and I let him know but put together the training material. He then critiqued the material saying it wasn’t up to scratch and he would do it himself. At the same time he tells me he is going to formally address my performance issues with HR and put me on a PIP, I agreed to go for the first meeting. As we all know, HR is for management’s benefit and not the subordinate. I thought about it a lot and decided I wasn’t going to let an incompetent, immature person determine my future and career and made the decision to resign without a job because I had more respect for myself than to allow myself to be treated in this manner. It was the best thing I could for myself, I have since been on a month’s holiday and now actively job-hunting and have interviews lined up. My experience thus far, online job hunting doesn’t always work, sometimes it is better to call personnel agencies and meet in person. Have enough savings for at least 6 months before quitting as the financial stress can be quite weighing. Best of luck to you all :)
June 2, 2015

Stin

Here is a blog post about my journey of quitting a job without a plan. God bless.

http://steppingintothearena.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-leap-of-faith-or-foolishness-part-1.html
June 6, 2015

Anna

It is very encouraging to read this page.

I’ve been a year in my job, and thinking of quitting for 6 months.
I had seen my boss be disrespectful to so many people, and yesterday she said something very disrespectful to me: “if you are tired, call in and stay home – we will absolutely manage without you” in a very ugly tone, because I asked her if I could take a day off after 45 hours + overnight + weekend on call. She rolled her eyes and said that. I’ve been working so hard, this just really crushed me. Coincidentally, I am going on vacation today, but I have done nothing but cry while I am supposed to be enjoying my vacation.

I decided that once I am back, I will give my 2 weeks notice.
I don’t have a job lined up and I am very scared, but this is too much for me. Thanks guys for the empowering messages.
June 7, 2015

Micki

Hi everyone! I’ve been following the new comments since I posted in March, and I just want to say, I still get excited every time a new comment comes into my inbox. It’s such a source of inspiration! As for me, I ended up going to part time in my job at the beginning of May, and took the last two weeks of May off for a pre-planned vacation. Upon returning, I worked 3 days, then just this past Thursday got a call from my manager, informing me that due to shrinking inventory and not enough work for all the employees, my position had been eliminated! So, I’m officially done!

I have to say, I’ve been having a bit of a party for myself ever since! I really feel like the universe heard my pleas to get out of there and gave me an out. I still don’t have another “real” job lined up, but my intention is to continue to build my own business. This is a fantastic opportunity, and one I didn’t quite have the courage to take fully on my own. I know not everyone reading this or pondering whether to quit or not will have the decision made for them, but being out of that job I hated feels amazing so far, and if you are on the fence, it just might be the best thing you could do for yourself.

I’m looking forward to reading more new posts as they come in . . . I love hearing everyone’s stories! Good luck to anyone reading this!
June 8, 2015

Simon

Wow, just found this be accident!!
I’m so pleased so see that I’m not the only person quitting without a job lined up. I am 40 years of age and have always stick with jobs I hate, but none so more than the job that I am now leaving. After working very hard to secure a position in a well known financial institute as an advisor, 6 months in, after working in a hostile and very negative branch, and becoming very very depressed myself, I had to get signed off with chronic stress and anxiety. This due mainly to the lack of support, workload and expectations, having to work around 10-15 hours a week for nothing , and coming home to my family of four kids and wife miserable every night. Scared to go in the next day. My confidence taking a nose dive very quickly.
Luckily the union I belong to spoke with me and confirmed this was work place bullying and harassment and meetings were held with myself and my manager and Union. They have me 12 weeks full pay, and kept re assuring me all would be different if I returned. I will not be returning as it will consume me and destroy me and family. I too have been convincing myself I should go back, stick it out, scared of no new job, but I know in my heart it’s an awful place and job.. I also feel past it at 40 so scared I won’t make anything I’d myself . But I have to quit. The company are prepared to give me a compromise agreement. Just scared I’m making a bad choice.
June 8, 2015

John Doe

Not sure if I’ve commented on this issue, but here it goes.

I worked in a job for almost 12 years and for the first few years, it was ok and nothing more.

Then I moved to a new department and things ever since began to gradually go downhill, to the point where my job was causing me mental health issues. In the end, I handed in my resignation.

I was accused of doing something I did not do and even if I had, the board in question said ‘I’ was not responsible for the more unpleasant aspects of it and I got a first warning because ‘I’ was involved with it. I mean, the investigation was based on comments I did not write, so how can they justify this? Also, the complainant was no angel and devious to say the least. I almost made some drastic life changing decisions because of this, too. When I went back after stress and long-term sick (separate issue), I wasn’t impressed and in the end, resigned. Best choice for me.

I synpathise with those who have issues in their job, but don’t let the job rule your life.
June 12, 2015

Joe Anonymous

I’m 24 and considering quitting my first job out of university. I stupidly took the first job that was offered to me without giving myself the chance to see what else I could have taken. I’ve got pretty depressed about it, mostly because university was itself the most depressing experience of my life but I slogged through to get my degree. I really felt I had to make a substantial change to my life after university. But I didn’t. I found myself straight back into the routine of letting other people dictate my life (I only accepted this job because an acquaintance, who I have since realised couldn’t give the slightest shit about what is good for me, was adamant that I should take it, and I didn’t say no when I absolutely should have).

The job, to be fair, is not that bad. In fact I have it much too easy if anything. I feel like I’m not even responsible for anything. I’m a back up to my boss – we are the only two IT people in the company (it’s a small company anyway). I’ve sort of half-arsed several attempts to take on something interesting at the company that I can really be proud of but I suppose I haven’t really given any of the tasks I’ve been given the proper amount of effort… mainly because I’m caught up by the unhappiness at my stupid decision to take this job when I feel I shouldn’t have. I suppose I should probably get over this.

I’ve read all the comments here and I’m glad that people managed to break out of bullshit situations after so long. But reading the comments, it seems in every case, the person quit because they were being treated badly – shit boss, shit co-workers, something like that. I definitely don’t think I’m being treated badly – as I said, I have it too easy if anything. So maybe quitting straight up isn’t the solution, just because future employers will say “so what was even wrong with the company you were working at?”. I don’t know, I don’t want to make a decision out of fear of things that MIGHT happen – how do I even know what a future employer will say? But yeah, I suppose I don’t have it as bad as people who get treated like shit in their jobs.

I definitely need to sort this out. I think I just really want responsibility for something – responsibility for my own decisions (which I should have taken when I was looking for jobs – fuck, I keep regretting how badly I fucked up… but maybe I should just move on), or I guess in work, responsibility for a project that I can throw my hands up for if it fucks up, and be proud of when it works.

I just feel so pissed off because the kind of job I am doing is EXACTLY what I wanted to avoid when I was looking for jobs. IT jobs are mentally intensive, and require you to sit down “wired in” all day, and are nerdy… I wanted to see if there was a job in something more creative I could get, like as an copywriter, or marketing assistant, or something like that, which I feel I have skills in. I guess it’s my own fault. And maybe I need to accept responsibility for that.
June 14, 2015

Stin

Here is my second blog post about finding a job after quitting with no plan.

http://steppingintothearena.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-leap-of-faith-or-foolishness-part-2.html?spref=fb
June 22, 2015

Hopeless

Yes, I left my job in January because it was killing me. I was asked to complete unethical business practices by owners, sign off for training employees never received, report false EMR and TRIR numbers to clients. I was a safety director. I worked out a buyout with the company to leave with the promise I would not report the hundreds of emails I saved, pictures of documents and unsafe practices (including a gun in the garage area) to OSHA. Now, 6 months later, I am still unemployed… I left to save my health for myself and family, now the depression is coming back because I am not getting any closer to finding a job, despite three to four resumes per week. It appears to be a lose lose for me… I thought I was doing the right thing because people always say you have to enjoy what you do and who you do it for, and I identified health issues (bleeding ulcer, depression) and actually had to be hospitalized, but maybe I should have just grinned and took the shady dealings… It is what it is…
July 16, 2015

Jss

These stories are giving me courage. I despise my current position. When I tell people how much I hate it they think I’m crazy because I work for the American government, but I was hired right out of grad school. They told me they were looking for someone with my degree, why I have no clue. I’ve been in training for months and it has nothing to do with my education or experience. It’s boring, confusing and not at all compassionate towards people we serve. On top of this they failed to mention when they offered me the job that I’d have to pass 20, yes 20 exams in the first year or ill lose my job. The tests are horrible!!! All on conflicting laws that make no sense to any logical person. I’m passing but barely. The place is also a gossip colony of bitchy. My grandmother who lives 5 hours away is dying and getting time off to go to her has been a big production because I will miss training and test time. Way too much stress, constantly stressed about passing exams or getting canned etc.

I had a first interview in my field, making same pay and benefits and was offered a second interview the next day. Was also told they wanted my to start working on a lisense which I will need in order to be employed there. I know I still have the second interview pending but I think I’m going to get it. Still I feel it’s such a risk to give notice before I have another job lined up, but I can’t take much more of this job. I’m willing to pay them to give me the job.

Glad it worked out for many on here. Hope it will do same for me cause I’m giving my notice in a few days!!!!
August 11, 2015

DeterminedSoul

Am planning something like this.But thing is…i need to acquire an additional skillset to get placed after i quit.
Not much i have saved, but i think a 2 months salary…
Have faced disrespectful behaviour from boss, i earn very less.. below half of market standards, have put in 5 years of work… n being paid less than my total years of exp….its frustrating & i dont have a job lined up……

I hope am doin right by the way… am quitting to make myself survive further years in job market..[without acquiring this additional skill..ders no hope i can make many years work in this profession].
Am in IT job….
November 2, 2015

Disaffectedtoolong

I am contemplating this now.

Been in this job for 7 and a half years. My boss of 4 years came in one day about 18 months ago after reading some book in the “karma of management” or something along those lines – he reads the covers on a lot of these types of books, and announced a new “flat management strategy”. I as the Institutes manager, was the only one affected. His constant ignoring my 17 years of management experience and consistently using my name AND an admin assistants on every task or acknowledgement – like we are joined at the hip, has driven me mad. There are no longer boundaries of responsibility or tasks and I do not even know what my job is anymore. I have stomached this for too long and my self esteem and self respect are suffering. There is obviously no recognition of me as an individual or the work I have put into my career. The other frustrating thing is that I am actually employed by another institution and here on a joint co-operation agreement in which I can’t rock the boat. My issue is I have a mortgage and two kids, plus the market for my skills tends not to encourage freelance….but I am getting closer … daily.
December 7, 2015

LookingAtThatLeapOfFaith

So just got told I didn’t get the job I applied for after 3.5 months in a recruitment process. The catch is, I have been acting in said role for 7 months, doing the role of two people, and getting insomnia for my efforts. Was told that I did a marvellous job and achieved so more than any previous incumbent. But now they want to put me back down to my former role and bring in a new manager. I look quite young despite my experience, and have had several remarks about this.

I have been reading all your posts and agree with the majority thought – that you are all inspiring having taken the leap to quit without another job lined up.

I am supposed to finally go on leave in a week, however, just did a calculation and I am owed just over 5 months of leave that I could get paid out for now.

I’ve never taken any longer than four weeks off in my 8 year career and reached the top of the public service career ladder in that time.

I’m seriously considering quitting and putting in my notice. My husband also had a heart attack scare two weeks ago and this has really made me think…do I really want to stay in this job, when I know there is no real case for further development, in an industry that takes 3.5 months to recruit for a position, and have to train my new ‘manager’? My current agency also has a bad reputation from recent executive behaviours…
February 27, 2016

Smash that feeling!

At the age of 34, I have done this twice now and it feels so good! The decision making is the hardest bit – it is so hard to actively decide to turn your back on security, salary and something you have worked so hard for ….. for the great unknown!

The first time, I literally had nothing and had to rely on whatever job I could get just to pay the bills. I ended up cleaning toilets – literally – for a week, covering for a regular lady who was on holiday. I was so happy! The job was simple and such a relief (pardon the pun!) to have simple expectations. The boss of the company-whose-toilets-it-was noticed my positive and outgoing attitude (which was something my previous employers may not have said about me as I spent most of the time crying and not liking my job!). He offered me a job in the education department and I ended up working there for two very happy and enjoyable years!

This second time, for a different employer, I am prepared. I recognised the feeling of desperation and bitterness. So I have saved up for a few months to give myself a buffer and have just taken the leap! Already, the opportunities (which may have been there all along!) are glittering and calling out and I’m able to take stock and take a look at them.

The weirdest thing of it all: the flushed look of excitement and youth on my face once I’ve made the decision!
March 8, 2016

I commit to quit – March 31 is International Quit Your Crappy Job Day

[…] Should you quit without finding a new job first? […]
May 21, 2016

Marey M

Jumping in to say that I quit my job of 4 years on Tuesday. I am still a little heartbroken, but I know it was the right thing to do.

About 2 months ago, the director of the special program where I worked as a coordinator called me into her office to tell me that she’d taken a job as a flight attendant but was still going to be coming into the office to do her administrative duties twice a week, then she’d be flying the other three. As the program coordinator I was already doing the bulk of the work, but for me this was just too much. I complained to her about it and told her we needed a full-time director but she ignored me, then disappeared for 5 weeks to attend stewardess training. Did I mention that she was married to an executive of the company?

I went to the president and complained and told him I wouldn’t continue to work there under these circumstances, and he told me he knew I could do the director job easily and that when the current director returned, he’d tell her to step down and put me in the position. He then proceeded to pull me into a bunch of planning meetings to share ideas I had for how to improve the program, had me write up process and procedures manuals (something the current director was supposed to have already done but never did), etc.

Fast forward 5 weeks to when the current director returns from her airline training. Her first day back, the president calls her into his office and tells her our department really needs a full-time director, asks her to step down, and tells her he thinks I am qualified to do the job. The next day, her husband has a long meeting with the president, after which he calls me in and tells me I will not be given the position as the director is keeping her job even though she’s only going to be there two a days a week. Then he tells me to go meet with her so she can instruct me on how to re-write all the documents I’d already created so that they met her expectations.

I immediately took off my ID badge, handed over my keys, and walked out.

I loved that job, aside from the crummy director I had to tolerate, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye to the friends I worked with. But there was no way I could stay after all of that going down. After a long talk with my husband we both agree that at my age (47) I have built enough experience in my field that I can go it alone and do consulting work instead of getting stuck dealing with office politics and drama again.
May 25, 2016

James Goldstein

While I never did personally, a friend of mine quit one job after nearly a year without having anything else lined up. He got sick of the daily verbal abuse and constantly being lied to about getting insurance. He was first told that he �had to wait 90 days� once he waited the 90 days he was then told �health insurance is for union members only and you for reasons known only to us can�t join the union.� Then he was told it would be �too expensive� and finally �its only for managers.� He came early, stayed late worked on days he was supposed to be off and did a bang up job, but was often berated and told that he �sucked� The abuse and mistreatment he suffered is a testament to why I have been self employed my entire life. Sometimes you don�t need to experience negative things first hand, you can learn from the experiences of others and refrain from having the same things happen to you.
May 25, 2016

Jonathan

Back in 2002,I quit a supermarket job that I had for nearly a year by calling them up one morning and telling them that I had �received a better offer and would be quitting effective immediately.� This was of course completely false. I just wanted out and no longer wished to be there. This was without a doubt the most unprofessional place I ever worked in my life. It was like a continuation of high school. Managers would threaten and bully people, co-workers would gossip about people they didn�t like who were not part of their little cliques and would run them down to managers every chance they got, often when the person was within earshot. And customers were just plain rude and disrespectful. I put up with it for as long as I could, but eventually enough got to be enough. My experience was never particularly pleasant and just seemed to get worse as it went along. I�m the sort of person who keeps to myself, comes in, does the job and leaves. I don�t engage in gossip or office politics, I don�t join cliques so as you can guess I was never really well liked and really could do no right in the eyes of most of my co-workers and supervisors.
May 25, 2016

Tim

I worked for the school library for one shift before deciding to never return. I was assigned to the computer lab and rather than getting an orientation or any kind of training on my first night, my supervisor bolted for the exit as soon as I walked in happy to have someone there to relieve him. There were a host of problems I was ill equipped to deal with; issues with the printer, several of the computers, the power in part of the lab, people needing help to do complicated things. Interestingly, before the guy I was relieving left he said he�d �teach me about the printer tomorrow� it was unfortunate that he couldn�t have shown me a couple of things before he dashed to the parking lot. Oh, well a lesson learned. I simply called back the next day and said I wouldn�t be returning. I did thank them for the opportunity though it really wasn’t much of one and I felt like I was thrown into the deep end head first.
June 5, 2016

jay

i read through some of these comments and i just want to say i am thinking of leaving. there was one comment in particular here that i have to speak of, the one about, how would that look to a future employer though. this is a question that deserves an answer.

what about working for those companies who only care about numbers and attrition. where you are just another helping hand that works to feed the bottom line. when coming in to work is more about politics, finger pointing, false accusation, “what about me”,and “lets document everything so we have a reason”.- mentality.

its sad and its ashame how its so easy to give away our freedom and happiness at the expense of making a living for the one(s) who think nothing short of ” how deep can i make my pocket”.

im not where i would like to be but there are some things that i value; teamwork, kindness, respect, admiration, friendship, integrity, and helping others to be successful.

i hope everyone here finds a job or is successful in starting a business that at the end of the day you can say, im happy and i feel good.
June 16, 2016

spike

I am also in this situation now, and have thought also why some people (employers) can have the power over others (employee) just because they have money to pay for the salary. How can we allow other people to exert that power over our lives? Don’t we not have more power over our own lives and destiny? *in the process of deep reflection :-D*
June 20, 2016

roger

I quit my job cold turkey almost 4 months ago. I didn’t have another job lined up but I wasn’t too concerned as I was used to getting contacted frequently by competitors about changing employers. It has been difficult though; I’ve come to realize that I wasn’t just unhappy at my company, but that I wanted to try a completely new field of work. Unfortunately, I don’t have too much more clarity than I did 4 months ago as to what that field is; I mean, how are you supposed to know if you’re going to like something you’ve never done before???
July 10, 2016

Sophie

I quit a job and followed the ‘rule’ of not quitting one job without another… I lasted 6 weeks in the other job and quit. I took the job out of fear/panic… When I just needed to recognise that I needed time out, to move away from the industry I was in and say No to a bullying work environment.

Second week of doing online courses, exercises, talking to people catching up with friends and general,y enjoying my freedom.. I love it. I needed to get my mind into a much happier place. I didn’t recognise the toxic environment I had been in for so long.

I have put my mortgage on hold for 2 months, I have some money saved up and I am just going to give myself some time to re asses and move in a different direction. Not sure where that it at this stage , and that is OK.
July 21, 2016

Tracy

I quit my job last week after giving a notice a month earlier. Things got so bad that I moved up my departure date by two weeks. So they had a month notice instead of 6 weeks. I do not have anything lined up but I have decided to leave the industry altogether for my own sanity and emotional well being, plus the pay is poor and stress is insanely high. I was in property management (low income housing) and will not EVER go back. I have decided to go into HR instead. After being assaulted, sued, bullied, treated differently than other employees (apparently company policy is not followed across the board), having crying fits and anxiety coming into work I decided enough was enough.

I truly knew that it wasn’t a good fit within my 90 day orientation period but I stayed 1 1/2 years anyways. driving myself crazy the whole time. It is refreshing to make a decision to leave and be free instead of being enslaved in an awful position/industry.

I am trusting in God and praying for doors to be opened up for me. I have no real savings (low salary) but may be able to use my 403b and delay my mortgage which I am ahead on anyways. I have been applying for jobs since before I gave notice and have continued to do so. I am excited about what the future holds:)
July 23, 2016

Priscilla

After graduating from university in 2014, I spent four months looking for an office job because I thought this was the norm. I also believed that if one worked really hard in a company after a few years, their hard work would be rewarded. However, I soon found out that some of my experienced colleagues who had been around for 6-11 years were never promoted only sold empty promises, and those who were promoted would either use their good looks, befriend and laugh at managers bad jokes, or sleep with a director to get promoted.

The first 3 months at the company were great but after 6 months things started becoming clear to me with regards to bad management, toxic working environwment, making promises to employees that were never kept and overal it become like working in a “mean girls” office. Where those in charge used their authority to intimidate the people who they were managing. There was a lot of micro managing, swearing at a colleague infront of other colleagues and a lot of managers had the ego complex so they would disrespected people they worked with. A lot of my colleagues would never inform their managers if they had made mistakes in their work, their was a hierarchy type of atmosphere across the whole company. Everyone in the company would complain about these issues in the company but no one would ever make a decision to change it or take action against the bad management.

I finally quit my job after working at that company for 11months, with no job lined up. I did find another job 3 days later, however I quit that job 2 months later for the same reason I quit my first job, a lot of superiority complexes. It then took me 1 month to find my next job which was by far the worst company I worked for so I quit after 6 months of working for that company.

Currently, 3 months without a job, I have been traveling around Europe and Africa, my next stop is America. I have enough money saved up from previous jobs, so I financially I’m doing fine. I have also been setting up my own business online and doing things that I love. I now know what I want out of life and it is not to be stuck behind an office desk working a 9-5, their is more to life than just living for Friday. I take life one day at a time and I have never been happier!
August 15, 2016

Katrino

I have been struggling a lot with leaving NY current job when I have no plan in mind. This has given me a lot of insight and am sure am ready to move on. I have been so unhappy at my current workplace because its not in line with my career and there’s no career growth yet I would not wish to jump from one job to another without time to just be reflect and know what I really want
August 20, 2016

AHopefulPerson

As someone who’s dropped her papers (without an offer in hand and one failed interview) after completing 2 years at a workplace which does not value hard work, underpays and overworks it’s employees, refuses to comply even with the simplest of requests and accuses you of lying when you make genuine complaints about bullying, I have to thank you Mr. Alexander for this post and all you other lovely people for the comments. This post helped me come out of depression, renewed my hope and stopped me from over-analyzing everything that went wrong for me over the past two years. Happiness is the only thing worth fighting for.
September 14, 2016

Kay

I quit my job 6 weeks ago. I have savings that will last me several months. I was so unhappy in my work environment and the job was also physically hard on my body. When I left I already had many ideas in mind and I also researched many of them out. I have been working night and day on building an online career ever since I left my job. I will be launching my new business in October. I feel much happier and relaxed ever since I left. I have not regretted my decision at all. I really believe that this new business will be a success! I am very willing to work hard, face challenges and learn so much new information. I held off on getting health insurance for a couple of months, but I am signing up for insurance next week. That is the only thing I am going to miss, my benefits, but that was not a good enough reason for me to stay at my job and be so unhappy, exhausted and unchallenged.
September 22, 2016

TheNinja

I’m so happy I found this! And know i’m not alone. Ive been in my current postion for 2 months now and im ready to call it quits. Its been absolutly horrible! Bullying boss, ridiculous deadlines, blame games, etc.

I got very very bad vibes during the interview and just attributed it to me adjusting back to life in Canada as I was working abroad for the last year.

HR actually found me on LinkedIn and reached out to me. Of course I was very happy that I had an interview within the first few weeks of me coming back.

Offer came in, I wasnt excited. First day on the job, not excited. Boss only spoke to me when he needed to show me something. Everyone else was really nice. But he was a differnt story.

A few weeks into the job and I still have that “bad vibe” feeling. I’m trying to do the best I can. Even going home and working during the evening/weekends sometimes. I was so so in the job until the manager went on vacation for two weeks. During that time it became pretty evident who was actually holding the department together and who was doing all that work. I stil tried my best. But I was constatly bullied, yelled at in front of other employees. It got to the point where I was yelled at in front of someone who had just come in for an interview! I sat in my office and cried and my direct report came to talk to me and ask me if I was ok.

Since those incidents, i’ve lost any interest/motivation in the job. I’ve held back on resigning as I don’t want all the work load to fall onto the other manager. But I have to do it for my own sanity.

I know ill be buring alot of bridges as this is peak season for business. And my direct report has also resigned. So, with me leaving, there will be no one in my department. But if I have to stay longer than I need to, ill go crazy. I can’t go to HR either as he is friends with my boss (yay, not!)

So, I have my resignation letter all typed up and ready to go. I’ve never ever worked in an environment like this before. I’ve always have gotten along with everyone from the janitors to the directors!

Wish me luck :)
September 28, 2016

Rachel Watson

These comments are really useful (and varied!).

I currently work part-time and am trying to build a design business on the side. I’ve thought for a long time that the ‘day job’ (hate that phrase) is just a means to an end and helps to fund the business (which is actually crazily low on overheads as I work from home) and that I can and should just suck it up.

My hubby also works here in a different team, and between us we’re utterly despairing at the way the organisation is being run – most of our out-of-work conversations are venting about how awful it is and how many things are massive barriers to us doing our jobs well. This has been the situation for a while, and frankly, the ‘suck it up’ mentality isn’t cutting it anymore. Circumstances around my particular role have eroded my confidence to such a point (after being here 11 years) that I don’t feel able to develop my skills, to challenge and get results, and that in turn is affecting how I see my ability to get the design business off the ground. I need to get out before I start to think I’m not capable of anything else! I have nothing else lined up, and in all honesty don’t want to continue in the same field, but the thought of spending 6 months to a year saving up for an expenses cushion feels like it would tip me over the edge right now!

To those who have taken the plunge – good on you, I wish I had the cojones without it coming to a straw/camel/back situation – I think a serious conversation needs to happen about how we might be able to manage on just hubby’s salary for a bit while I get things built up with the design stuff.

It’s gotta be doable, right?

*crosses fingers*
October 3, 2016

Robin

I am 28 and worked for 3 different companies for last 6 years .
I loved all the jobs at first but when I used to see my paycheck slowly get depressed since after working entire day and night it was nothing and recently fresher working under me were earning better than me .
I QUIT since i couldnt handle the traveling and the low paycheck.

Now its one week with no job tension at home with no money financial crisis. Resume is like no area of specialization just excel sql team co-ordiation . mediocre jobs .
when i see my resume with random expierience and edu qualification
I feel more depressed .
Being IT Grad I did manual work for EQUIFAX , BANK OF AMERICA payroll and NOW Application support for well known Insurance company .
and I fear these experience doesnt even count .
I like to WEB Desinging and CREATIVE work but due to depression and frustration I end up making wrong choices .

Only GOOD thing in my life and right decision I made is I didnt married .
People failed to understand my skills and believe that I am Taciturn type of guy .

Hope I get some good job. I lost all my confidence and from past one week worried stopped practicing and wondering what next ?
Although , Always good happened . I remember whenever I be SAD stage someone helps to get out of it .
October 3, 2016

M

Another update, almost 2 years after I quit a toxic job:

After a year of online courses, I just completed a specialization in creative writing–and last April, I fulfilled a lifelong dream and became a published author!

I’m temping to pay the bills (and am making more money now than I ever did in that horrible “day job”), but now I have the time and energy to pursue my passions for writing and music. I’m at work right now on a novel that combines the two.
October 14, 2016

Andrea Deacon

I am nearly 52 years old and took a voluntary redundancy from my public service job almost 2 years ago. I had worked there almost 26 years when I took the redundancy, so had become ‘institutionalised’.

The workplace where I worked had become toxic. There was conflict between people, no information sharing, a focus on stats ie. where no. of cases finalised was the most important factor, not quality or the complexity of the work. My manager of over 10 years left and I had a new manager who did not understand the work, her focus was purely on stats.

I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue and had about 5 weeks off on sick leave over a period of 6 months. This was when my manager started giving me a hard time and told me that my performance was not up to her expectations. At my mid year review she told me that I was expected to complete three times as many cases per month as my previous manager had expected. After I queried this she asked one of my colleagues, who said it was too much, and she then revised her figure to half the number of cases (this was still 1.5 times as many as my previous manager had expected). My manager was also allocating me cases that were beyond my skill set, and when I asked if I could have some development, she said that they didn’t have time to give me time to do training. I had also told her that I found working in our section stressful because of the conflict between people and the negative environment, and I asked if I could go to another section. Whilst she acknowledged that the environment was negative, she told me that no one else would take me.

To cut a long story, I didn’t think I could ever win with my manager. I was also concerned about the affect that the workplace was having on my health. So I guess I was feeling burned out when I applied for the voluntary redundancy. Several months later when I was offered the redundancy I was feeling in a better headspace, but when I told colleagues that I was thinking of staying, they were very negative and discouraging, and filled me with fear. It was a big mistake to listen to those people, and not to seek professional advice.

Nearly two years on and I have not been able to get another job. There is high unemployment where I live, 14 percent. My spouse has a job and we have savings, but I can’t cope with the boredom and the isolation of being at home. I have become anxious and depressed and honestly don’t know how I will be able to survive mentally. I volunteered for a couple of months but found it wasn’t fulfilling. I feel extremely lost, without a purpose for getting up every day.

My advice would be to think very carefully about quitting a job without having something lined up first. It can have devastating consequences, as it has for me. If you’re having trouble coping with the workplace environment, seek professional help through your GP, psychologist etc. It’s probably not a good idea to listen to the advice of colleagues, friends and family. While they may be well meaning, they are not qualified to deal with the psychology of workplaces and employment/unemployment.
October 29, 2016

Mimi

I’m thinking of quitting my job. The atmosphere is toxic, the pay is shitty and I’m just enduring it instead of enjoyins
November 19, 2016

Wew

Only once. I hadn’t realized just how bad the job market was at the time of quitting, and every possible lead came up bare. The result was being out of work for around a year, and relying on unreliable temp work at a labor recruitment office. It was terrible and stressful, I was constantly short on my rent payments, and I almost got evicted. The only reason I WASN’T was because a local business took pity and decided to try me out. It let me catch up, but they closed down a year and a half later and I ended up back at the dead-end job I was at before but worse off than I started. The only good thing I can think of from the whole experience was that I found pets I love. I don’t recommend quitting a job with nothing lined up unless you have money saved, live in an area with work available, and/or are perhaps one of those shiny, motivated entrepreneurs you see listing off how easy it is to create a successful business if you just try.
December 22, 2016

Moni

Its been one month I had quit my job. My boss was a daydreamer and he kept me occupied for three years with his flowery languages that we will earn a lot(we were a startup) we will make it happen (this happens when you stick to one thing. In 3 years he would have changed more than 20 projects in the middle) . I knew deep down that this is not the reality but then I thought lets try out, and now I ran out of patience to continue. I feel hollow within. It took lot of strength to say “THAT’S IT, NOW LET ME GO” Believe me I don’t have any job right now but I am the happiest person at least there is no body lying to me and I feel I am healing myself. I am getting job offers but I want to give myself sometime to overcome it, I have lost myself. I got selected in most of the placements I sat in and unfortunately I landed up at the worst place.

Like a typical job sometimes I would have lot of work pressure and then the other time no work at all. When I complained of less work and getting bored (as I was the only employee) as he already joined a company and I would do his work, without that company knowing who is doing it. He suggested me to go for family planning and have a baby (I got married 1 year back but having a baby was just out of question when we both are focused on career)then I will be occupied and I will not complain.- worst suggestion a boss could give to his/her employee. Well this was just one example of suggestion he would give. But there is a limit to everything, limit to making fool of people.
December 27, 2016

Piper Maru

So glad I came across this site this morning, the candid experiences really resonated with me. I have been employed for a well known global company for 5 years in a corporate capacity. I knew it was a poor fit for me 2 years ago (culture, values, personality, cronyism), and have been attempting aggressively to secure another job since then. Because of low ball offers, no offers after interviews or told I’m too expensive to hire, I stayed put. In the last 3 months, I have been bullied by management for expressing my interests, micro managed by my direct supervisor (when past performance suggests I’m a highly functioning employee) and undermined by my colleagues (its obvious they are acting on management’s direction). I am being intimidated, bullied and overtly targeted at work.
This situation has caused me to lose sleep and increased the severity of my migraines. The effects of the stress I am experiencing are physically manifesting. I do not have another job or offer at this point, but here are the behaviours I put in place so that I can set myself free:

1. Dedicate a certain number of hours each week to job searching/networking/volunteering, even when I wasn’t planning on leaving my job. I went on job interviews, even when I knew I wouldn’t be accepting the offer (good practice – I can SAY no and ACCEPT a no).

2. I have been saving for my “escape plan” for the last 2 years, as a single woman with a new mortgage and some leftover debt. I ensured my mortgage was under my maximum affordability without compromising on location and must haves. Yes, part of my escape plan included spending money strategically. It is difficult to live with austerity measures in place, not being able to furnish my home or have TV. But when I look at the money I am saving, I don’t regret it at all. I make sure to pay myself via savings before I pay someone else. I expect to be out of work for 2-3 months.

3. I purposely keep my work experiences in different industries/capacities, since I am unable to work in my field of study due to lack of positions (I am highly specialized in a theoretical field). Since University, I have worked in 2 distinct industries in a variety of positions, which dramatically increased my exposure to experiences and transferable skills that I would not have had if I had stayed in 1 industry.

4. Practice gratitude…with myself. I’m thankful I can rely on myself in difficult situations, with a non-supportive network.

Here is what I know I have to work on:

1. Stop being a work-a-holic and spend time on interests and volunteering
2. Give myself permission to go on vacation, or do things that are not work related
3. Connect and engage with my family and friends the way I dedicate time to connecting with headhunters and networking leads
4. Prioritize myself and my needs.

I hope my post reaches out to someone in a similar position. I am handing in my resignation next week. I’m looking forward to the unknown, because what is known is just plain unacceptable.
December 31, 2016

CHHAVI KALRA

Feeling so relieved after seeing post on this page.. I’m 24 yrs old…Always topper in my school n lived a life of respect and happiness… After 12th I did teacher diploma and got job as a teacher in 20 yes but on contract basis with 25k in hand…. I was so happy … My life was going smoothly also I was preparing for other exams as permanent vacancy of teacher was not coming out so I thought to try somewhere else in govt . Job .I also started my graduation from correspondence with my teaching job and then I made the biggest mistake of my life ..
I cleared an exam of govt job in post office .I was so happy n I left my job thinking my career is set now. But the atmosphere of post office is so horrible I was simple girl with no cleverness but this dept is so bad… A lot of work with no staff and corrupted seniors.. however I managed to work for 2yrs bit always had craving to get out of this bullshit place and gave exams but not qualified …Now Ian graduated so can apply for SSC cgl exams… Now I took decision to stay at home n study regularly without pay for 6 months and if nothing happens again will join. I gave one exam but didn’t cleared but I don’t want to join again bcs I know I can do it .. I will crack exams but now I really don’t want to go to that hell place again as the very single thought of going back to that bullshit office makes me nervous and stressful and even crying … I can’t makeup my mind .,.. but yes I want to quit this job bcs we have got just one life to live happily and I can’t waste this lyf in bullshit office ….I still remember those days when after coming back from office when someone ask me how was the day I use to say bad ..

Even my friends use to say …. U have problem that u can’t manage … All others are happy out there but I am different and I’m proud to be different .. I want to work where there is happy environment that use to be in my earlier job … Pls helpe out
January 12, 2017

Vayda

I just gave my 2 weeks notice yesterday at an office job, with nothing else lined up and 2 months of salary to make it through. My spouse works FT and can take extra shifts, so we won’t be destitute, but i am very nervous and excited at the same time.

We have to do what is right for us as individuals – thank you everyone for your inspiring stories!
July 11, 2017

Hannah

Hi All,

I have just been reading through the comment for an hour now, I am nowhere finished reading but just wanted to thank you all for sharing.

I have gotten into a career I never wanted and where I am a complete misfit but it is because once you have an industry/role experience this is what you can get (easily) hired for. I have changed companies but the it is the role/department I dislike, and my current company’s poisonous ambiance does not help much. I can no longer count the amount of time I left the office with tears in my eyes. It is not just the brainless, meaningless job, but the lack of support and sense of isolation, loneliness. I have never had support from day one, and I have known for month I need to go, because simply I have burnt out, I have nothing left to give here. They also treat people like children – correction, I would give more respect to children to be honest. Anyways I am quitting at the end of the months. Some people save for homes, new car, I have been saving to buy some time for myself. I know being unemployed will not be easy, but staying in a job, at a company that makes me utterly unhappy and make me feel invisible is not worth it. 2 more weeks to go till notice :). Scary, but gotta go for it. I wish that you all who commented here will find happiness at work (and in life !) and thank you for sharing, you have no idea how helpful this is.
August 22, 2017

Mid career dad

I am a professional white collar at 39 yo. I have never quit without another job lined up but am going to do it for the first time. I gave two weeks notice after being at a bad environment for less than two yrs as a manager. Anxiety from this place has affected my personal life, a little of my health, and my feeling of well being. The work itself is good though. I knew there were problems due to high turnover in the group at this Fortune 500 company. A handful have quit without a new job.

Although I am excited to take a break of minimum 2 weeks after my last day before searching for something else, my conservative and responsible personality is terrified of the unknown and I immediately worry I’ll be homeless. My wife laughs and assures me we’ll be fine. She’s done this twice before, and we are fortunate to have savings from living below our means.
We have a child starting middle school.

Most advice I’ve received was not to quit without anything lined up. Even I give this advice. But I cannot recharge and look for something else while working at this place. I have a strong resume but I am no use to anyone unless I repair and recharge.
I remind myself that others have it worse and to be grateful for all the good in my life. Plus why shouldn’t I take some personal time off after working all these years. Why is that frowned upon? Lol.
October 14, 2017

RP

Software developer here too. I’ve quit crappy jobs before, probably not as often as I should have. I’ve always found it easy to get another job when I’ve done so. Because there are greatly many more opportunities to employ good developers than there are good developers. My record is getting an offer within an hour of quitting. My longest, when I’ve been more picky, is about three months.

Around five times in a thirty year career, I’ve walked (with notice) because things weren’t right. Either because promises had been repeatedly broken. Or I was working with/for jerks and/or idiots. Or some other factor like a long commute eventually took its toll. On one of those five occasions, I walked without any notice at all. Because the job changed suddenly so that I’d be reporting to someone I had absolutely no respect for, and who had been instructed to apologise to me over a sexist incident less than six months prior. That company lasted two years after my departure before imploding. Not because I’m that important, but because the people that were left were that incompetent.

It may be the case that you’re not lucky enough to work in a role that is as sought-after. And where consequently there are fewer options available if you decide to quit. If so, that sucks, and you have my sympathy. But in my experience, software developers, even junior and inexperienced ones, don’t have that problem.

Developers don’t even have to worry about what employers will say about us to other employers. With the advent if social media, it’s quite the reverse. I often get other would-be employees contacting me on LinkedIn, to ask me for an honest opinion of what a former employer is really like to work for. Often that question doesn’t even have to be asked, as there are plenty of places online for former employees to tell all. People aren’t stupid. They take all of the information available, and make an informed decision. One employee having a rant means nothing. A few talking about how bad your managers are, and you’ll never hire another “ten times” software developer ever again.
October 25, 2017

Jan

I left company that constantly want us to act blur/ get scolded by customers due to careless (of course to intentionally careless so that can con more sales to company). Therefore one fine day I just blindly quit my job and still looking for job. :(
November 14, 2017

Elaine

I am going to give in my one months notice soon. Used to love my career but this has changed dramatically – overworked, a scare mongering, micro managing boss and being paid less than my peers. Its affecting my health – I’ve become hugely anxious and constant stomach pains. To top it off, my colleague stole my expensive hair straighteners at an overnight work function. I don’t have loads saved, but hoping to get my positivity back and try hard after some recuperation time. Its scary, but it is what it is. Wish me luck!!
December 9, 2017

Ryan

I never do this, but thank you so much for this I have been miserable at work for about a year if the three years I have been here, I feel like all my hard work goes un noticed while the smallest slip up demands immediate attention. The more I think about quitting the happier I get, it feels like a thousand pounds of cinder blocks are coming off my back
February 7, 2018

Daniel

I’m glad I found this page. Today is Tuesday, and I realized the reason I felt miserable at work. Last week was a two year anniversary for a job I hate. Our department doesn’t get vacations. I’ve never taken more than one day off. My poor co-worker hasn’t had any time off since giving birth 2 years ago (they call that her vacation). The other department gets 2-3 weeks off every year.

Our department also gets all the jobs nobody else want’s. All the little projects and duties like answering the phone because they’ve went through two secretaries. We cover the warehouse guy when he gets a vacation (he’s taken 3 weeks now since I began). If the other department needs something done for their department, they dare not deviate from their schedule. They simple ask us to do it ASAP. We’ve became a “yes” people. After I complain, my co-worker just tells me to suck it up and do it all.

I was promised a raise on January 1st ( my first in two years) and it didn’t happen. I was told by the boss it’ll be .50 and behaved as though he gave the keys to his house.

I’m taking Thursday off for a job fair and taking Friday off for me. I can’t think straight. The 90 minute ride home sucks. All I think about is quitting or going away. Literally not coming. When I get home around 7 PM, and I have a few hours reprieve before it’s off to bed so I can wake up at 6 AM; I’m tired when I lay down and tired when I wake up. It’s not the worst job I’ve had, but I’m empty and I feel physically ill on Sunday because it’s another long week.

In one hour, my boss’s son (eager to impress his father) wants us to list our daily activities, past and future projects for his review. It’s just another micro-management tactic that, I’m sure, they will label as “time management”. Along with that, I’m going to hand them my 30 day notice.

I’m afraid, and I know I’ll have to hustle.