Author Topic: Advice about when to leave my job  (Read 3333 times)

hhihe730

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Advice about when to leave my job
« on: June 28, 2016, 04:09:01 PM »
I've been thinking about this for so long I hope someone unbiased can help me because I don't know what seems logical anymore. So first, a little about my situation. I am so grateful that thanks to some awesome advice from other mustachians, I am now debt free!!! I buckled down and paid off my student loans and my car. I am 31, single, no kids. I make $65k and also earn a commission based on my sales. That ranges from $18-$20k a year.
I hate my job. Despise it. I hate everything about it. Long story short I have no other skills so I'm kind of stuck where I am right now. Changing careers may take me years, I'm not so sure it's worth it if I'm honest. So right now I work purely for the money. I've been looking for a job closer to my family for the past year and a half. I've been very picky about any prospects because I want the next job to be somewhere I can see myself for a long time. This on top of trying to find something close to my family has been hard to come by.
The other issue is where I live. I currently live in an apartment and due to some new residents and new management being very lax on who they take in I no longer feel safe where I am. Several incidents have happened in the past year including a shooting and I see a lot of regular activity I do not feel comfortable with. Management doesn't seem to care...
I'm also spending thousands to fly home to see my family every year, I'm not sleeping well due to feeling unsafe where I live, and the stress and nonsense of my job is making me depressed. It doesn't make much sense for me to be here anymore just for this job. So the options I see are:
1. Quit my job now, move in with my parents, and frantically search for another job. This will require moving expenses to another state, breaking my lease which will cost close to $1000, and of course, losing my biweekly paychecks from my job (living off of my parents). Don't know what I'd do with my furniture-either storage or sell it. This option would free me from feeling threatened by my surroundings and the stress of my job, definitely resolve the family closeness problem, lol.
2. Quit as soon as I find any other job at all, basically take the first opening I can find and not be choosy about it.
3. Stay where I am and continue searching for the right job. May need to break my lease eventually anyways. Move to another apartment in the same town which has been deemed safer than where I am now, pay moving expenses and possibly move twice if I do find a job out of state worth moving for.
What should I do? If anyone has some insight I'd really appreciate it.

Threshkin

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Re: Advice about when to leave my job
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2016, 04:41:51 PM »
What kind of emergency reserve do you have? 

When can you get out of your lease without penalty?

What are the employment/earnings prospects in your desired career?

I hear panic in your tone.  Calm down and assess your situation.  If you are truly unsafe, move.  You health is more important than any money. 

I would be reluctant to just take any job that comes along because it may be even worse than what you have now.  But ultimately you have to make that decision.

Good luck!

Choices

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Re: Advice about when to leave my job
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2016, 05:15:44 PM »
I hear panic in your tone.  Calm down and assess your situation.  If you are truly unsafe, move.  You health is more important than any money. 

Agree with this. Take a deep breath. Are you safe right this minute? If not, stay with a friend or in a hotel for a few days. Don't decide anything right now. Sleep on it. Take a few days off from work if you need to.

If you want to be close to family, do you want to live in the same city or just the same general region? Do you really like it there or are you just homesick for the security?

Figure out WHERE you want to live, where you like the atmosphere and the weather, and start to look for jobs. Any decently-paying job will do for now. Once you move there, it will be easier to find other jobs and interview.

Try not to burn bridges where you are now. Thank your boss and your coworkers for the experience and the good times (if any) and be on your way. You might need references later, and it's good karma not to badmouth them anyway.

Once you have a job lined up, break your lease and move. Rent something as small and inexpensive as you can tolerate and still be safe. You might move again later, it's true, so sell things you don't need or don't love. Only take the essentials so you don't have to haul them all over the country. Make this a fresh start in all ways.

And good luck!

MakeSmarterDecisions

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Re: Advice about when to leave my job
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2016, 05:24:41 PM »
You have been given some good ideas here.  Are you sure you it will only cost $1000 to break the lease?  Clearly if it is not safe, you should not live there but check on that and let us know.

tomorrowsomewherenew

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Re: Advice about when to leave my job
« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2016, 05:47:52 AM »
What assets do you have? How much do you have in 401k, IRAs, etc? If it's a fairly large amount, I could see quitting, and just flipping burgers or something to get by until your assets have grown to the point you're FI. If you don't have much, then I probably wouldn't just quit and move.

Trudie

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Re: Advice about when to leave my job
« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2016, 01:11:15 PM »
What kind of work is it that you do?  Providing some details on your job, your training, and your industry will help others suggest options.

The fact that you have no debt gives you more options than you think you have.  Take a deep breath, because right now you appear to be panicking.  I sense that you are feeling overwhelmed.  A solution to your dilemma will come incrementally... so just break things down and deal with each issue separately.

Based on your September lease expiration date I would solve that as problem #1.  If you have 60 days, give notice now and start looking for another arrangement.  You will feel better knowing that you have addressed this stressful issue and being less upset may improve how you feel about your job prospects and general well-being.

If you want to continue looking at other jobs and situations, consider sub-letting for less than a year or renting a room in a house in a (safe) neighborhood with other people.

What is it specifically that you "hate" about your job?  The hours?  The travel?  Feel like your boss/clients/co-workers have you under your thumb?  Deadlines?  Expectation to be available at all hours?  Rude customers?  You very well may have many reasons to quit, but don't do it without being able to first verbalize what it is you would want to change.  Otherwise, you may head down the same path again.  Or be looking for a very long time.

Choices

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Re: Advice about when to leave my job
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2016, 01:17:01 AM »
What type of medical provider are you?
For physicians, it can take a few months to get a license in a new state and then up to six months to get credentialed at a hospital.

Even if you aren't a doctor, check out licensing issues and start applying now if you're thinking about moving across state lines.