This is a tough one for me and I'm hoping for some outsider perspective. Despite the intro, this is a finance question.
I've been with my employer for nearly a decade, I started there straight out of uni. Long story short - without too much identifying information - it got bad. Worked too hard for a boss that berated me when I told him it was too much for one person. So I kept my head down, kept working. After one last big project, I was going to send out resumes. Well, the project kept growing, delays, unrealistic demands and I just took the brunt of the critique and kept working hard. It's the last project, I just need to finish and then get out. Well, no such luck. One day I woke up and I'd snapped. Panic attacks, nightmares, burned out, the whole shebang. Didn't see it coming at the time, but looking back all the signs were there.
So here I am, burned out. I know for a fact that I don't want to return to this manager, no matter how good the pay is. Maybe I'm a bit melodramatic but I'm done with the whole damn company. Problem is, I don't know what I DO want. I worked in a pretty niche field of law - getting a similar job will just mean running into the same people, just from a different perspective. I could get into a different area of law, or just a different career altogether. Or I could start some freelance writing/consulting. My self-confidence is currently shot to all hell so it'll be a while before I can see myself doing that. On top of that, I'd have to take a pay cut but I'm quite alright with that (thank god for MMM and the security it's given me!).
I have my 6 month emergency fund saved up. I will continue to get my normal salary from my current job until I decide to quit. My question is: I'm so uncertain about the future, should I beef up my emergency fund to 12 months? In case I quit and nothing else works out? Or if I want to start freelancing and I need extra cushion until it kicks off? Or is this just my nerves talking and should I stick the course?
Hoping for some wise words! Thanks everyone.