Is quitting my job crazy?

December 16, 2007 7:42 AM

Is it crazy to consider quitting my job? I'm giving myself a deadline of four months so I have time to prepare.

I really hate my current job, where I've been for a year and a half. It's far away from friends and family, it's not what I expected I'd be doing, and my boss has been reluctant (to say the least) at talk of me switching to a different division. Since I've been here, I've gained 40 pounds, an ulcer, and $13,000 in credit card debt. I've been job-hunting for a few months and despite several promising interviews, haven't gotten any offers. I recently was turned down for a position in a city where I lived for five years and have lots of friends; it's much closer to my family as well. I was sure I'd get the offer and was quite devastated to learn otherwise (to the point where I was idly thinking about suicide at the thought of having to work here for any more months. Only idly, mind you--please leave comments about my mental state out of this).

So basically, I'm miserable in my current job. I'm starting to consider quitting within the next few months and moving to the city where I'd like to be--I'd try to save some money, only pay the minimum on my debts, etc--and temping until I find a real job. I'm actually in such despair over my current situation that I'm willing to give up my career entirely (even though I've loved it at past jobs).

I guess I'm looking for advice on packing up and moving to a new city with no job prospects. I would have about four months to prepare going by my current timeline. What's the best way to save up a bunch of money? How much should I try and save? I currently have no savings to speak of and I don't want to touch my retirement funds.

Is this totally insane? Should I suck it up and keep working at a job that makes me miserable? (In theory I could even have a new job in four months, but I'm not willing to count on that.)

posted by anonymous to work & money (7 comments total)

Yeesh. I think you'd be insane to stay at your current job. Do the best you can in 4 months, but personally, I wouldn't be too scared to touch the retirement funds if absolutely necessary. And I'm pretty frugal usually. But the current situation is killing you.
posted by selfmedicating at 7:49 AM on December 16, 2007

Nope, it's not insane at all to hate your job and want to move. Just make sure you aren't waxing poetic about the perfectness of the place you want to go, though. It will have some problems, too.

I have picked up and moved across the country twice in my life, both times without a job lined up. It always seemed to work out. You are miserable but don't do anything rash. Pay off your debt as much as possible so you don't have that looming when you move. You might have to take a crappy job at first just to pay your bills when you move while you work on getting a good job. Moving can be very invigorating and life is too short to be miserable...just research it, make it a calculated decision and not an emotional one. I don't think you'll have any regrets so start planning. Good luck to you!
posted by 45moore45 at 7:59 AM on December 16, 2007

This all depends on how easily you think that you could either get a: a job in your field, or b: a job that pays you enough to keep looking.

Everything else hinges around that. Any income allows you to risk more, as you can last longer. Saving is easy - just don't spend anything! See your long term goals as paramount and don't go out (you're leaving soon anyway, so what's a social life worth?), cut down on monthly expenses (food can be cheaper - use the time in to be more creative with cooking) and spend all your evenings researching apartments and jobs in the city of your choice. The longer you research, the more you will have an idea of how much money you need and how long you will need to survive on it for. Also, using your spare time to cut down on alcohol (for instance) and get fitter (for the new job/city - a good goal) will increase self esteem, general fitness, work off the stress and give you something to throw yourself at. Determination. Dig deep and apply yourself, as beating this hurdle will make you much happier.

If you are really this (clearly) unhappy, you need to move your goal to something you want and work your arse off to get to it. It'll feel constructive (hence the stress will dissipate, in my experience) and you can make a big game plan and start ticking things off. Make a long and detailed list and be flexible - if you create big, bulky targets - "Find and rent perfect apartment inside two days" - you'll get nowhere. Progressive aims are the key, and flexible, as I say. "How can I....". Use budgets in spreadsheets to work out exactly how much you do spend now, and how much you can get away with - match that against 2 or 3 months with no work in the new place, and that is (certainly when I've done it) more than enough of a cushion as long as you are prepared to work in bars or otherwise supplement your income in the short term.

Plan an area to live. Plan an area to work. Accept that you may have to compromise one to get the other - can you store your stuff and live in a room when you get there to save cash until you get work? That, again, reduces your liability.

Taking this sort of cross country moves (in and between country/ies, like I have a number of times) is about understanding your basic requirements for money, convenience, standard of living and job/life satisfaction. Work in the long term (6 months to me) and accepting short term hassle can save you loads of money, which means less compromise on the rest of it. You can afford to hang on for the job you want.

Most of this is personality. You need to do this in a way that you can cope with. I left the UK for the US on a promise with $2000 and two suitcases of clothes. I survived, and relocated to Canada within 4 months. It can be done for shockingly little money. 18 months later, I have two and a half suitcases of clothes and a cheap flat I really like. The biggest help? I didn't buy a TV. I only have my laptop and my mobile phone. Working out what you need rather than what is convenient, leaves you more flexible. If you are looking to completely change location with no impact in your day to day life, you will need much more than if you say "Right. Just what I need for two months and I'll cope if it's longer". It's how much you want this.

Is the company good, but the job sucks? If so, then save for a few months so you have your bare minimum to relocate to the new place, then (call you employers bluff and move more and more onto the 'transfer me or I leave' ultimatum. Either you end up with them saying 'no' in which case you are where you were and can make good on your ultimatum (you may be more convincing if you aren't bluffing, too!) and go, or you may get a pay rise/relocation/department shift that allows you to improve your job or just save a bit more for when you do go. You have, if you are prepared to move like this, so many more options. Plan. Be sneaky. Make the most of what you have without burning bridges until the time comes.

Then, burn away, pack it all into storage and the back of your car and go.
posted by Brockles at 8:08 AM on December 16, 2007 [1 favorite]

You've already been looking for several months. If you move, and it takes several more months to find a job will you be able to eat and keep yourself warm?

You need to sit down and figure out the bare minimum amount of money that you need to live each month. That will include rent, food, transportation costs. It's going to be different for everybody, so we can't give you a magic number. As a baseline, I would assume it's going to take me a month for every $10,000 in salary to find a new job. That might not be entirely accurate, but it's a reasonable rule of thumb. So, your reserves should be your monthly minimum expenses times the number of months you estimate you'll be in the market.

I would say that it's always better to be looking for a new job from a position of strength. That means look for a new job while you're in your current job, or if that isn't possible, look for a new job while you have the resources to keep yourself going for several months.

I know that isn't always practical. If you want to relocate to a fairly distant city, it will be easier to find a job in that city if you're there. I've done that, but I did in at a time when I had plenty of money in the bank to keep me going for a few months, and could always have moved back with the folks if it hadn't worked out. Without those two things, it's a pretty big gamble, but it may pay off for you.

You spend too much time at work to settle for a job that you hate. If you hate your job, definitely find a new one. That said, work is supposed to be work. You don't need to love it, you just need to do it and get paid. You only spend about 40 hours there. That leaves 128 hours for you to live your life and have a fun and enjoyable time. If you're also miserable outside of work, then that's something that switching jobs may not change, so be prepared for that possibility.
posted by willnot at 8:10 AM on December 16, 2007

Is it insane? Probably. I did something similar about a year ago after being stuck in a job I hated, (and I mean soul sucking hated, depressed, gained weight, couldn't find another job to save my skin) and it was the best thing I could have done. I found a new job a month later. I had a horrible time searching for new jobs while I was at the bad job, I think my self esteem suffered and it become impossible to look. When I did look, I had a hard time talking to potential employers because I was so depressed. I even got calls back on my resume that I didn't have the courage to return!

Disclaimer though, I had the financial support of my husband. We couldn't have lasted long on one salary, but I was really at the breaking point and ready to work at starbucks if need be. But if what you're going threw is anything what I went through, I'd tap into that retirement fund if necessary.

Also, now that I'm in a better situation (the job isn't ideal, but it is at least reasonable and the people are fun to work with) the weight started to come off on its own and I feel much more like a human again.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 8:58 AM on December 16, 2007

I was once in your situation and I destroyed my credit to get out of it. I quit making *any* payments on debt to save the money to move. That is not a recommendation, and it was certainly not a *good* thing to do, but I was miserable enough that, for me, it was the least bad of all my options. I never regretted it. I had no job, just blind hope.
posted by happyturtle at 9:40 AM on December 16, 2007

Yes, it is insane. To stay, that is. You're miserable, fix that. If that means packing it in and skipping town, do it. Stay for the four months only if that is going to bring you an advantage that makes the extra time worth it. I would wager that there's no way that you can pay off that credit card debt in four months, financially speaking you're going to be working uphill for a while regardless. (If you can pay that off in four months, do that.) So, figure that you will probably be using your credit to get you through the transition. If need be, pay down you debt until you have enough to live off for a couple of months (while making payments) and consider that your "savings."

My advice is to move to the city of your choice, job or no job. It's easier to job hunt within a city than remotely. You'll have a social network from the friends you mentioned. They can provide all sorts of support, whether it be a couch to sleep on, a network to tap into or just encouragement. And you can start working at some less-than-ideal, but paying job (think temp) right away if you need the cash. In fact, maybe you should look for a job like that before you go, something you would consider below you professionally, but that could still help pay the bills and thus provide some cushioning.

I don't your character or age, but rest assured that people do this all the time. It's how the economy works. People self-select for the jobs they love. No one is going to pick you out and transplant you. And when people are doing jobs that they love, they do them well and we all benefit. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Go.

On preview, don't do what happyturtle did w/r/t his debt. But look at his penultimate sentence.
posted by HE Amb. T. S. L. DuVal at 9:48 AM on December 16, 2007