Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
(OP)
I won't get into the details, but needless to say that I'm quite unhappy at my current job and have been for several months. During that time I've been applying for a handful of other jobs but I've just about lost patience with my current position to the extent that I've been considering leaving before having a new one lined up. The only reason I'm still there is because there seems to be this stigma that leaving a job without a replacement is suicide.
A few points to consider:
1. I'm young and still live at home, so I have very few expenses.
2. I'm quite disciplined with my money so have more than enough saved up.
3. I've been doing online courses to teach me new skills. I would do more of them if I had the time(mostly to satisfy myself, may or may not be useful in the future).
Has anyone here ever left before finding a new job, not knowing how long they could be without work for?
It would be great to here some personal experiences.
A few points to consider:
1. I'm young and still live at home, so I have very few expenses.
2. I'm quite disciplined with my money so have more than enough saved up.
3. I've been doing online courses to teach me new skills. I would do more of them if I had the time(mostly to satisfy myself, may or may not be useful in the future).
Has anyone here ever left before finding a new job, not knowing how long they could be without work for?
It would be great to here some personal experiences.





RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
In both instances the near-future work situation would become extremely dangerous if I had stayed. I feared for my safety. In both instances, the company management was some of the most vile, despicable, incompetent, unethical bunch of kooks I've ever dealt with. And they cared zero for the welfare of their employees. There was a tolerable bit of hardship & worry after I left, but I would do it again. I was able to secure good employment shortly thereafter without much trouble. The worst part was worrying about supporting my family sufficiently, but that was needless worry (as is most worry).
If your situation doesn't meet extreme criteria like that, then I suggest you gut it out. Put on your game face, go full-professional in your behavior, and quietly look for something else. Later you will probably realize that your situation, while unpleasant, is not nearly as bad as you think it is. The character you build for yourself by surviving a tough situation will serve you well later.
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering
www.bluetechnik.com
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
Your financial situation is only one facet to consider...
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
I left one company to go finish my B.Eng. So unless you're going to college or have at least something lined up, I'd advise against it.
In the end you will look back and seeing it as a learning experience, even if how not to do business.
M
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
Cheers
Greg Locock
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RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
If you are offended by the things I say, imagine the stuff I hold back.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
If it doesn't work out, you are young enough to find something that works.
I was happy for the most part on one job, but quit to go to a larger company knowing the risk of layoff there.
But, they told me there was travel involved. I did it for the experience. 3.5 years later layoff's hit.
Then my current job dropped in my lap.
Chris
SolidWorks 11
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
2- Send hundred of resume during the evening when you have spare time.
3- Keep on sending and measure your hit rate (if on 1 over 50 submitted resume, you get an email or call back that would be an idea of your hit rate).
4- On 5 email or call, one could become an interview. Probably. Quantify also this ratio. Then you have an idea of your value in your CV and how the market is responding.
5- One interview does not mean you will be hired. You have to secure maybe a couple of them.
6- During the follow up of the interview, pressure will be high, you better be employed meanwhile to mitigate the pressure. During an interview, having no back up solution (like present job an alternative interviews) means pressure, visible to the interviewer which will decrease your chances apart.
7- Calculate back the number of CV submission you have to, a huge number probably, so get ready to spend a lot of time screening the web, newspapers whatever and the most important never give up. never.
By being without job and doing all the above, it will be tough, but most important you engage yourself in an area where you don't know how your mind and body will physically respond, and there is the danger. so better stay in a known area even if it is very hard to handle.
You will get out of this if you don't give up. Recruiter also like this mindset and will give you a hand.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
Be smart about your career, pick the job want, then go and get the job. It took me years to learn this, but it's possible decide what your dream job is, and then work toward getting it. Unless you're in a recognised degree program, unemployment won't get you any closer to that dream job. I recommend you pick out your top 3 choices for your next job, then call the bosses there tell them you want to work there, and why. Ask them what it would take to make that happen, then follow their advice. Follow up with them every quarter.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
Eventually I found my next job, but it took me about 8 months. And I am pretty happy here. Sometimes no job is better than the wrong job.
www.EngineeringMetallurgy.com
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
However the classmate had a disagreement with management about an ethical thing. His name was left off a research paper. I met again him at our 50th class reunion. He told me that move of his to quit because of the disagreement meant from then on he could never find a job in the engineering field he trained for. The word got along where ever he applied. And that was in the booming times. Try it today and see the results forever, even if you find one before leaving.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
Interesting story. We can look at it from another perspective maybe.
The sin that your classmate made is not because of leaving on such short notice (technically yes). It is because his complain on ethical things was somehow rooted to his ego being not satisfied to have his name not mentioned in a research paper. It appears legitimate of course but to some extent, what do he has to care about it, his accomplishment and knowledge are for himself no?
If you leave on short notice because of a really good cause, chances are there that you survive.
My point is this: Mistake due to bad maneuvering can be recovered somehow, I bet one gets even better due to some hidden mechanism in nature. Mistake in connection with fundamental morality issues are very hard to recover and ego ranks number one on that.
Again that is just a very personal perspective of looking at things.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
I think the useful determination as to what is a "really good cause" more likely is made by the past employer when it comes to checking the references. Without references, it's pretty hard to omit information as to where you last worked. Then all it takes is one phone call to pass the apparent "good cause" reason along.
Also, there sometimes, in engineering circles, are friendly communications between different companies, such as with members of professional organizations, so that a negative past problem will stay hidden is wishful thinking.
My comment was only one case, but not something to dismiss when deciding what to do.
I have another case. A Nephew. He was a real brain and was doing fine with a modern electronics firm, in charge of a small department after 2 years in the first job. He decided that, since he has progressed so well, that he could just quit and find a better job. After all, he learned "how valuable" he was and figured to take advantage of it. To shorten the story, he went on looking for that better job around the country, finally ran out of money and had to take on the life of a drifter. His folks got a phone call from a far off place stating he was found having hanged himself. I don't know about his past following him or not, but it sure looks like it.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
In many companies it is a big red flag to complain about your current/old job/boss in an interview.
Difficult-to-get-along-with-employees are a huge headache for management.
David
:):):)
www.kirkhammotorsports.com
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
This is not a slave society. Let them wonder why they loose engineers. It's their loss.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
One thing that I did not mention when I started this thread (and was not one of my original reasons for wanting to leave) was that I am on hourly rates. I work in consulting where every hour I put down has to go towards a project. The whole company isn't like that, but about 50% of the staff are on a similar arrangement while the remaining (highly experienced staff) are on salary.
The problem is that work has dried up and I am lucky to do 20hrs per week. On top of that I am also travelling almost 2hrs each way to work, which I didn't mind if I was going in to do a full 8hrs or more. It just seems so pointless going in to do 3-4hrs, wasting a whole day anyway, and still being in the mindset of not wanting to be there. Of the work that is around, most of it has to go to the people who are on salary as they themselves are not busy, and the company is paying them regardless. It's the same across the whole industry actually, most of our competitors have laid off most of their staff. Me being on hourly rates is the only reason I haven't undergone the same fate I suppose. I would probably be looking at a change in industry.
The reason I keep going is that in my mind I'm still wrestling with the notion that "it's still some money" and "it's still better than nothing". However, this week I am on unpaid leave as I came in on Monday and logged a disappointing 1 hour of work. I will admit that I am leaning more and more towards quitting in light of what some people have said. To be honest, one of the main obstacles is actually trying to explain to my superiors that I want to leave without a job lined up as I feel they might get extremely PO'd about it. Still trying to keep an open mind about this whole thing.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
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RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
With regards to the stigma of having an unemployment gap in my resume, I have enrolled in some computer programming courses to keep me busy so it doesn't look like I'm just twiddling my thumbs and doing nothing.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
If I tell you, I'd have to kill you afterwards
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RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
From a practical point of view, You should go down to the unemployment office, and check about signing on as being under employed, if you are on an hourly rate, and are making less than 30 hours per week.
You would need to check the local unemployment laws, but some states have a provision, where they will give you supplemental money if your earnings fall under a certain threshold, (you have to report what you made each week). http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-labor-d...
You have nothing to lose by this, there will either be money there or not. This may enable you to get a supplemental income while times are short.
One thing to be aware of is that you employer will receive a claim from the local department of labor against his unemployment insurance.
And from what I have read between the lines, may not take kindly to it.
Remember there is no stigma attached to being laid off for lack of work, it has happened to the best people.
B.E.
You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
I would just like to reiterate that the lack of hours was not originally part of my reasons for wanting to leave. In light of other reasons I was just pitching the idea that this may be better timing.
I'm not disagreeing with your point, but I'm wondering where your threshold for leaving without a new job lies, if anywhere.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
> A public "discussion" with the general manager about the ethics of not informing the customer about temperature testing failures
> Apparent attempt to renege on a retention bonus by VP of engineer
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RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
I left my first job when a grand opportunity opened that I could not turn down. That employer understood, didn't hold it against me, but begged me to stay.
Later on I left that job since it was not there anymore. Boss was a professor in private practice on-the-side and the University told him to quit that side business. I kept in touch with the prof until he died, continued good friends..
The third change was for personal safety. A subordinate threatened physical harm if he did not get a better annual review. The employer was given two choices: either he or I must go. Employer was chicken (government DOT with some screwy rules)so subordinate was kept on. I was a department head position with plenty of advancement waiting. In same town was as consultant needing my type. It was a better job anyhow, better income and later I used that experience to form my own organization. It is nice to see that some of the DOT standards I set for pavement design back 40 years ago are still the DOT practice today.
Now how close to these situations are you? The first employer could have "raised hell". However he knew it would have made no difference.
Take note of my earlier remarks about two that made the wrong decisions, very wrong.
RE: Really unhappy at current job - when to leave?
Treat finding another job on those two days per week AS YOUR FULL TIME JOB. If you do this for a while and find nothing, you'll obviously have to cling to what you have, improve your job searching skills, broaden your search area, or find a new line of business.
Leave once you have the other job in hand.
I got cut down to 4 days per week on a job-sharing program once. I was putting in 70 hour weeks, 30 of those totally uncompensated in any way, trying to save my employer's bacon. I dropped to 32 hours straight time on 4 days, while my pay dropped only 10% (half of my forced day off was paid by the job-sharing program). Most importantly, I had that whole extra day per week to dedicate full time to finding another job. That helped a lot with the job search- and taught me an important lesson: NEVER work for zero compensation, unless it's for a real charity- not a business. Give your work away and your employer will value it less. Regrettably this is a lesson that in my experience, comparatively few engineers have learned. Many employee engineers, and engineering managers, confuse salaried employment with indentured servitude.
The next job I found, which I landed before I had to resign, not only gave me a 20% pay bump, but also paid me overtime. The job after that gave me something better than overtime- real, meaningful profit sharing, and an opportunity to buy into the business. I put in lots of extra time when it's needed, but am well compensated for that work.
Best of luck-