4 ms·

Quit Current Job that Involves Work I wasn't hired to do, or Stay?

• michael_dorfman 17y ago
  Any particular reason you can't find a new job before quitting the old one? That's the way it's usually done (unless you've got a big enough nest egg to take you through the transition.)
  • xenoterracide 17y ago
    And with a still unstable economy it's probably your best bet.
  • jrkemerer 17y ago
    I'm still looking, and the search hasn't been going on too long. There's no reason I can't find a job in a relatively short amount of time, the mobile industry is currently booming. Even if I have to settle for a short term mobile contract position until I find something long term, I should be able to find something. As far as finding something before quitting goes, I'm still looking, and I'm still living at home being a relatively fresh graduate, and my current job is both emotionally and mentally draining which is why I want to get out. -ins0mniac
    • jarsj 17y ago
      If job is what you want to do, please find one before quitting. You may end up realizing finding a job was not trivial. If you want to pursue entrepreneurship, I had say start working on your idea in your free time, unless you save some money and then quit. my 2 cents.
      • anthonyb 17y ago
        The other trick is to take leave and use that time to look for work (depending on how long you've been there, of course). Job searching and interviewing can often be hard when you're already in a position, particularly if you're working long hours, or the work is draining.
    • xenoterracide 17y ago
      I'd like to mention. Please don't ask us this question just to validate a decision you've already made. If you're wrong about how fast you can find a job you'll regret just quitting later. I know. I don't think anyone will tell you that you shouldn't leave. If you can find one fast... you should be able to do it with the job you have, and still leave that one on good terms.
    • michael_dorfman 17y ago
      So, what's the problem then? Why are you asking us? If you don't like your job, and you think you can get a better job, go ahead and do it. You don't need our permission or validation.
• savant 17y ago
  If you aren't happy, leave. If you aren't learning, leave. Remember that at the end of your life, you are going to die. There is no sense in spending your life being miserable.
  • gramakri 17y ago
    +1. Just leave. Nobody ever regretted quitting a boring job.
    • gte910h 17y ago
      I disagree, I've seen people quit and not find work for 12 months or more.
• fierarul 17y ago
  So you got hired straight after finishing school but somehow you see yourself as a person who's into mobile application development ? I assume you worked on that mobile stuff while going to school ? Anyhow, look for a job before quitting. It might be a stupid move to just quit and then stay unemployed.
• rwhitman 17y ago
  I would quit simply because I would want to break away from the comfort zone of working for my school. If you want your focus to be in mobile app development, take as many contracts as you can until it can replace your work. As a recent graduate you're likely in a lower-risk position to give up a fulltime job anyhow, take the plunge now.. you don't want to wake up in 3 years to realize you're still slicing templates for your school
• swombat 17y ago
  No-brainer. Quit. You owe no allegiance to your current employer - or to your next one.
• gte910h 17y ago
  Find a job first.
• patio11 17y ago
  The best advice I've ever received on job content, from my younger brother: "There is a support group for people who hate their job. It is called Everyone and we meet at the bars starting at about 5:30." What is your goal for being at this job? If it is "I'd sort of prefer earning an honest living on a dependable schedule so that I don't have to return to living with Mom and Dad", then kiss your paycheck and be happy you're getting it because something like a tenth of kids your age are not. If you're prioritizing career growth and feel that this job isn't contributing to it, a) welcome to almost all employment of young people by universities and b) start pounding the pavement to find yourself another position, then quit. If you're a risk-tolerating person, I hear that contract iPhone developers are still turning down work at $100 an hour. You don't have to land many contracts to make yourself ramen profitable if you can bill $100 an hour.
• jrkemerer 17y ago
  The problem I am facing is the fact that I am both emotionally and mentally drained at my current job, but also, I am getting paid wages which are far below what I should be making if I were working full time doing the same work. I'm basically making student assistant wages, doing full time work that would in industry, make much more than I am current' making. -ins0mniac
  • marilyn 17y ago
    You are not your job. Your job pays the rent. I'm sorry you are in an unsatisfying job, I'm sure the majority of HN'ers have been there before. It sucks. Times are tough right now. Getting your next job should be your priority, but quitting your day job to focus on the job hunt is a silly move when unemployment is over 10%. Keep your job until you secure the next one. Until then take some solace in the knowledge that your current situation is temporary.
    • jrkemerer 17y ago
      Thank you marilyn, I must say, that out of most of the replies, your's has been the most helpful. I must say that the other replies that I've read have also been helpful, I cannot disregard the other replies though, and I am still torn between quitting and keeping my current job which pays student assistant wages yet still, we do most of the work in the department. -ins0mniac
      • drtse4 17y ago
        If that job is so draining/soul-crushing/useless you should really plan your quit. What i get reading the thread is that this job is also draining away the energy you need to search for another job seriously (and that lead to the desire to just quit and start searching for something else). As others have said, i don't see any particular reason to suggest you to "just quit". Why don't you simply find a temporary job somewhere just to get out of the current environment, and then start a proper next job search while still receiving a paycheck,etc...? It should not be that hard to find a temporary web dev job.My .2$.
  • 17y ago
• acg 17y ago
  Practically your choice may depend on how much money you have. The answer is probably networking, if you have just graduated you are in a position where you are probably still in touch with classmates: find out what projects they are working on and whether you can help. Look through the industry and see what you would like to do and see if those projects are hiring. Many top projects are interested in recruiting enthusiastic and motivated graduates. With social networking it's increasingly easy to find people who you could help out/work with.
• nis 17y ago
  There's something that nobody has told you yet in this forum: you don't have to do such a good job to remain employed. I agree with everyone who told you to find a job first. That is not mutually exclusive with the advice to quit. If yor job sucks you should quit, but don't underestimate the stress of being "on the beach." My point is that you can keep your job and paycheck while commiting 60-70% of your current energy to it and then devote the excess time and energy to your job search. Good luck.
• matwood 17y ago
  When I was young my dad told me "never quit your job until you have another one lined up." I think that advice still holds, but I will expand it some. Get some side work lined up or something, but don't just quit without a plan. That's going to put you in a pinch and you might have to take another, even worse job because you need money. When I've worked jobs or had lulls in jobs where I was working below my level it always led me to create new projects at home on my own time. These projects kept me learning, stimulated my desire to solve problems, and some have made me a bit of side money. Sadly none have yet taken off to the point where I work on them permanently.
• orev 17y ago
  Your post sounds a lot like "I just graduated and I expect to be doing cool stuff and getting paid the big bucks, but I'm in an entry level position doing crap work." The good news is that you've finally reached the summit of the education mountain after a long climb. The bad news is that you've just reached the base of a new mountain, the "employment" one. You might be in The Valley where every CS grad has a slightly better chance of becoming a millionaire, but in general the response to your inquiry would be this: Welcome to the real world. That said, however, entry level jobs will start to shape your career, so you should make sure you are on the path you want to be on. There are certainly entry-level jobs where you would be doing more than what you are now, and you should probably seek them out. One thing that is telling here is that you are working for your university, which tells me that you went for the easy-to-get job instead of putting yourself out there. You're going to need to take some more risks if you want to get the good opportunities and the good payoffs. You're also still living at home, which gives you the mental cushion that if you fail you won't be hurt /too/ bad, but it also removes some of the incentive to push yourself towards self-sufficiency. As far as the situation you're in right now, update your resume and look for something while you still have this job. Do NOT quit until you have a new one. The economy is the worst it's been in a long time, and while you may think "there's no reason I can't find a job in a relatively short amount of time", you are wrong. That's the hubris of a recent grad who hasn't faced the real world yet talking. If you really could get a job so easily, why haven't you? (And if you could, just do it already) You work in a university which is probably the most relaxed work environment you could have, so performing a job search while in this job should be extremely easy. The only action that would be helpful and also counter to this advice is if you were able to land an internship (paid or unpaid) at a startup in the space you definitely want to be in. In that case the support of living at home will help you, as long as you have a plan to work your ass off and get really good at whatever you want to be doing.
• Mz 17y ago
  I gave up a national merit scholarship when I was a teen and dropped out of college around the time I turned 20. Then began looking into going back to college in my early twenties. The scholarship landed in my lap with no effort on my part to get it and I was wooed by a number of colleges. So I was shocked by the reality that once gone, going back to college wasn't at all an easy feat. I have wrapped up an associate's degree and a certificate in GIS that is the equivalent of graduate level work. I still don't have my bachelor's and I am 44 years old. I have no regrets. But it wasn't as easy a path as I had imagined. I really had not anticipated it would be difficult to go back to school. School had always been a breeze for me. The idea that there would be barriers to getting back to school was a completely alien concept for me. I suggest you look before you leap. If you are okay with doing anything else (flipping burgers, digging ditches) in order to get away from this job, then go. But if you have fantasies that it will be easy to land some ideal job, that you will surely be more appreciated and better paid elsewhere, and so on, be very careful to ensure that is actually true before you burn your bridges. Especially with a recession on, a job hunt can take a very long time.