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Doing something like that would grant you entry in the "World's Book of Stupidest Decisions....Like Ever". Unfortunatelly, not too many people read this book so they repeat the mistakes of others.
The best time to look for a job is now when you have one. In this market, if you are out of work you are at an EXTREME disadvantage and employers will wonder what is wrong with you and what issues you may have. Don't quit. Just start distance your mind from the situation and lay out your gameplan for finding another job. Get your resume ready, any industry awards, letters of reference and recommendation and contact recruiters within your field.
I knew a few people that did it. Three actually. One found a job a few months later. Another struggled but had to settle for an OK job. The third I think is still looking a year later. I personally would never do it. Just too risky. Or I would at least wait until I had multiple interviews lined up.
Yes, I've done it, but at the time I felt confident and was contacting a lot of people I knew in the industry looking for work, I was also in a huge city that employs a lot of people from around the world with my background. 2 days after I sent an application I had a job interview, and a few more call backs. After the interview I was offered the job, and accepted, but the HR manager had left on maternity leave and forgot about me. During the month of waiting around for them to process me in and give me a start date I was applying to 20-30 jobs a day, and not just in the city I lived. Eventually they gave me a start date and I am still with the same company, moved up to a new role recently.
My advice for anyone in a similar situation, do a comprehensive risk assessment before jumping ship. Are you in a position to not have a job for a while financially (at the time I wasn't)? Do you live in an area with demand for you background? Do you know people at other companies that will give you a reference for hire?
You have to be confident in your decision and work hard to make it work (as I spent nearly 8-10 hours a day applying for a month), but what else do you have to do?
I did it twice. The first time I was doing school part-time so I still had something to occupy my time. The second time, the organization I was working with was an awful place to work and 90% of the staff walked out. I couldn't take working there any longer and I walked.
Like other commentators, I also would recommend having a plan of action. Something you might want to consider, depending on what industry you work in, is to do contract/freelance work for a while. Contact some recruiters to see if contract work is available. Many recruitment agencies do offer health insurance after a certain # of hours have been worked (usually between 1 - 3 months).
I did it several years ago. Was it rough especially once my meager savings ran out? Definitely. Were there moments where I asked myself if I did the right things? Definitely. Would I still make the exact same decision? Definitely. I had to hustle hard and even took temp jobs that paid less than what I made prior to graduating college! But you know what I did it because I felt like I wasn't valued by the people that mattered (those responsible for my career growth and development within the company) and when you are undervalued that takes a toll not only on your self esteem but also your finances. The journey towards the career I want hasn't been easy and I am still not where I want to be but I am working hard to get there. I've become like a football player. If you want to block me that's fine but I will keep pushing and I will maneuver around you until I get to that end zone/touchdown whatever the hell it is!
I guess what I am saying is especially because you are a single parent you need to be extra cautious. There are a ton of programs for single moms but be prepared if you made above the poverty level you get bean, nada, zilch. I am not a single parent but I suggest you make sure you have enough savings put away and be willing to hit the ground running because it is tough out here. Good luck to you and no job is worth your sanity. I would use some vacation/personal time and spend those days at various agencies and telling them you would take long term temp if the money and benefits are there. Hit the ground running and don't look back.
I have done it twice while in college for two different reasons. One was with a supervisor who wasn't good for the exact role she had and another was due to issues with scheduling.
Doing something like that would grant you entry in the "World's Book of Stupidest Decisions....Like Ever". Unfortunatelly, not too many people read this book so they repeat the mistakes of others.
The best time to look for a job is now when you have one. In this market, if you are out of work you are at an EXTREME disadvantage and employers will wonder what is wrong with you and what issues you may have. Don't quit. Just start distance your mind from the situation and lay out your gameplan for finding another job. Get your resume ready, any industry awards, letters of reference and recommendation and contact recruiters within your field.
Good luck.
I believe the only people who can quit a job without having one lined up are
1. Married woman
2. Young People who still live at home with their parents.
There is no way any human who is on their own can be stupid enough to end a cash flow without knowing when the new cash flow will start. lol
Several times. The first time it was leaving my supermarket job at the age of 21 because my parents were having a relationship breakdown and I got kicked out into a homeless hostel. I was unemployed nearly a year. The second was leaving a pathetic clothing shop in complete frustration after leaving a previous job thinking that would be anything better. I was unemployed 6 months. The third was leaving a restaurant to flee the town I was living to a town that I thought was offering more opportunity- almost a year of unemployment. The fourth time was leaving a run down budget hotel as the bartender. I walked into another poor job within 2 days. The fifth time was giving up some temporary job in an insurance company just out of despondency which meant another 6 months of unemployment, to a minimum wage job which lasted another 6 months before I was fired, then 3 months unemployment. Each time I had a back up plan, apart from the first time which was completely out of my control, the third time was also partly fate- I had to flee my family and they were moving nearby which was intolerable- especially as my brother was getting into heroin- and the last time I did it, I was going through a handful of other disasters and was just too sad to cope. That almost lead me to homelessness (again) and left me with substantial debt which has since been cleared, fortunately.
My experience has been leaving a job often leads directly back a routine of the original misery in which I hoped to escape. Then again, it hasn't always, and I usually walked into another job shortly after. If the only advantage was that I was 'at least making some money' it was irrelevant, as I always have some kind of saving, credit or overdraft available, and I learned how to spend every penny wisely. It is less reasonable to expect someone to tolerate a miserable job than it is to expect them to suck it up forever, because that is an even less sustainable strategy.
Last edited by dumb; 04-05-2015 at 12:37 PM..
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