Advice on work - quit?

[Adam]

What would you do?

Currently I am off work, because I went slightly insane a bit back and as some will of no doubt noticed, I became very uptight (thats just a 10th of the story to). Anyway, I am due back in 2 weeks today - this thought makes me sick.

I have some money - not much, but enough where I can live 6 months, without any money worries and probably live 12 months pretty comfortably for my very low standard of living.

My current job I hate, since starting my dad and mum have both died - almost seems cursed for me, the pay is not great but the work is easy, yet its highly inefficient and bureaucratic - I work for the government. I also don't particularly like all my work colleagues.

Thing is, its a safe job - I won't get the sack in this recession (well 99% sure I won't). Its a job where I can wear wtf I want and it has flexi time and there is just a set of 5 hours I need to do each day without prior warning I want some other time off (but I have to average 8 hours a day per week).

I've thought about part time but this also makes me feel ill.

I'm thinking of it as - if I had a bit of money to spend, what would I buy? Buying 6 months off sounds about the best thing I could do. And then do a course or something.

Next year I'll be 29 - which is half the age that my dad died at. That kinda scares me, in the sense although I know he died younger than most, I feel I've made no satisfaction or achievement in my life for the past 2 years. Its just been a safe 9-5 in a job with no prospects and I don't see me being at long term - yet its in danger of becoming this.

So what would you do? Sorry for the moan but I am lost right now, which is making me depressed and I don't want to do something stupid again - which I won't but I am seriously after some advice.

[ericlee]

Don't burn your bridges. Put a two weeks notice in and work it out.

[Adam]

Don't burn your bridges. Put a two weeks notice in and work it out.

Its a good point - it would be a months noticed I'd have to give.

[ericlee]

Then do that. If you've been having family problems and such, they should understand.

You're basically at your job longer than you are at home if you're working full time so you don't want to be stuck at a place you dread going to.

[ms.peachy]

You're young, you have no major responsibilities beyond yourself - no kid, no mortgage - so I say, go find yourself, mate. Why should you stay in a job you hate, being unhappy? Why not take some of your money and go off somewhere traveling, where it will go further. You are clearly looking for some meaning in your life - maybe you might want to go on a bit of a spiritual quest, take yourself off to an ashram, or a Buddhist monastery or something for a while.

[Adam]

thanks peachy, thats good advice - its not quite traveling money really. Maybe if we ever sell my parents house I will have that sort of cash after paying off their mortgage. Basically I could live just over 12 months rent free type of money I have atm in my current shared housing I live at - which is cheap as chips. But I could also make some in between probably.

[b i o n i c]

dude, quit your job. get a real estate license, sell that fucking house, buy up a coupla forclosed properties, become self employed, get rich and fuck the man!

[Adam]

dude, quit your job. get a real estate license, sell that fucking house, buy up a coupla forclosed properties, become self employed, get rich and fuck the man!


Dude, I'd read anything up to a year old to catch up about the state of the economy and the housing market round the world, might surprise ya. :p

House has been on market a long time.

And you know what - in the UK you don't need a real estates license to sell houses here - so many cowboys in the early boom.

[Loppfessor]

I'm gonna come at this from another angle if I may... it sounds like you have had a rough go of things lately and are pretty down. We you get depressed like that everything that is bad sort of gets magnified. Take your job for example...ok it doesn't sound like a dream job but perhaps it's not as bad as you think. The point is that your depression may be taking over and the job as become symbolic of your unhappiness or is one thing that you do have "control" over. Does that make sense? So my advice would be to seek out a therapist and maybe work on ways of improving your overall happiness and beating this depression. Meanwhile stick with the job and see if your outlook on that changes too. Just my two cents

[b i o n i c]

dude, quit your job and make a video about how to get rich quick by making videos about getting rich quick, and sell it!

[Adam]

dude, quit your job and make a video about how to get rich quick by making videos about getting rich quick, and sell it!

dude, its easier to sell pot ;-)

[Adam]

90% sure I'm gonna quit.

I have enrolled in a design course that starts February 09. Its part of a course I need to do for my Computing & Design BSc. I was gonna wait to do this course cus its on something I am very unskilled at. I think learning half a new talent will do me some good.

Lopp - I see your point and thank you for the advice. I wouldn't say I am depressed. I think I need a catalyst just to get myself in a productive mode again. Work will treat me with kid gloves, nothing will be expected of me really. I'll get into a routine of the doing the minimum not to get the sack and otherwise spend 6 hours of a 8 hour day just surfing the web. Its a good thing in a way, but a bad thing for me to get back into right now.

[BangkokB]

Quit that Bullshit Job. Be an interior decorator. I've read your posts. You have Flair

If that doesn't work out and you end up homeless- you can always write us from Libraries.

Just fucking with you. I'm 37 and still don't know what I want to do with my life.

[Waus]

Is it impossible to look for another job/career path while you're working?

Just use your free time to find something you do want to do, then give them your notice. If you don't really have any other plan or opportunity, why quit?

Don't quit just so you can mope around the house.

[marsdaddy]

Make a list of the 3 most important things to you in your life, now.
Set goals for the next 3 months.
Check your lists weekly or as needed.
Pay me $200.

[Adam]

I quit. Sent them a letter with notice cus they sent me a letter saying that I should of turned up for one day of work 4 weeks ago cus they can't read a date on doctors note. Pretty much made up my mind.

list would be easy
1 Not work where I work = quit
2 Be more socially useful = quit work because the work I do for immigration just adds problems to this country, it'd be better for us if we stopped all together.
3 Get on with my part time degree = well I've started on the design part of computing and design (assuming accepted February) which is the hardest part for me.
4 (Bonus) Go to America

[mikizee]

Go do some community work or volunteer work, even if its just for one day. It really lifts your spirits.

Donate blood. Makes me feel good every time... (and a bit woozy)

[saz]

quitting a stable government job that probably pays well sounds pretty stupid to me. that's not meant at all to be personal though dude because i know you've been through a horrible stretch of late. but putting myself in your shoes, i just couldn't part with a gig like that.

[ET]

Then do that. If you've been having family problems and such, they should understand.

You're basically at your job longer than you are at home if you're working full time so you don't want to be stuck at a place you dread going to.

I can vouch for this because I had an awesome boss. I told him I was putting in my notice and he was concerned as to why I made the decision. We had an event where I wasn't at my usual awesome best and I had originally addressed it early in the conversation. Then it transitioned into my notice. We talked about the reasons, vaguely, but he knew what I was getting at and he let me know that I'd be missed. It was kind of touching.

So I'd say try the above advice if you're cool with your boss. Aaaand I just read your last post... but it's good advice for someone else. Sometimes you have to do something drastically different to move on. Depends on what you value more... money or your sanity.

[Adam]

quitting a stable government job that probably pays well...

it doesn't pay well at all. Just easy and stable - Well its an easy job once you are trained up.