The Work It, Mom! Blog
with Nataly
Hi, I am Nataly and I am the co-founder of Work It, Mom!
I write the daily Work It, Mom! Blog where I talk about issues affecting working moms, goings on in our Work It, Mom! community, new site features, updates,and contests. I also share my own juggle between work and family and love to see members jump in with comments. Come and visit often!
Nataly's profile on Work It, Mom!
I get to write a post like this because:
- I’ve quit many jobs I hated and many of those were for the wrong reasons
- I’ve not quit two jobs for some of the reasons I list below and I think it was the right thing for my career
Now that we got that over with, here are 5 reasons why you should not quit a job you hate:
1. It’s a means to an end.
I once quit a job I hated 2 months before my contract there was up. (Long story, it wasn’t a contract job but I was hired for a certain period of time.) At the time, I thought I could not take it any more and another opportunity came along. But I lost a lot by not waiting an extra 2 months: My bonus, but more importantly, a great relationship with this particular firm. My career turned out fine and I ended up going in a different direction all together, but if I’d wanted to stay in that field, I would have had a harder time getting a great job at another company.
A job is a way to make a living but it’s also often a means to an end. Sometimes you have to pay your dues for a while before moving on to a different position, one which you will like more. You might have to work for a company where the culture is hideous but one that has great reputation, which will help you with other jobs in the future. You might be learning a great deal. Think about this before you quit.
2. It pays well and you need to save up money.One of the most boring and annoying jobs I’ve ever had paid more than I’ve ever made since. I knew soon into it that I didn’t like it and there were days when I was ready to run my boss over with my car and drive away. But we needed the money and we were able to save a ton while I worked there. So I stuck it out for an extra year and we got enough savings to start a publishing company and pay for our wedding.
I am all for finding a job you love and are passionate about (I quit my last job to do just that). But there is nothing wrong with being practical and realizing that you might need to stick it out at a place you hate because you’re saving up.
3. Other things in your life are in flux.
The last time I quit a job we also moved to a different city at the same time. Let me tell you, bad idea. I almost lost my mind. (Well, my husband claimed that I DID lose my mind, but what does he know.) Lesson learned — not the smartest move to quit a job while other major things are in flux in my life. I know I could have sequenced this career move differently and I should have. If you have a lot going on outside of work, it might be a bad time to quit and look for something new.
4. You’re not prepared to look for another great job.
Finding a job takes energy and time. If you don’t have enough of either and you can’t realistically make time or find energy, then it’s not a good time to look for work. I was having a very hard time at work when my daughter was born. But I knew that I’d be a horrible interview candidate after staying up all night with a four-month-old. This was not a good time to look for work so I stuck it out at a job I really disliked.
Don’t quit a job you hate to JUST make a change. You need to work hard to find a new job you like better and you should make sure that you have physical and mental energy to do it.
5. You don’t really hate the job.
You’re wondering if I made up this reason because I ran out of others. I didn’t. Before you quit a job you hate you have to make sure that you hate it and get very specific about what you hate about it. Do you hate what you do? If yes, is there a way to change what you do, by say, moving to a different role or a different department? Do you hate your boss? If yes, how long-term is this? (E.g. What are the chances your boss will move on, be fired or promoted?) Do you hate who you work with? Colleagues can get annoying and a poisonous work environment is bad for you, but is there anything you can do, like working with a different team or talking to HR about moving departments?
Make sure that what you hate is something that can’t change before you quit.
Have you quit a job you hated or stuck one out? Do you think you made the right choice? Do you regret your decision to do either? Sound off and share your experiences and thoughts about this topic. (Also, check out this great member Q&A about it.)
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I’m mulling some of this stuff over right now, as it happens - great post, Nataly! All of these points are very good; it’s really important to keep perspective in this kind of situation.
I’m actually keeping both #4 and #5 in mind a lot these days regarding my own job. #2 is always a consideration as well, and #3 is good advice generally - many of us can only manage so much change at one time (the amount is different for everyone, of course, and you have to have a pretty good idea of your ability to handle upheaval in your life). I think #1 comes into play more earlier in one’s career, but if you’re making a big change it may also be a factor.
Florinda | February 26th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Great topic. Well, I hate to say it but I’ve hated many of the jobs I’ve had over the years.
I guess I’m hard to please. One thing I have learned is that you can really turn things around by taking a positive attitude. I finally realized the bottom line is this: if you’re going to leave, then leave. If you’re going to stay, then stay and be positive, quit whining, find something to like about everyone you work with, don’t feel sorry for yourself.
Diane | February 26th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Great topic! I currently hate my job. But my husband isn’t working and finding another job that pays at least what I make now that isn’t doing the same basic thing I’m doing now would be very difficult. Plus this job has an awesome health plan for me & my family AND is super relaxed about time off. So I basically just need to suck it up and deal. Somedays this is harder than others. Mostly I have figured out that I got into a field that does not suit my personality.
Jenni | February 26th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
This is a very timely topic. I am sitting here at work BORED out of my mind and thought I should check out Work It Mom! to see if I can get any advice on “what to do next” and viola, this topic smacks me right in the face. Thanks Nataly!!
It’s not that I hate my job, it’s that my job hates me. LOL! I keep putting myself in dead end jobs. I have been in the Administrative field for over 14 years now. My current position is that of a Sales Administrator/Office Administrator at a software company at one of their remote office locations with a total staff of 12. That’s right 12! I work for two sales executives who are never here. I create detailed sales spreadsheets for them throughout the month, I do their travel and expenses, and I am the onsite office manager. There are ebbs and flows to this job but for the most part it is BORING. It pays well and it affords me flexible working hours; 8:30am to 4:00pm (that’s pretty flexible) but even though the pay and the hours are good, I am wasting away.
I have been in this position since November 2006 and the thing that keeps me here besides the pay and the flexible hours is that, I don’t want to continue the cycle of interviewing at software companies for open Administrative positions anymore. I want a career/industry change. It would be somewhat easy for me to look for one of those positions elsewhere and land it, but it would probably end up the same way, boredom. In my current company if I wanted to change positions, my only option would be a telephone sales position and that is not something I aspire to do.
For a long time now, I have been searching myself for a hint as to what I can do with the rest of my life. I want to work, need to work, but want to enjoy going to work every day. I crave a job that keeps me busy, on my toes, allows me to contribute in meaningful ways and offers me the chance to really make a difference. Perhaps I should join the Peace Corps?
Any suggestions? Career mentors wanted for eternally positive and enthusiastic 37 year-old Administrative Maven.
Thanks ladies!
__
Lori — I am not a career counselor, but what about using the flexibility of your job to explore some other fields? Can you steal away a few hours to go to an industry event — one which you’re thinking about, one that might interest you? Are there local continuing ed colleges where you could explore some courses? I had a job that was really boring once, but it paid well and my boss was never around. One of my very close friends is an Office Manager at an investment firm. Her situation sounds similar to yours and she used the flexibility to go and get trained as an EKG tech, something she wanted to do.
Keep us updated here on what you’re thinking about! (Also consider posting a question in the Q&A on WIM — some great ideas will come, I am sure:)
–Nataly
Lori | February 26th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I totally agree with this post. I’ve found myself recently talking others out of moving on. This is a great reminder that the grass is NOT always greener on the other side, and you’ve got to move for the right reasons.
I personally experienced #4. I wasn’t thrilled with my job, and after returning from maternity leave, I KNEW I had to move on. But in those first few months post-partum, I wasn’t equipped to interview and give the search my all. I waited until my son was 9 mo, kicked the search into high gear and landed a dream position. I’m getting to do all the things I want (and some I don’t, sometimes, but hey…)
I wouldn’t have been able to interview well any sooner in my son’s young life, and probably would have driven my husband up the wall trying to do both.
Marcom Mom | February 26th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I’m sucking it up at a job that bores me silly, too, because I’m pregnant, the pay and hours are fine, my husband is finishing training in his field, and I’m in charge of caring for our young daughter while he finishes. But the second he does and the baby is born and I’ve recovered–I am so off on a new job hunt! Weirdly enough, the job LOOKS really good on my resume. No one will know it’s so silly.
Celeste | February 26th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
What a perfect post for me to read today.
I loathe my job, but I’ve stuck in there for almost six years now. My big fear now is getting trapped. Pretty soon, I’ll be out of my “marketable” age range and I will be stuck. Ack!!
Rebecca | February 26th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Wow! i have done all of these too: left one because they were consolidating a regional office to another state (far far away!) and then another because i was young and stupid and thought the grass was greener on the startup side, and finally stuck it out too long in a toxic environment! However, i did learn something from each of those experiences that helps me appreciate my current company (not the job - the company!)
I am currently in an ‘i am so bored with this work!’ type of role, but the rest of it is great! the best is i can actually talk to my boss and we are working out a way to ‘offer’ other departements the opportunity to use me for ‘free’ to allow me to have exposure to other groups in the department as well as increase my skill set incase something does come up! It is win-win really. It helps to have a great boss and an organization that allows these types of ‘out of the box’ arrangements to retain employees and help build their careers! That said - it never hurts to ask for more training if you are bored! You can always spin it and connect it to your current role in some way and not only does it increase your martability, but also might help move you around internally when you hadnt thought it was possible before… i am a big fan of training
Kate | February 27th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
It’s so interesting to hear so many women in the same situation. Sometimes it is easy to feel like the only one in a particular situation.
Nataly, thanks for your personal response. Unfortunately, I can’t get away from the office during the day. Part of my flexible hours agreement is no lunch and I fear get busted for not being around if the computer network or the phones went down (Oh, did I mention I am onsite IT and Telecom too - JOY!), which they do often.
I know I need to network, work on my resume, look for jobs, create a killer cover letter that explains what I want, and do some more networking to find what I am looking for. I recently obtain my AA in Business and was thinking about whether it would be worth it at my age (37) to go back to school for my BA in Communications. Since I am older will I ever reap the benefits of paying to get my BA?
It was nice hearing about everyone elses experiences. Thanks for sharing and good luck!
Lori | February 27th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Lori - school is more than an education! A lot of college specifically target folks like you who are going back to school so you aren’t sitting in classes full of 20 year old with hang overs. This not only engages your brain - but you MEET PEOPLE there that you network with who might lead you to a new job! Something you like! Plus your current employer might kick in some dollars towards a BA
and you could work on homework when you are REALLY BORED at your current job 
not that i have done this… like in my last year of college when i was working full time and in school full time… no… not me! hehe
Kate | February 27th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Thanks for a great post!
When I first read the headline, I thought “life is too short to waste on a job you hate” - I’m one of those people who moves on pretty quickly if the job isn’t what I’m looking for. But you made some really good points, and even I have done #2. Very well written post - thank you!
Only one I don’t really agree is the #3 - people shouldn’t be so afraid of the change, and sometimes it is nice to change everything at the same time. Not easy - but nothing in life which comes easy isn’t as rewarding as those things you have worked for.
Me and my husband have lived in 3 countries and 7 states in the past 10 years, and even though there has been some crazy moments, and it’s been a true rollercoaster, it has been really eye-opening and rewarding to be able to take on whatever challenges life brings you.
I believe making a bad decision is better than keeping the unhappy status quo and not making any kind of decisions and just letting life go by waiting for something better to come along.
What if something better doesn’t come along? YOU need to make the change.
But I might not be the best person to advice anyone.. I don’t have a corporate career. I am a business owner and a ski bum, and want to spend as much time with my family as I can. It was difficult (for a week) to leave a big house and all money can buy behind, but a few years ago me and my husband decided to live differently - make less money and live in a smaller house, no vacations to Europe anymore etc. - and spend more time together and with the kids and we moved to Rocky Mountains.
And in a matter fact, my husband was just yesterday offered a good corporate job in a big metropolitan area, and even though we know the salary would be bigger and living costs smaller - we talked and he decided to decline the job. Might have been the fact that we had a lunch date at 10,000 feet (with skis, on the top of the mountain) to discuss the matter - and realized we are not ready to leave that behind.
Katja —
I can feel your energy jumping off the page!:) I am also someone who makes changes ALL. THE. TIME. — even though I claim I want some stability. The reason I wrote #3 is because I went through this past May — and I am still not recovered:)
Katja of Skimbaco | February 28th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
As a coach who helps moms to have the best of both worlds: a successful professional life and a rewarding personal life, with the energy to enjoy it, I wanted to add something to consider. I often suggest to moms who are in jobs that they don’t love (ok, or even hate) to get really, really clear about how they want to FEEL professionally. We tend to focus on the specifics of what a job would look like and what we want to DO or BE or NOT DO or NOT BE. But what we really want, in all areas of our life, are the positive feelings we think it will bring.
You want the new car, but what you *really* want are the feelings that you think that new car will bring you. You want a different job, but what you *really* want are the positive feelings you think that new job will bring.
If you get clear about how you want to feel, you open the door to experiencing those feelings in a variety of ways. It may look like a new car or a new job, or it may not.
So, what are those feelings you want to experience? Do you want to feel inspired, motivated, engaged, validated, like you are part of a bigger vision? Do you want to feel freedom, like you are living on purpose, connected? Even if it’s not the right time to quit the job you hate, it’s always the right time to get connected to how you want to feel in your life. Once you become clear about that, things seem to magically unfold and show up. You may start feeling some of those things in your current job (wouldn’t that be great?) or you may get an inspired idea to talk to someone who ends up having the perfect job for you or you may feel motivated to start working on your plan for getting from where you are now (a job you don’t like) to where you want to be (a job you really enjoy), even if it doesn’t mean going from A to Z right this minute.
Try to find (even a few) things that are positive about your current job. Then pretend that you are in your most ideal professional situation, how do you think you would be feeling? Write it all down, spend some time thinking about it on a regular basis (more of the positive and less of the negative) and see what happens! Good Luck!
Nicola
Nicola Ries Taggart | February 28th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Hi Nataly,
I appreciated your article, “5 Reasons Why You Should not Quit a Job you Hate”. I have also been down that street. I am once finding that I want to make a change. I have been with the same company for about 10 years . My skills are administrative/secretarial with heavy computer exposure. I am 62 years old and want to spend more time doing other things. I currently work 32 hours a week but would like to get that to 20 hours outside of the home and work any additional hours from home. I would like to concentrate on my E-bay selling, my husband wants to patent a couple of ideas and I would like to do some blogging. If possible, I would like to earn some money via a blog site.
My only concern is how to make the transition. How do you let others know you would consider a part-time job (and I only want no more 24 hrs) without letting your current employer know you are shopping. If have discussed the desire with my current employer that I would like less hours but that fell on deaf ears. I believe I have a lot to offer. I appreciate any info. available, articles you may refer to me.
Thanks
Blue22d — I hope you’ll take some time to look around Workitmom.com — there are many member articles and discussions that I think could be helpful. Also feel free to ask questions in the Q&A — we have a very supportive group on here. In short, I think finding a pt job while also working isn’t easy — especially because you need to keep it quiet from your employer. I think doing a blog is something you could do, while working — although making money from blogging isn’t instantaneous. Check out Mir’s blog, http://www.workitmom.com/bloggers/corneredoffice/ — she is a very successful blogger and writer.
-Nataly
Blue22d | February 28th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I ended up paying a career counselor for advice on building a one-year transition plan, because I want to change fields soon.
I decided that unlike the previous jobs that I’ve quit rather spontaneously because of frustration, I know that there are reasons to hang in for a bit longer (economy not included). The big one is that I am a teacher in a private school which has a great pre-school attached. While I earn less than I did my first year of teaching (and I’m finishing my tenth year as a teacher now), my employer fully covers the preschool for my daughter, who has one year to go before Kindergarten. It’s a great school, and the tuition equals about a 25% bonus.
Like you mentioned, times of flux are very stressful, and the past three years for us have had plenty of change. One year of stability (in the same grade level, the same school, with the same curriculum) is a lot easier than going back to the public schools (to nearly double the salary) or switching fields.
The career counselor helped me devise a plan to build toward starting a new career during the summer of 2009, and it has helped in many ways: I see the light at the end of the tunnel AND I know my family will benefit from the strategic planning. Any time I get frustrated with an administrative policy that drives me bonkers, I remind myself that I am building toward my “out”…Also, I’m not burning any bridges in the process. Experience reminds me that it’s not fun in the long run. The accountability of having paid for the advice session and creating a master plan, spread over a year, also ensures I don’t sign on past next school year. My fear is, like someone else mentioned above, getting trapped.
Great post, Nataly!
–
I think that is such a great idea, Mari — and the point you make about dealing with short-term frustration because you’re working for a long-term goal is so, so true.
-Nataly
Mari | February 28th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I do not regret quitting any of my jobs. I quit for all of the reasons above, and they have been the best decision yet. I am in the process of quitting my current job now, for many of the reasons above. Mainly because I have young son, and my job is requiring me to travel more than planned.
V | February 28th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Great post. Frankly, if I read one more “I am a working mom and I love what I do! ” blog I was going to cry. Yes, some of us hate our jobs or they hate us, or both. I switched to my current job from a job I *thought* I hated into the one I have now which is much worse (read here: bad, mean, childless boss) for many reasons (read here : lower pay and really grumpy office mate). Anyway, every day I walk through reasons like these to keep me there (except #2). Especiallly since current job is part-time, Mon-Wed, very 9-5 and is 2 year position with benefits so will end..unless I quit..peacefully on its own right when my daughter starts school full time. Of course, it is a long 18 months until then! Hope to see more on this topic to keep me rationale and not walking out one day in a huff with no plan other than to become a barista at my local Starbucks! Thanks Nataly!
Sabrina | February 28th, 2008 at 5:40 pm