Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Here's my dilemma. I have a job. It pays well, has full benefits, and even lets me work from home. But the job will be coming to an end sometime this year. I don't know exactly when, but I'm guessing sometime in the Spring, perhaps even sooner. At best, it'll last til Summer. What's also true is that the job has turned into an enormous pain. Like many employers these days, mine would rather squeeze every ounce of productivity out of me instead of hiring another worker. That translates to me working long, LONG hours for which I'm not compensated. Because this job has consumed so much of my time, I haven't had time to look for anything else. In other words, I would have to quit first before I started looking for a new job. Then the problem is that I'm under more pressure to find something. And we know how employers look down on people who aren't currently employed. What's also true is that I'm in the middle of a big project. If I quit now, that would look bad and probably ruin whatever chances I have of getting a good reference from my current employer. The market in my city in my field is pretty good right now and I would hate to reenter the market when conditions aren't as good.
So if you were in my situation, what would you do? Would you just quit even though it would burn whatever bridges you had with your employer and cost you good references and then be forced to live off of savings while you look for a new job? Or would you stay and suffer until the project ends and/or the workload improves giving you more time to look for another job? Neither option seems particularly appealing. I keep telling myself I should be grateful that I have a job considering how bad it is out there. But I also wonder if I'm wasting my time at this job. And advice would be greatly appreciated.
Because this job has consumed so much of my time, I haven't had time to look for anything else. In other words, I would have to quit first before I started looking for a new job. .
Exactly how many hours are you working? I'm always a little skeptical when someone says they don't have any time to look for another job. And even more so for someone that works at home.
Wait until they lay you off or fire you, if you are a true employee vs 1099. That way you would have UE while looking for something else, and it would be bad to leave a project midstream. And, if you are a 1099 then they can't dictate the hours, so you would have time to shoot off resumes and look for other work.
I think you should set aside some time to look for new jobs on your 'work from home' days. I'm happy with my job, but I still set aside a few minutes per day (maybe like 10 at the most?) to scan job openings, just because I'd eventually like to move in a slightly different direction. It doesn't take much to scan a site like indeed.com.
If you did find another opportunity, I'm sure they would understand as long as you present it in a way that is along the lines of 'I'm sorry and I feel bad about this, but I can't afford to be unemployed' or something. I mean, you know your job isn't going to last much longer, and you've got to do something, right?
Here's my dilemma. I have a job. It pays well, has full benefits, and even lets me work from home. But the job will be coming to an end sometime this year. I don't know exactly when, but I'm guessing sometime in the Spring, perhaps even sooner. At best, it'll last til Summer. What's also true is that the job has turned into an enormous pain. Like many employers these days, mine would rather squeeze every ounce of productivity out of me instead of hiring another worker. That translates to me working long, LONG hours for which I'm not compensated. Because this job has consumed so much of my time, I haven't had time to look for anything else. In other words, I would have to quit first before I started looking for a new job. Then the problem is that I'm under more pressure to find something. And we know how employers look down on people who aren't currently employed. What's also true is that I'm in the middle of a big project. If I quit now, that would look bad and probably ruin whatever chances I have of getting a good reference from my current employer. The market in my city in my field is pretty good right now and I would hate to reenter the market when conditions aren't as good.
Quitting or getting laid-off, either way, you're out of a job. Unless you absolutely hate your job and are looking for an excuse to quit (which is what I suspect) There is no reason not to wait for a lay-off. Right now you are still bringing in a paycheck and when the job ends, you will be eligible for unemployment.
As far as people looking down on people who are currently unemployed: I believe they are much more likely to look down upon somebody who quit their job without anything lined up, than to look down upon somebody who lost their job through no fault of their own.
There is no reason not to wait for a lay-off. Right now you are still bringing in a paycheck and when the job ends, you will be eligible for unemployment.
Well, that depends.... most likely unemployment won't be close to what he's bringing in with a paycheck. So unless there is plenty saved up to live on for awhile, I'd somehow start carving time out to look for something else while there is a paycheck. And he has benefits now. If he goes on unemployment, he'll be paying for Cobra or not have benefits at all.
I find it hard to believe someone can't carve out an hour to scour job boards each day. I certainly wouldn't take the risk of out right quitting and burning bridges.
OP, not sure what industry you are in, but my husband has always made a point to never burn bridges and he's always been glad he didn't. He's learned it's a small world...
Well, that depends.... most likely unemployment won't be close to what he's bringing in with a paycheck. So unless there is plenty saved up to live on for awhile, I'd somehow start carving time out to look for something else while there is a paycheck. And he has benefits now. If he goes on unemployment, he'll be paying for Cobra or not have benefits at all.
True, however the OP was the one to mention quitting without having anything lined up. If you're going to be without a job, you might as well receive unemployment benefits if you have the chance.
I do agree he should at least try to find time to look while he is employed. Sometimes it can take many months to get a response from an application. By then, he may not even have a job any more and would have no problem finding the time to attend an interview. If he waits until he's out of work to start looking, it will just be that much longer.
Exactly how many hours are you working? I'm always a little skeptical when someone says they don't have any time to look for another job. And even more so for someone that works at home.
Let's see. I start my work day at 7:30 and work til 10, both during the week and weekends. Yes, I could surf job boards and send out resumes. But looking for a job, especially these days, requires more than that. For starters, my skill set is a little rusty. Normally, I would spend my free time away from work learning new skills to match what the job market wants. But at the moment, I don't have time to do that. What's also true is that I'm in a new city where I have no network of contacts which means I'd have to devote even more time to the job search. I'm not saying it's impossible to send out resumes or apply to stuff. Just that a true dedicated job search requires more time than just 10 minutes here or there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cowboyxjon
If you did find another opportunity, I'm sure they would understand as long as you present it in a way that is along the lines of 'I'm sorry and I feel bad about this, but I can't afford to be unemployed' or something. I mean, you know your job isn't going to last much longer, and you've got to do something, right?
The reason I mentioned that my job would be ending is to show that there's no future for me at the company. If there were, then all the hours I'm putting in now might actually have a payoff, especially if it lead to a raise and/or promotion. But since I have no long-term future with the company, it makes me wonder whether it's worthwhile to work so hard for them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by frizzo100
Unless you absolutely hate your job and are looking for an excuse to quit (which is what I suspect) There is no reason not to wait for a lay-off. Right now you are still bringing in a paycheck and when the job ends, you will be eligible for unemployment.
As far as people looking down on people who are currently unemployed: I believe they are much more likely to look down upon somebody who quit their job without anything lined up, than to look down upon somebody who lost their job through no fault of their own.
I hate the job cause I hate the hours I'm having to put in. I hate that it's forcing me to have less time for other things like regular exercise or visiting family. As for what employers think of the unemployed, the employer has no way of knowing whether you quit your job or were laid off. When they see a resume and see the dates, all they'll see is when your last job ended. And I wouldn't assume that employers will look on the laid-off person more favorably. Many presume it means the person wasn't good at their job.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jkcoop
Well, that depends.... most likely unemployment won't be close to what he's bringing in with a paycheck. So unless there is plenty saved up to live on for awhile, I'd somehow start carving time out to look for something else while there is a paycheck. And he has benefits now. If he goes on unemployment, he'll be paying for Cobra or not have benefits at all.
I find it hard to believe someone can't carve out an hour to scour job boards each day. I certainly wouldn't take the risk of out right quitting and burning bridges.
OP, not sure what industry you are in, but my husband has always made a point to never burn bridges and he's always been glad he didn't. He's learned it's a small world...
Unemployment definitely wouldn't come close to what I make now. I have a lot of money saved up, but really would prefer not to start dipping into that. Plus, having benefits like health insurance is a huge plus. I would hate to go off health insurance and then have something bad happen when I needed it the most. And you're right about it being a small world. As I pointed out above, I'm in a new city and have no professional contacts yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by frizzo100
If he waits until he's out of work to start looking, it will just be that much longer.
I don't plan to wait until they let me go. But I did want to wait til I finished my current project. That way I can still leave on good terms and hopefully still get a reference. Walking out in the middle of a project makes that tough.
I'm basically working these hours in order to meet a pretty tight deadline. If I cut back on my work, I'll miss the deadline, the project will be late, my bosses will be in trouble with the people they made commitments to, and most likely I'll be the one held accountable. So yes, I do think they'd fire me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
