Anyone ever quit without something to jump to?

[T2K]

Slide your hand down the front of your pants and feel for a big 'ol pair of balls. If you find some then suck it up and go to work.

[Thaddeus Smith]

heh, cool.

[richieb]

13 minutes ago, T2K said:

Slide your hand down the front of your pants and feel for a big 'ol pair of balls. If you find some then suck it up and go to work.

 

Very insightful --- 

[pbphoto]

7 hours ago, Thaddeus Smith said:

information technology, currently virtualization engineer. I've dabbled in helpdesk for years, sales engineering, technical proposal writing, service delivery and client services, etc.

If you are a vmware admin, you are in a good spot even if the current job sucks.  (If you are a hyper-V admin, I'm sorry that does suck.)  Keep the job - nobody hires a vmware admin with rusty skills or a 6-month unexplained gap in their resume.  All options stay open for you if you keep your current job.

 

As far as options go, if you like being a vmware admin and don't want to be outsourced to the cloud, use your current company to get a VCP/VCDX certification.  Or better yet, move up the stack to become a VRO/VRA expert or get trained on NSX.  Or, download CE from Nutanix and become the champion of a future technology at your company (or the next company.)  If you want to get out of virtualization, find a job as a Splunk or ELK engineer in the security department of an enterprise with a mandate on fraud and intrusion detection - you'll have job security for the next 10+ years.

[Schu]

Ive done it... 

 

I was offered a job with a start up in Memphis and I chose to take it. I sold my home in California, and much of my personal property, and up rooted my family to Tennessee.

 

When I made the decision to go to Memphis, I was given a contract for ownership percentage at a future date as well as a straight percentage of sales and I worked and slaved for a handful of years to build the company while earning a salary and commissions (7%)... the work we accomplished grew the company 500%.

 

The day finally arrived for the final written contract for ownership and all its details and when I read it, it said 1%... I had words with the owner about how disappointed I was, signed the contract and went home for that evening.

 

After painfully thinking about it all night, I came back the new day and told the owner that I wished to rescind the contract and made him sign a rescind contract I had written. That afternoon the wife came into my office and had discussion where she asked me if I planned to screw them.... I thought for a second (at that point I was very upset), I said yes and stood up... walked out of my office and NEVER had another conversation with them or anyone associated with that company.

 

As far as I know, that company soldered on for a few years but was never the same and I do believe it has closed operations. 

 

Retrospective... I wished I had been more professional and worked my way thru the issues. I am older and my life has never been the same since leaving... I have not been able to get another job in the same field despite working as a creative professional for 35 years. I do believe  that no one wants a 50+ year old creative even with decades of background.

 

For me, If there is any lesson to be learned... make sure you have something lined up before making any life changing choices.

 

Much of the pain that folks feel is self imposed... its work, suck it up and live life outside of employment.

[CECAA850]

Good luck Michael.  I've never been able to quit a job unless I had something else lined up first.  I have however hated what I was doing while I looked for work though.  I figured that the miserable feeling I had at work was better than the feeling I'd have while unemployed and no job in sight.

[Tarheel]

See Mike there's no need to worry.....if Carl can find a job anyone can.

[staygroovybaby]

I understand exactly what you are going through. My wife and I are in a similar situation.  But I find myself at the age of 57 and unemployed. My wife & I worked for the same company for years. The owner  made the decision to sell his  company and 2 young men bought the company. To say the least both men are green behind the ears. Within six months of the new owners being there the company was so screwed up we had  to have a serious meeting with them. It had got so bad, it was affecting our physical and mental health. The company was behind in payroll, bidding jobs and loosing money, however they refused to listen to the two people that was for years the backbone ( my wife & I ) of the company.   The meeting was a disaster.  We worked another two months and received a letter of dismissal. Their reason stated reason for dismissal was personality conflicts. They owed us $6500.00 at the time we were let go. After talking with several attorneys we were told it would cost more money to recover our unpaid wages than it would be worth. Now normally $6500.00 would not affect us in a terrible way but loosing the income and having helped out family and friends financially for years, well we were not ready for this hit.  We currently have everything we own up for sale, ( at a time when things are not selling ).  We are looking at a major financial hit, a major life change. Talk about felling sick to your stomach.  Enough about us.  Many on the forum have advised you on how to handle your situation. Some good, some so so. In the end no matter how much support we have, we all walk through this life alone. When it comes to friends and its eat or be eaten, well lets just say watch your back. I hope with all of my heart you have strong family bonds, that is where you will receive most of your help, your answers. Hey lets not forget the big man in the sky.   Our best to you along with our prayers.  

[oscarsear]

Sorta kinda did this once.  But I worked the circumstances out so that I was terminated despite being a well known top producer.  That was followed by a wrongful termination suit that netted me 6 figures in the long run  Payback can be expensive and I got my pound of their flesh.  Never worked at the same level in that industry since, never wanted to and did not need to.  Successful business people are often draconian, heartless and savvy, expect no different in any company.  If you intend to play in their ballpark you'd better be similar and own some thick skin.  I had a plan.  It worked.  You sound a little vague and uncertain.  That's worrisome.  

[Thaddeus Smith]

Lots of varied advice and life situations - exactly what I was expecting from this group which is why I brought it up to begin with.

 

I haven't provided all details that led up to this, or opportunities that I do already have germinating - I guess I was truly seeking insight on how people have spent their time when they take longer than a week or two off between job changes.

 

 

[jacksonbart]

Thaddeus you are not alone.  An adventure for sure.   I which I had stopped working in my current vocation a few times.  Life and happiness cannot be underestimated. 

[HDBRbuilder]

I was asked today when I planned on leaving this job...the ASKER is a brown-noser who has absolutely NO idea how many UNPAID hours I put INTO this job to ensure things are done in a timely manner.  BUT, he is interested in taking the job when I leave (I currently plan to COMPLETELY RETIRE in about TWO years, because at that time I will be debt-free, but I could actually leave as soon as this coming October and still make it in retirement perfectly OK!).

 

I just looked at him and thought:  "Andy, boy...you outta let this guy get this job and see how long he lasts, which WON'T BE LONG"....so I straight out told him that I may leave as early as this October, but really plan to leave in just over two years.

 

Then I told him: "it takes more than kissing hind end to get paid for MY job...and you ***** and moan if you have to put in one extra hour on anything, if need be, while you are being paid to work 24/7!...so good luck with getting the hourly rate in your semi-retirement and working in the evenings and on weekends with NO PAY just to accomplish the missions in a timely manner while everybody else is out doing whatever they want to do instead of any work around here!"

 

He has NO IDEA WHATSOEVER what my job entails or how long it takes to get things done...and I am ten times as efficient as HE is at ANYTHING.  I hope he gets it when I am gone...because it will be hilarious to hear from the folks who work here how much of a sorry arze he turned out to be after he starts actually WORKING for a living!  Rant Over!  Don't be THAT guy!  LOL!   C'MON March 2019!.

[J M O N]

Thought about it once -- the work environment wasn't good and the company wasn't well run.  The job was also probably the least interesting I've had.  I stuck it out as I didn't have anything else in place and I was working too many hours, weekends, and holidays to spend much time finding a new job.  When I eventually did, the VP of HR requested to do my exit interview.  He wanted to know what was going on and I was very honest with him.  He flat out told me he wasn't going to try to convince me to stay and said I would be better off in the new job.  A few months after I left, he also left the company.  I heard that not long after big changes were made -- some people were let go and others were demoted.

 

Unfortunately for me, the job I ended up taking was a start-up company that eventually went belly-up like most did during that time.  I was out-of-work for the only time in my career.  They employees from the now defunct company set-up a great network where everyone tried to help everyone else.  What I found out was that it was much harder to find a job when you didn't have a job.  Employers will question why you are not working.  When it hasn't happened to you, some don't realize that it can happen to anyone and not just bad employees.  I had an interview for a position that I was a great fit for -- it took two of my job experiences that were totally unrelated to meet the skills they were looking for.  That alone made me a rare candidate.  My interview went very well but they kept asking about my unemployment status.  One of the references I gave them was from a former VP of that start-up.  They did get in touch with him.  He followed back up with me afterwards and let me know that he gave me a positive review but they kept asking him why I was out-of-work.  He reminded them that he was also unemployed at the time for the very same reason as I, through no fault of own other than making a bad employment choice.  I ended up not getting that job.  The bottom line is that it is much easier to get a job if they know you have a job.  It also makes negotiations more favorable for you.

 

The other important thing to consider is health insurance. If you are the sole provider, then that should be a huge part of your decision to walk away from a job.  If you have kids, that is even more critical -- kids get sick and if you're lucky it will only be minor things.

[oldred]

9 minutes ago, JMON said:

Thought about it once -- the work environment wasn't good and the company wasn't well run.  The job was also probably the least interesting I've had.  I stuck it out as I didn't have anything else in place and I was working too many hours, weekends, and holidays to spend much time finding a new job.  When I eventually did, the VP of HR requested to do my exit interview.  He wanted to know what was going on and I was very honest with him.  He flat out told me he wasn't going to try to convince me to stay and said I would be better off in the new job.  A few months after I left, he also left the company.  I heard that not long after big changes were made -- some people were let go and others were demoted.

 

Unfortunately for me, the job I ended up taking was a start-up company that eventually went belly-up like most did during that time.  I was out-of-work for the only time in my career.  They employees from the now defunct company set-up a great network where everyone tried to help everyone else.  What I found out was that it was much harder to find a job when you didn't have a job.  Employers will question why you are not working.  When it hasn't happened to you, some don't realize that it can happen to anyone and not just bad employees.  I had an interview for a position that I was a great fit for -- it took two of my job experiences that were totally unrelated to meet the skills they were looking for.  That alone made me a rare candidate.  My interview went very well but they kept asking about my unemployment status.  One of the references I gave them was from a former VP of that start-up.  They did get in touch with him.  He followed back up with me afterwards and let me know that he gave me a positive review but they kept asking him why I was out-of-work.  He reminded them that he was also unemployed at the time for the very same reason as I, through no fault of own other than making a bad employment choice.  I ended up not getting that job.  The bottom line is that it is much easier to get a job if they know you have a job.  It also makes negotiations more favorable for you.

 

The other important thing to consider is health insurance. If you are the sole provider, then that should be a huge part of your decision to walk away from a job.  If you have kids, that is even more critical -- kids get sick and if you're lucky it will only be minor things.

+1 to everything said....but I still like the reach down and grab your balls comment. That was a good chuckle

[dtel]

On 2/26/2017 at 7:36 PM, Thaddeus Smith said:

Anyone done something similar? Tips on how best to use this time to reinvent myself and recharge?

Yes I have done that before.

 

Best way to reinvent yourself, give it a little time, try to relax and get out of that work routine first. 

[Mallette]

14 hours ago, Schu said:

For me, If there is any lesson to be learned... make sure you have something lined up before making any life changing choices.

Can't argue if that's your attitude.  But unless lives are on the line bending to enslavement is not the best choice, IMHO.  If my family is willing I am certainly good with taking whatever chances are required to maintain personal freedom, honor, and doing one's professional best.  Took me to retirement to really figure this out, but it is a fact.  Wish I'd really understood earlier. 

 

Dave

[Thaddeus Smith]

I appreciate the swings from practical to whimsical in the thread. Both are valuable and appreciated.

 

I went forward with the plan this morning and it was received well enough. Staying on until the end of March for the sake of knowledge transfer and training.

 

 

I've got a few things germinating for the future but they're several  months off before they could become reality - if after some soul searching I still want to be in this general field I do still have a healthy network of contacts, some with hiring capabilities. We've got some unique flexibility with things like our mortgage and all but one of my vehicles is paid off, etc.

 

It's only the end of February but we've knocked out all of the important annual medical visits and we're equipped to handle non emergency needs for the girls.

 

And as mentioned earlier, my wife maintains her RN license and CPR certs so that she can go grab a hospital or agency job pretty darn quick if needed.

 

So while I see how I posed the question could certainly come across as erratic and ill conceived, it's really not and I was just curious how people have made maximum use of their time off when they didn't quit a job for the sake of immediately starting a new one.

 

 

[dtel]

I have to go back and explain a little, I was working 80+ (restaurant mgmt) hours a week and I liked the job although not my favorite come to find out. Well with those hours, not seeing my house in daylight or really seeing the wife or kids much for a few years, I fell asleep on the interstate going 70 mph with the cruise control on, I was very lucky, I ran into the back of a car that had just got on the interstate and was only going slightly slower than me. No one was hurt, the other car had very little damage mine was worse. That's when I realized how much more important everything else really was, I gave a 2 week notice and then went on vacation for a week. I did not care to worry at that point, It made me think differently.

 

By complete accident a few weeks later we started doing what was a hobby in the past as a job. Before long it became a full time job that we loved and ended up doing for 20 years.(landscaping and irrigation)  We probably would still be doing it but it quickly ended in 05 when a storm took out most businesses and many houses had to be remodeled, landscaping was very low on the list of priorities. Since it took years to recover for the entire area we normally worked it was not looking good and would be like starting over. We moved on again, now working from home doing something totally different, you never know what's going to happen.

 

One thing I found out was when you do what you really love you tend to do it very well, no matter how hard it is.

[Rivervalleymgb]

I have done it several times. Each time, it was the right thing to do. A couple of my sons are both in IT fields and have jumped around quite a bit. One is a network and storage specialist, the other is in VR (his last job was as global content director for LeEco). He got tired of the way the Chinese do business.

[J M O N]

On 2/27/2017 at 10:23 PM, Thaddeus Smith said:

...I was just curious how people have made maximum use of their time off when they didn't quit a job for the sake of immediately starting a new one.

I guess to answer the question you were really asking, I'll offer this piece of advice someone once game me. Ironically, this came from someone I worked with in the first company I mentioned in my story above.  This person had also left the company a month or so before me and also took a job at a startup.  Well, as fate would have it, his startup also went belly up (notice the trend?).  The advice he gave me was to enjoy the time off and don't get worked up about finding your next paycheck.  He said you'll be working again soon enough and you'll no longer have all this free time to enjoy and just do whatever you please.  He said he would go to the park almost every day to just enjoy the scenery, peacefulness, and just relax.  For me, I wasn't able to enjoy the time off from a mental standpoint.  My body may have been relaxing, but my mind wasn't at peace.  The advice was true though -- I eventually started working again and haven't stopped since.  That was about fifteen years ago or so and it's rare that I've had more than a consecutive week off at a time.