K, so I’m thinking about everything that I need to process before I make any final decisions. I’m going to break these down into some categories of positive and negative things, and then my general concerns.
Positive things about my Job
1. Good people, I like my co-workers
2. My boss is pretty cool, and not a total dickwad….great quality for a boss…and often a rare one I hear.
3. Did some cool things to help improve productivity….would be a lot better job if that was my whole job description.
4. Selling stuff is fun sometimes, mostly when people call me looking for things.
5. I like the stuff I’m selling. Not that I don’t like some other stuff in the tech world better, but it is still pretty cool.
Negative things about my Job
1. COLD CALLING. It makes me sick to my stomach every time I pick up the phone to do this, literally. I have to stare at the phone for 20 minutes just to build up enough nerve to do this. I really hate it.
2. 10 days vacation, 3 “personal days” with no possibility to gain more. Not a totally crappy vacation package, but I think I could do better. Plus you build up 3.3 hours of vacation per pay check. right now I’ve used all mine by just visiting relatives a couple times and going to Dirks wedding. I’ll have one more ready come ACEN.
3. 35+ minute commute there, 45+ minute commute back.. I hate getting home around 6. I would love to have a 20 minute drive both ways instead this fighting traffic home crap. Plus it is about 25 to 30 miles away…in the middle of nowhere practically. Which means no doctors appointsments over lunch….instead I have to take a freaking long lunch and stay late.
4. The feeling of working hourly instead of salaried. I like a little more freedom and a little more sense of working to get a job done, even if it means overtime. I don’t like working until I can go home. It is funny that some of my favorite weeks of working here I ended up staying late.
Other considerations
1. Loans, I’ve had to start paying back my loans. It sucks. I think I’m paying 400$ a month minumim on loan stuff w/ school and the car. Plus we are trying to pay the car off faster, so it is more like $600 to 800. Plus there is all the other money stuff about being unemployeed. Lauren by herself doesn’t make enough to cover our expenses.
2. I’m not sure where I would really love to work yet. I know I want to do manufacturing, but for how long and where? I would really like to get into a big company.
3. If I try to stay here and get good at this even though I hate it, is it really going to improve my employability when I leave? Plus, the half life of an engineering degree is 2 years….I’m already six months in, and it definitely feels like I’ve lost something.
4. I would like to make a little more money. I’m currently making $11,000 less than the starting average salary for EE grads just out of school. That is without comission, but I’m not making much on comission anyway, and I don’t see that changing a lot w/ how much I hate cold calling.
5. The mental toll of staying here and trying to get good at something that repluses my very being may end up being self destructive. The only concern I have about quitting because of this thought is the counter that this process of getting good at this will make me much stronger, and by quitting I’ll waste the only time I will likely ever have to force myself to overcome whatever my weird objection is to cold calling people.
Well, there you have it…a whole bunch of stuff to think about.
This is the part where you all tell me I’m stupid for wanting to quit my job and it doesn’t sound that bad.
harambee78 says
I don’t really understand the dilemma. Can’t you just stay at your job and apply for other jobs at the same time? Then if you get one of those other jobs that you think you’ll like better, you can turn in your two weeks notice? Isn’t that standard?
bigcat2k says
You tell me, I’m confused how I get to interviews w/o letting people know I’m leaving.
Plus I’ve had 0 actual professional jobs before this.
anchan218 says
Use your vacation days to do the interviews if it comes to that? My parents (and plenty of other people) have told me many times that it’s a LOT easier to search for work while you’re working.
pihsrow says
i’m with the others. when i was working for LifeSource last year i actively worked hard to find other jobs and had a breakfast or lunch interview if possible or would take a 1/2 day off for an interview. i would really not recommend leaving without something to go to. a crappy job is almost always better than no job.
harambee78 says
Well, I don’t think other companies have any qualms about stealing you from your current job if they want you. In other words, they don’t care if you currently have a job or not. In fact, it is probably a point in your favor that you do – it shows that someone likes having you around.
I’ve never been much for the workforce, obviously, but I know people, engineers even, who have a job, don’t like it much, and are constantly on the look out for something better to come up. This happens in academia as well. I am applying for jobs right now I know I won’t like much. But it’ll be a job, and if I get one of those, I’ll take it and immediately start looking for a new job that will suit me better.
The only rule to really follow is not to let your current employer know you are actively seeking a job until you are fairly sure you’ve found one and that you are probably going to leave. This may seem dishonest, but it really is standard procedure. Not telling the boss is more like being polite than it is being deceptive.
rockyrockstar says
Brent and Caleb are right. I’ll be more blunt. It would be insanely stupid to quit your job without having another one to go to. In this labor market, a bird in the hand is worth 10 in the bush. You can’t imagine how much crappier the job you might have to take in a month or two could be if you can’t find anything better. You think it couldn’t be worse? Dude, I’ll tell you about some shitty workplaces.
jeff
rockyrockstar says
It’s really easy to interview without quitting. Just leave. Say “I have to go take care of something.” They won’t ask. Even if they suspect, they probably won’t fire you. It’s pretty hard to get fired.
Also, once you have a job, give your employer a chance to make a counter-offer. I did that at the cemetary and they made a really good offer. I didn’t take it, but they offered me $40k with good benefits and a more interesting job description.
j
intuit says
not that I’m an expert when it comes to finding work, but I’ve always followed the words that my junior high school band teacher told me. he said he was always looking for new work even if he liked his current job. I try to do that too…not so much with my current job, but with my past jobs I was always looking through classifieds and online job websites…
just my opinion..