Ask HN: How long do you wait it out in a job you hate
with todays insanely bad job market, how bad do you wait it out in a job that is increasingly soul sucking?
14 comments
It all depends on everything else in your life - can you afford to live without work for a while? If you are in the USA, do you need health coverage through your work, or do you have other options? Do you have any discussion going on with people to make a move or are you starting from scratch seeking work and having to send in resumes?
In general, I stay only as long as my circumstances force me to stay. At the same time, there are ways to make a soul sucking job suck less - mostly by figuring out how to do the job without caring about the job. Be that burned out cynical co-worker who just scrapes by and doesn't truly care. It is a bad attitude for building a career with a company, but a life-saving attitude if your current employer will never take care of your needs anyway.
In general, I stay only as long as my circumstances force me to stay. At the same time, there are ways to make a soul sucking job suck less - mostly by figuring out how to do the job without caring about the job. Be that burned out cynical co-worker who just scrapes by and doesn't truly care. It is a bad attitude for building a career with a company, but a life-saving attitude if your current employer will never take care of your needs anyway.
You wait until you line up something better. Or until you save enough to support your lifestyle for a year. Or until you decide to say "screw it" and live in a shack on a mountain near a stream until society smartens up.
> Or until you decide to say "screw it" and live in a shack on a mountain near a stream until society smartens up.
Gotta be pretty rich to do that these days.
Gotta be pretty rich to do that these days.
Not if you're willing to build the shack yourself, and the mountain is optional.
With a couple minutes of looking, here is 34 acres with a fishing pond, near a river, and it's $40k. Less than most people pay for a car. It is by some railroad tracks. I'm not sure if they are still active, but I'm sure some more looking could find something without that compromise. There were a lot of options, some in the mountains as well.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/S-Pickensville-Rd-Columbu...
Titus seems to make it work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir3eJ1t13fk
With a couple minutes of looking, here is 34 acres with a fishing pond, near a river, and it's $40k. Less than most people pay for a car. It is by some railroad tracks. I'm not sure if they are still active, but I'm sure some more looking could find something without that compromise. There were a lot of options, some in the mountains as well.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/S-Pickensville-Rd-Columbu...
Titus seems to make it work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir3eJ1t13fk
Well look at that, maybe I'll get a shack.
I started a new job in February. Was due to pass probation in May. Handed in my notice the week before, because passing probation would increase my notice period from two weeks to twelve weeks.
Why hadn’t I left before? Because I lived in hope that the developer experience there would click with me, and I wasn’t keen on going through the job hunt wringer again.
I started my current job in August. It’s way better. I will keep this one.
Why hadn’t I left before? Because I lived in hope that the developer experience there would click with me, and I wasn’t keen on going through the job hunt wringer again.
I started my current job in August. It’s way better. I will keep this one.
> Handed in my notice the week before, because passing probation would increase my notice period from two weeks to twelve weeks.
Is this the notice that you're required to give them? How can they enforce a notice period (genuine question)? Or is it just them trying to tell you that you need to let them know _three entire months_ in advance but without any real way to enforce it?
I never thought this was enforceable.
Is this the notice that you're required to give them? How can they enforce a notice period (genuine question)? Or is it just them trying to tell you that you need to let them know _three entire months_ in advance but without any real way to enforce it?
I never thought this was enforceable.
Pretty sure they can sue in theory. Don’t think most employers bother. But would rather not burn my bridges.
(I’m in the UK, laws may be different in your jurisdiction, etc.)
Edit: https://uk.adp.com/resources/adp-articles-and-insights/artic... says that
> Employers can take legal action if an employee breaches their notice period by leaving without providing the required notice period. They might pursue a claim for breach of contract, seeking damages for the cost of hiring temporary contractor replacements or loss incurred by a sudden departure.
(I’m in the UK, laws may be different in your jurisdiction, etc.)
Edit: https://uk.adp.com/resources/adp-articles-and-insights/artic... says that
> Employers can take legal action if an employee breaches their notice period by leaving without providing the required notice period. They might pursue a claim for breach of contract, seeking damages for the cost of hiring temporary contractor replacements or loss incurred by a sudden departure.
Ah yes, thank you - I'm in the US. Wow I just assumed other Western countries had the same situation with leaving employment as the US. Interesting to know.
Do they have to also abide by this to their employees? Or are those just not in the contracts?
Do they have to also abide by this to their employees? Or are those just not in the contracts?
Yeah, it goes both ways. There are exceptions for gross misconduct, but apart from that, if you’re on, say, a month’s notice, then
- you have to give them a month’s notice if you want to stop working for them
- they have to give you a month’s notice if they don’t want you to work for them anymore
Sometimes, instead of giving you notice, they’ll pay you what you would have earned during your notice period to have you leave immediately. (“Payment in lieu of notice”) I think the idea there is that they don’t want people hanging around if the company has decided to get rid of them.
Also: sometimes when you hand in your notice, your old employer will let you go sooner (so you can start your new job sooner). It depends how badly they need you for your notice period, and whether actually they could use the cash from your salary to do something else instead.
- you have to give them a month’s notice if you want to stop working for them
- they have to give you a month’s notice if they don’t want you to work for them anymore
Sometimes, instead of giving you notice, they’ll pay you what you would have earned during your notice period to have you leave immediately. (“Payment in lieu of notice”) I think the idea there is that they don’t want people hanging around if the company has decided to get rid of them.
Also: sometimes when you hand in your notice, your old employer will let you go sooner (so you can start your new job sooner). It depends how badly they need you for your notice period, and whether actually they could use the cash from your salary to do something else instead.
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Until retirement, based on personal experience.
Depends on the job, how bad is it really? All jobs are bad in some way in my experience, but I need to earn and I don't have the motivation to do my own thing in a way that would make a comparable lifestyle.
Depends on the job, how bad is it really? All jobs are bad in some way in my experience, but I need to earn and I don't have the motivation to do my own thing in a way that would make a comparable lifestyle.
You wait until you have another job lined up. The only exception to this is if your mental health is suffering, and I don’t just mean you just don’t enjoy the job. Even once you get to that point I would recommend “quiet quitting” (I hate that phrase) while you look for something else if that can help ease your discomfort. As good as quitting may feel, it’s going to feel like a stupid decision if you don’t have something lined up (there are exceptions of course).
I’ve had multiple friends talk to me about quitting and while everyone wants to just yell “I quit” to their boss and storm away it’s never the right move. Don’t burn your bridges if you don’t have to. Even if you think “I’d never work for them again” it’s always best to leave on good terms.
You might never go back to that previous job but you don’t work in a vacuum. You old manager, their manager, their manager’s manager, etc might be someone you run into again in the industry or they might be friends with a manager at a company you are interviewing at. You can scream about how that’s unfair or illegal in some cases but it will get you nowhere. Yes, this is a bit of “chilling effect” but it’s also reality.
Remember that no one is going to have perfect information. Even if it’s known that your manager was a grade-a asshole if you quit in a huff or spew vitriol on your way out that is all anyone is going to remember. It doesn’t even have to be other managers, it could be your coworkers. You have no idea the social webs woven throughout the industry. You don’t want a “I didn’t know them at all but I know they pissed off management when they left” being told to someone who is thinking about hiring you.
At least, that’s the way I see it.
I’ve had multiple friends talk to me about quitting and while everyone wants to just yell “I quit” to their boss and storm away it’s never the right move. Don’t burn your bridges if you don’t have to. Even if you think “I’d never work for them again” it’s always best to leave on good terms.
You might never go back to that previous job but you don’t work in a vacuum. You old manager, their manager, their manager’s manager, etc might be someone you run into again in the industry or they might be friends with a manager at a company you are interviewing at. You can scream about how that’s unfair or illegal in some cases but it will get you nowhere. Yes, this is a bit of “chilling effect” but it’s also reality.
Remember that no one is going to have perfect information. Even if it’s known that your manager was a grade-a asshole if you quit in a huff or spew vitriol on your way out that is all anyone is going to remember. It doesn’t even have to be other managers, it could be your coworkers. You have no idea the social webs woven throughout the industry. You don’t want a “I didn’t know them at all but I know they pissed off management when they left” being told to someone who is thinking about hiring you.
At least, that’s the way I see it.