To want to quit my job with no back up plan

[miserableatworkk]

I've been at my job for a year and a half. I've been miserable there since probably my second month in, but always pushed through thinking it will get better. There's nothing wrong with the job, my colleagues or the company on paper so it's easy for me to brush off how unhappy I am there. I don't really understand why I'm so unsettled and unhappy there, it's like it just doesn't agree with me/I don't fit in.

I had a but of a breakdown from anxiety and depression earlier this year due to work, had some time off and went back and things were ok for the first month and then things started going down hill again. I am having health issues which I'm pretty sure are at least partly because of the stress of the job, even though the job itself isn't too stressful. Every week day I also wake up with hives on my chest and an upset stomach.

I feel completely stuck. I've been job hunting and have job alerts set up for months, but I just don't know what to do or what kind of job to go into. This was supposed to be my 'dream job' I worked hard at university for and I hate it :(

Well I wouldn’t leave with no back up job if you need a job to pay bills etc. Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you hoped so look elsewhere and keep trying you will get something eventually.

What do you do? You can do a career change x

How will you afford to live? If you afford to sustain yourself and your dependents out of savings until you can get another job then go for it. If not, then get the new job first. There are plenty of temporary jobs and agency jobs that you could walk straight into in about a week so why not get that set up before you leave?

Is it the job or other things? I find when I'm feeling overwhelmed with depression/anxiety I want to make big decisions but it isn't the best as I'm not in the right state of mind.

I can empathise with you.

I'm leaving soon as I'm in a job that's making me ill and I plan to take some time to myself to breathe.

However, I do have another part time job which I love and that causes me no problems at all so I have an income. Plus I'm married and my husband works. Plus our house is mortgage free so we have fewer monthly commitments.

Changing jobs sounds a good move but you will find it easier to get work whilst in work. Plus you probably have monthly commitments which won't go away if you leave. You could expand teh type of work you are looking for and apply to do something completely different for a while?

I live with family, and have enough savings for all of my financial responsibilities (rent/'paying board', food, car payments) for around 6 months. My family have seen how much work has negatively impacted me, so they are supportive and understanding which I am incredibly grateful for.

Book some holiday and use that to apply for jobs. Look for a similar position with a different company, sometimes you don't click with a place or you can't identify what is wrong with it until you leave.

Don't just quit. It's much much harder to get a job when you're unemployed as 1) you will be under a lot of time pressure and you will end up accepting the first thing offered and 2) prospective employers will think you've been pushed out and wonder what is wrong with your work

Well it depends. You quit with nothing in ace znd then what? If you can quit and keep a roof over your head and food on the table that's one thing. But if you can't then you might just be piling worse stress on yourself. What if you applied for a different type of work, maybe for less pay? Could you make ends meet? Or if you were part time?

I think with no job to go to and no real idea of what you want to do it’s a bad idea. If you’ve already spent time applying and not got anything it’s presumably going to be a long process and if you’re out of work and under financial pressure you may feel forced into taking another job which doesn’t suit you. Of course if money is no object it’s different.

One option might be to find something temporary or minimum wage and not too stressful (if such a job exists) while you figure things out.

I dint think anyone can answer for you. It depends whether you have enough in savings to support yourself. I have left a job without another to go about twenty years ago because I had a good amount of savings and I decided to do a bit of travel. My husband left a job with nothing to go to about five years ago because he had an awful bully of a boss and his mental health was suffering, and I had a job that would tide us over until he found something else.

Is it definitely the job? It would be a shame to ditch your dream job only to feel the same elsewhere. If so, absolutely look for something else but personally I would not walk out without somewhere else to go. Surely being unemployed and unable to pay bills will also be stressful. Is there a way to make your current job more acceptable while you look, reducing responsibilities or hours? Could you discuss this with your line manager?

Are your managers approachable? Can you not speak to them - maybe there is another role you could move into, or adjust your working hours - reduce hours or more flexibility? Do you have many work pals you could talk to - sometimes it makes all the difference if you have some friendly colleagues looking out for you? I've walked out of jobs with no back up but they've been places with excessive workload and toxic management. Shame to walk out of job with decent colleagues and agreeable working conditions.