Is it ever a good idea to resign without a job lined up?

[december2020]

I currently work full time in marketing and advertising on the agency side. It's clear I don't want to do this anymore, at least not agency side, everything inside of me is telling me to get out and quickly.

Nothing has happened, no one is toxic, it's just not for me anymore and I can see how it's starting to impact my happiness over the years. Currently I get sad every morning having to go to work.
I'm desperate to leave but don't have anything lined up as a new role (I'm not sure if I want to stay in the industry but while I'm in I have no opportunity to explore an alternative), but each passing, day, week, month makes me sadder and sadder and I don't want to see myself hit rock bottom.

I have enough saved to see me through a for a year to get my shit together and find that new career path/job if I resigned today. And in no means would I contemplate 'frittering' the year away, it needs a solid game and action plan to set me on the right track again.

For context, I have a DH and DS (almost 2) so I'm trying to find the balance between my own mental health and my family.

I did. I absolutely hated the job in the end & it was costing so much in fuel/my MH that I handed my notice in with no job to go to.

I had enough money saved to last 6-12months but got a job within 2 months & hardly dipped into savings.

Go with your gut instinct but make sure that you see finding another job as a full time job :)

You could pass it off as child care leave or something but generally it’s always better to be in a job to find a job. It also means you wouldn’t burn through your savings at the start of a recession.

Why haven’t you done anything about finding a new job? Can you drop to 3 or 4 days or even a nine day fortnight to give you extra time?

Careershifters is a good organisation to look at

Can you make a plan at least before you quit? Not in terms of timescales but what you're actually going to do.

I did, from a PR agency.

it wasn’t a great job and my bosses were bloody awful. I sodded off to Thailand for a month, and had a job by the time I was back.

But…. that was before I had kids or a mortgage. I’d do it again in similar circumstances, but only if I knew I had a really solid financial cushion in case it was tricker than I expected to find a job. I’d also make sure these days that my DH was fully on board with the plan before he took on the family’s whole financial responsibility.

I did. I was working crazy hours, crying in the shower before work, no time to look for anything else.
I had to get out before it broke me entirely. Was out of work for a few months then landed a great job that was a springboard to seriously upping my income.

With the current state of everything I wouldn’t risk it if I were you. Start looking for something else now, but wait until you have a new contract before you quit.

I did it. had to give three months notice in my job. so handed in my notice did sweet f all in the last three months. had two months hols built up plus would be paid my bonus. both myslef and partner worked through finances before I made the decision. with savings we would be OK. did nothing for three months. didn't realise just how stresed i was. needed that break. then started looking for a new job did temping here and there until got permanent job. I just explained I needed time out for myslef when was asked in interviews no one said anything. Best thing ever did. didn't realise how toxic it was. met old colleagues recently from talking to them still hasn't changed

You know yourself best. Some people can do this, others can't, it's not just financial circumstances, it's mindset. Some of us get defined by our jobs, we turn up, we are part of that family, we may not like it but... Others have a friends and family outside their workplace, an active social life and like sex is for some people, work always seems to be in the offing, sort of 'on tap' while for others it's a forlorn mystery, hang on to it when can.

Chris Rock the comic did a skit about the difference between a job and a career - it's on YouTube - and suggested how it was always people who didn't have a job eager to encourage others to ditch theirs! Don't know if that's true.

After a few months of being out of work, your mind mutates perhaps and you might adapt the mindset of the 'unemployed' - the sort who frequently visits the library, turns their hobbies into 'work' and buys daily sit-down coffees at Costa. Of course, many unemployed are not like that but then getting up every day to urgently seek work and getting knock backs is no fun either. If you can afford to not work there is a chance without proper motivation that you will be in the former camp.

PM David Cameron pointed out 'the easiest way to get a job is to have a job' to one youngster. My advice is to ditch a job if it is toxic or making you unhealthy for whatever reason. Some future employers may resent the idea of someone jacking in their job just cos they can, if they themselves can't do that. I think some do like the idea of poaching an employee off another firm, kind of like the football buying season, but I must say I am not an authority on any of this. But it's a bit like the person slagged off for finding a new partner a bit quick after their spouse has died - okay but say for a bloke who is single, after a year he becomes 'the single middle-aged bloke' - fussy about his sock drawer but not his personal grooming, bit austere in his outlook, a bit self-sufficient but suddenly not a great draw for a woman. PS It's a bloke writing this...

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences so far and all your advice!

To answer some questions, I have asked about working 3-4 days a week, but unfortunately have been told the role needs to be full time.

I have been looking for other roles though at the moment all I'm getting is similar types of jobs at different agencies. So I'm trying to figure out how I can get out of the same loop and get something different.

With my current job I'm starting to struggle to find the head space to properly apply for roles outside of my current agency life, as in properly tailor CVs and applications to stand a chance to be considered.

I agree, it feels foolish to quit with a looming recession, no job to go to, crazy economic climate, but I'm struggling to see the alternative, sticking it out and become a more and more crap partner and crap mum as I get sadder and more miserable sticking it out.

getting up every day to urgently seek work and getting knock backs is no fun either

I do hear what you say about the impact on your well-being of your current role, however it is usually the least bad option compared to the impact of being unemployed, dealing with rejections and dead ends whilst under increasing financial pressure and without any of the structure of work.

Have you actually defined the role you are looking for?

I have been looking for other roles though at the moment all I'm getting is similar types of jobs at different agencies. So I'm trying to figure out how I can get out of the same loop and get something different.

What about a part time role somewhere else if part time is not viable in existing role?

You sound more like you're motivated by running away from things you dislike in your current role, rather than being about pursuing something you do want. Whilst some people luck out, generally "running away" responses don't lead to good places.

Have you tried describing the role specs and employer specs for the job you think would make you feel differently?

How much of this is coming from within you (in terms of how you behave at work / think about things)? Because that will go with you to any new role, e.g. if someone spends all their free time checking emails and working because they don't know how to switch off and respond to worries by doing more work, that will be the same at the next job - it's driven by them and their maladaptive coping strategies, not the role. (Not saying that's what you're doing, just an example.)

Yeah, looking for a job on top of a job is a job in itself!

Without wanting to project unnecessary fear, I found when I asked for my role to be paired back, I was first in the line for being 'let go' when things got tight because of my request, so maybe spend a few weeks showing up early and looking mustard keen!

I know how it is to be going for some dream job or thereabouts when the current one is doing nothing for your self-esteem and that becomes your life, with time out of jail from 6pm to 9am.

If you've got spare cash then fine and don't mind a gap in your cv.

I have left a job without another to go to but I wouldn't recommend it. I was having an awful time, my boss was useless, I was crying all the time and more than once it went through my head to drive my car off the road on the way into work. If you feel like that then quit. But based on your OP it sounds more like you are no longer enjoying it and fancy a change.

I'd suggest writing down what you enjoy, what you'd happily never do again. When you speak to agencies you need to tell them what you are looking for / want to avoid. Be specific and stand your ground. It's easiest for them to place you in a similar role as your experience matches up and they get their commission. Be firm.

I think you need to have a solid plan as it's easy to hand your notice in and then just drift.

Thank you everyone for all your advice, personal experiences and helping me see rationality through all of this.

I agree, to an extent it is a "fuck it" reaction after countless conversations of my career progression and it feeling that it's not going anywhere, and more importantly I can see they're trying push me into a role I'm sure I want to do. The more I look around, the more I see there isn't really a role agency side I want to progress to - the prospects and remit aren't aligned to what I want to do.
I built a role and specs of what it could look like of what interests me that still has business value and while they're open to the conversation, it's already been "altered" to the role I'm not interested in, now with more responsibility and time but without the title or salary increase.

So yes, to an extent I probably am running away a bit, I'm impatient that things aren't changing and I feel sad in my role every day.

It worked out ok for me - I work in finance and walked out of a toxic job in July in proper Bridget Jones style. I gave myself a couple of weeks to get my head straight as my confidence was shattered and then started to apply for a few jobs which caught my eye - had four interviews and unbelievably had four offers. I picked the job I really wanted and start in a couple of weeks time - I'm 54 and thought my career was over

As long as finances are ok and your DH is on board, then yes, perhaps you should resign.

I have done it before, more than once, and the elation is something else. You could spend between now and Christmas de-stressing, and then start looking for something in the new year.

I did.

Once because I had taken a new job and it was completely different from what I expected and the company had some dodgy practices that I did not want to be associated with, so I walked out.

Another time because it was affecting my health. I had had a traumatic event in my personal life and as I was working in mental health it became really difficult for me to be able to support people while I was dealing with my own trauma.

I did have some savings built up though so I was able to take some time off and spend time looking for a new role.

I've resigned without a job before and don't recommend it. It heavily impacted my mental health when it slowly dawned on me that this job hunt was going to take a lot longer than I imagined. I had it in my head that I'd resign, start looking for work, and be in a new job in a month. Took me 3 months and it was a job from an ex-employer.

The job I had just resigned from was terrible and was affecting my mental health, but nowhere near as much as when I was left unemployed with no end in sight. It affected my confidence, my huge stash of savings was depleting, and I generally felt useless.

So thought I'd add this post on here just to give you the other side of it as well. It can be easy to think "screw it, I'll quit", but be prepared for the reality of not having another job to go to.

It's different if you're planning on walking back into a similar role, but if you're looking for something different, it's not going to be that straightforward.

I wouldn't recommend it.

I did it once when I was young, free and single, so I had no commitments as such, and earned a very decent wage. However, I was nearer to the professional start of my career, and jobs at that sort of salary were easier to come by. It still took me a month into my notice period (I was on 3 months) to find something and by then I was panicking so took the first job offered, which while highly paid, turned out to be horrific.

Now as a single parent to 2 DC, one with SEN, and a huge mortgage about to start I couldn't afford to jeopardise my DC future in that way. I'm currently interviewing for yet another big role, and have been doing so for the last year, so it's proving to be difficult to get something else at this level. Being out of a job would feel like double the pressure.

If your mental health and well-being is suffering, and you have a strong support network around you, then perhaps, but just bear in mind if it takes you more than 3 months to secure a new role you might start being asked to explain the gap.

I think a lot of the responses you are getting (although I haven't read the full thread) are from people who don't get the ad /marketing agency world. In my experience, having worked in the industry for upwards of 20 years, agency burn out is a real thing and once you're done with a particular workplace you're done. I have left an agency role with nothing to go to 3 times. Each time I've taken some time out, or freelanced for a bit and then got back into full time work. Often the novelty of a new environment is enough to keep things ticking over for a while longer. Eventually though, I think for a lot of people, the agency world just loses its appeal all together, so it might be considering what else you might want to do. I've had ex agency friends who've become Doulas, Teaching Assistants, Carpenters and Interior Designers so there is definitely another world out there!

Normally I'd say no. But if you want a career change, then it's probably a good idea to take a break to reassess.
Could you ask HR about voluntary redundancy? Could look better than just leaving.
If it's not a toxic environment, can you stay for a set period? E.g. tell yourself you will resign in time to leave at the end of this year. Then over the next few months research some retraining or look at your transferable skills, or marketing/ad jobs in a field you feel passionate about - maybe a charity or in-house at a firm you admire.

I resigned from a call center job with nothing to go to. Took a month off, which included Christmas which until then I'd normally been rostered to work. Then did various assignments through recruitment agencies while I worked out what I wanted to do while still bringing in an income.

Coming from the ad agency world, don't.

It's so hard to make the switch in house or to another job completely, and being out of work will make it even harder.

If you know you're done with agency, make an exit plan. And then start applying for other roles.

I'm very glad I didn't just quit (which I was tempted to do as I was so burnt out). I got a much nicer job with much better pay, because I could afford to be picky and not feel like I should just accept anything. I also didn't have to burn through savings. You could be out of this job in 3 (or sooner) months if you start working towards it now.

I had a job in a petrol station at nmw. I was promised a company car and a better position but it ws a stopgap. I realised I was trying to answer the recruiter while serving customers. A lack of training helped but I left. I realised if I didn't I would never make it.
Within two months I had my first proper office job at double nmw. It was a contract and I struggled for a couple of months afterwards but but was the break I needed and I went onto earn a lot thanks to the risk I took. Dole is not to be ashamed of if it helps you get ahead