Quitters Never Win

With the recession still underway, many of my friends are afraid to leave their jobs. Hell, they'r not even LOOKING since they feel like there's no chance at finding anything and should be grateful for the job they hate it.

Is it worth staying in a job you hate with people you don't like with low wages, just for the shot of maybe possibly landing a better one? This is something I'm wrestling with now on my job... most assistants I talk with do too, so I know I'm not alone. Most "good" assistant jobs require 1 year on a desk to show you have what it takes - assuming you're only replying to online posts. (Of course you can circumvent that and network your way into something better).

Before quitting, ask yourself why you're in the current job. Then ask "Will this new job resolve my issues?" For example, if money is the main reason you're there (though I don't know why you're working as an assistant in entertainment in the first place if that's the reason you're doing it), and the next job is great in all ways except for pay, then you'll kick yourself. Or if you're there now to learn and the new job doesn't teach you anything or allow for growth that's another bad move.

But, if you dread work every day, get sick from stress, complain about your job all the time to friends and drink to alleviate your problems, those are clear signs you should go. Life's short, don't make it shorter with needless stress and suffering.

So why don't we leave obviously bad jobs? Maybe we're too scared to make the change for fear that we're wrecking our careers, or that we'll never find another one as good as this (though we hate it) and will soon be left jobless and ultimately homeless and destitute if we do, our friends shaking their heads at our funerals thinking how we should have hung in there instead of hanging ourselves. There's always a risk to your career by quitting and there's always the chance you won't find work - but really what are the chances of that? And what's life without risk? Besides, who got anywhere they wanted to by playing it safe? Anyway, living in fear and misery is no way to live; if you're miserable, your work and productivity will suffer, coworkers will hate you (goodbye chance at sleeping with the hot girl in distribution) and you'll eventually get fired anyway - if you don't bring an AK-47 to work first.

Good news: despite what the media tells us, there ARE jobs (good ones!) out there. One of our interns just got hired last week with no experience after 1 month with us.

That said, don't be an idiot and outright quit unless you have another source of income to lean on. Not only will future employers think you're a dumbass for leaving with nothing in hand, but also they'll think you can't handle the pressure of the job. Also you won't get any unemployment benefits to keep you afloat as you look for work, which is most important. Besides, when you're working, it's always far, far easier to find work instead of when you're unemployed (I think it's due to the desperation factor and the fact that people think that you're obviously good enough to find work with someone else so they're taking less of a gamble on you).

So here is CopyandCredit's 5-step plan (one per finger) to make the switch:

First: Stop being scared. Fear paralyzes you.
Second: Look for things that you want to do via job postings, friends, events, etc.
Third: Save a few months worth (at least 3 if possible) of expenses.
Fourth: Polish your resume and apply to jobs discreetly.
Fifth: Do your job as best as you can in the meantime.

Saving is key for 3 reasons (& a giant middle finger to work if using your hand):

1) If you get fired or quit, you have something to fall back on for a while.
2) Each dollar you save takes away a little bit of the fear as it gives you options for the future. Someone with options is way less scared than someone without any.
3) It boosts your confidence as you feel more secure. Meaning you'll probably do better on the job too. You might even work harder in order to save more for that big quitting day and as such make yourself indispensable - perhaps even more respected. Now you've just reduced your odds of being let go and, quite likely, improved your status with the company - you might even get treated better and like it more. Maybe now you won't want to quit after all.

But who knows? You still might be working for a real asshole who doesn't respect you even after all the hard work you do and results you give. But fear not, after all you now have options and a few months savings to live off of should you not be able to take anymore of it (and you really shouldn't if it's killing you).

Hopefully, you'll have been networking and making it well known during all this time that you're looking for something new and specify what it is that you're looking for. By now you'll have people working to help you out, as well as a few more months under your belt of job experience as you hung in there to save some cash. Great! You're that much more marketable and have some longevity on the resume which makes you look more valuable, so should you get that good job and quit the old one you'll have a lot less fear about possibly losing this one since (and even if you do, you'll still have the few months saved so you can enter the new job confidently).

And you know what? The best part about working in a bad environment is that you will probably love your next job so much by comparison, you'll work even better at it. If you could do it while working in the bad one, you can do it anywhere. So perhaps you did learn something - maybe the job you have right now isn't all bad after all....

Now quit reading this and get back to work!