Quitting your job

[naossoan]

Hi all,

So I've recently gotten rid of all of my debt, and downsized my living quarters.

I pay $500 all inclusive for rent, and make $3000/month take-home. The only expense other than rent that I have is car insurance/gas + occasional maintenance.

Of course add on food which is usually another at least $500+/mo (I eat mostly fresh organic fruit and veg).

OK now that's out of the way...I have about $7500 in the bank right now and my job is increasingly getting on my nerves. My co-workers are slackers and quite annoying, and the job itself is not something I am even remotely interested in doing. I've had the job over 3 years.

I don't really know what I want to do in life. I don't know what my passion is. I do have lots of things that I enjoy doing, though none of them are really something I could see myself doing all the time as a means of income.

I am also in recruitment with the police and will potentially be going to training in the forseeable near future (probably within the next 6 months). This is also something I don't know if I will enjoy or want to do longterm, but I want to give it a shot.

I really, really want to quit my job but I can't muster up the courage for some reason. I've read so much material that says jobs are a ridiculous waste of time, which I believe, but when you don't have a clear vision of what you want to do they seem like the only option.

I was considering saving up another $2-3000 so I have $10k in the bank, and another $10k in my car if I needed to sell it in a pinch for some reason, for a total of $20k.

I really want some time off to just relax, especially if I'm going to be going in the police fairly soon which will be tough training and pretty stressful line of work afterward.

Do you think I should just DO IT and not think about it? $20k can easily sustain me for a long time if I keep my spending down. I basically have all the stuff I need and don't see any necessary large purchases in my near future.

How did you guys get the courage to quit yours?

[nicbrahms]

Follow your excitement and I am sure you can find a job that is more to your taste, however, if it feels wrong don't do it.

I quit my own business and am now broke, but I am at peace and happy and trusting in the universe to supply.

Peace

[escapeplan]

naossoan,

Although by my maths you have enough to live on for 6 months or so (bearing in mind you will spend more if not working- more spare time etc) I would just like to say the following:

You (and anyone else asking a similar question) will have to decide whether you are spiritual in nature or not. Many members here will advise you to quit your job, follow your passion and the universe will guide you. In other words, behind it all is the concept that you are here for a reason, and thus by being employed, you are not fulfilling some sort of destiny. Those that have a faith that things will just turn out ok, also come into this category. In other words you need to decide if your faith is stronger than...

Pure cold economics.

If the maths of your situation are telling you that quitting is a bad idea, or is dependent on something else uncertain falling into place then you have your answer. Stay at the job! That's not to say you can't change your lifestyle over time, it just means don't rush. Be realistic and plan.

I personally sit on the side of the fence that looks at cold economics. What I feel really doesn't matter as it's your life. You need to decide if you have faith in a universal force, or would rather trust the numbers. Good luck either way.

[Hemlock]

I think it also depends what sort of person you are. I've done similar to what your thinking with only 3,000 in the bank when I moved to NYC. But I am someone who doesn't get stressed out by impending doom. If you get stressed out by the idea of going broke, it is probably smarter to set things up best you can while working at your other job.

It also helps to have a safety net. Is there someone who wouldn't mind if you crashed at their place if you run out of money, friends or family? It's all less stressful if you know the worst case scenario is running out of money and having to stay at a friends house for a short while as you get yourself normal employment again. As long as you're not a bum and respectful I find people actually like having a friend over for a month or so.

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by naossoan

How did you guys get the courage to quit yours?

I've had two jobs that I've quit (as opposed to knowing exactly when I was going to leave from the start).

The first time, I decided on and arranged exactly what I was going to do before I quit. No courage necessary.

The second time, I had saved up enough money to live on for a few months, and quit. This was somewhat reckless, but I disliked the job that much. However I was procrastinating on looking for something else, because this job paid well and I liked the people there. I quit to give me 'The Fear', and something came up in about a month (looking full-time).

So that's my experience. I just realised this was no help at all.

[Bliss Sage]

I agree with the two previous posts. Steve Pavlina says just to up and quit (which I did), but I recently saw an Abraham-Hicks video (YouTube - Abraham Tells a Trucker: YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL - Esther & Jerry Hicks which advises that you are called to your purpose gradually, and not all of a sudden in one fell swoop, that it is not advisable to just quit like that.

I personally quit my job in 2008 and, well...I'm back doing it again. My circumstances are better now, because I was a full-time employee before, obligated to do all the work that was handed to me asap, getting a fixed monthly salary. Now I am freelance and I can say no if I want, or say "I'm not available for work from Tuesday to Thursday" etc. I have control. Plus, it turns out I get better pay as a freelancer than I got as a full-time employee (i.e. I'm doing less work for more pay).

I have decided to invest in this job as I gradually transition to jobs I prefer to do by working on them as projects in my free-time.

It might at least be good to establish what sort of work you do want to do before you quit.

[naossoan]

I guess I kind of believe in both.

I think if I knew what I was passionate about and strive to do that, then everything would just sort of come to me. I think if you're doing what you love, you have the motivation to keep doing it and keep improving. In that way, opportunities will come to you because you are actively seeking them, even though you may not realize it.

If you don't know what you want to do or what you're passionate about then I believe in the "cold economics."

As for me, as I mentioned I really have no idea what I'm passionate about. It's actually kind of frustrating sometimes because I feel stuck in this life that I have with no foreseeable end in sight. No light at the end of the tunnel, persay...

Sure I have, and have had many different hobbies all of which I enjoyed very much, but I don't think I'd like to make full time work out of them, ya know?

I just hate the feeling of being "stuck" in your life and wanting a different one. I felt the same way when I was attending college because I was there for a program I ended up not enjoying, but completed anyway as to not entirely waste my time and money.

Maybe quitting isn't what I need. Maybe I just need some time off. I've got 2 weeks off coming up in December, so I'm looking forward to that. In the longer term though maybe when I hear back from the police force about when I can expect to attend training I will quit my job a good 2 months prior to give my self some good, long relaxation time.

Actually you know what, there is one thing I can think of that I could probably do forever. I love to build computers. I don't really want to learn more about how they work or anything, I just love building them. If I had enough money I'd build a new computer every month just to spend the time building it! I've thought about starting up a business for building and selling custom computers but I can't figure out how to get around having to support them afterward. No offense to any not so computer savvy people out there but end0user support is a complete nightmare. I just can't think of how I'd be able to compete with big stores/companies like Dell or whatever that you can customize a system but you also get support.

Maybe I'll test the waters by building a mock system (price it out online) and put it up for sale on the local boards and just buy the parts and build it once I actually have a buyer and kind of just go from there. Hmmmm, that has me kind of excited actually!

[SireneB]

Maybe you could find a business partner who would handle the support side.

[naossoan]

Yeah I suppose that's a possibility as well.

If I don't get that off the ground then I guess once I hear back from the police force, I'll quit my job then to have some much needed time off.

Thanks for the help everyone.

[ChrisGinsburg]

Quitting your job with no clear vision of your goals or a strong passion will leave you in a difficult position. This is not to say that in that time of change, you may find your ultimate passion. Quitting your job suddenly may also resonate very negatively with the police department. This is unfortunately one of those situations that only you can decide what to do. Your subconscious is always guiding you based on the directions you give it through your thoughts. It can make magic or it can drive you into the ground. My advice to you would be to discover what you are truly passionate about and decide what your goals are. Believe in them with the utmost regard. Once you reach this point, nothing will stop you so long as you continue to believe. Job or no job.

[Matthew Cluff]

Originally Posted by naossoan

My co-workers are slackers and quite annoying, and the job itself is not something I am even remotely interested in doing. I've had the job over 3 years.

First of all, your focus is on all of the wrong stuff. You're focusing on everything that's wrong and bad about your job -- that's simply your perception of it. If you want any change to happen, visualize the change that you want first. Get a clear picture of what you want and burn it into your mind. If you focus on the good, the good will come to you.

I don't really know what I want to do in life. I don't know what my passion is.

I want you to visit Home - The Passion Test. I think that this may be a way to find something that excites you and that you are, indeed, passionate about.

I do have lots of things that I enjoy doing, though none of them are really something I could see myself doing all the time as a means of income.

One of the things you must realize is that you do not necessarily have to work to earn money. In fact, working is the worst way to earn money.

Take something that you're relatively knowledgeable about and create an idea for a product that you could make in the future and sell online (or in physical form). This could be an audio recording, and eBook, a video - anything!

Now, yes, that may sound daunting, but the only reason for that is because you haven't ever tried it before. It's ingrained in your belief system that you must work for money, and that is simply not the case. If you work ONCE making a product that bundles your knowledge in a specific field, you can make residual profit from that in heaps and bounds. Some people dedicate their lives to doing that stuff! You definitely don't have to, but if you do follow through with an idea you have, you'll have made a decision, and you'll be well on your way to success.

This (Police Force) is also something I don't know if I will enjoy or want to do longterm, but I want to give it a shot.

If you have doubts about it, it's probably not something that your passionate about. You can take your passion and earn loads of money with it -- you just must understand how to do it, and working isn't going to make you much money. The reason is because your trading time for money. Your time is finite and if you want to make loads of money, multiply your time by creating informational products on something that you're passionate about, have knowledge in, or something else that you've researched. You can easily make an abundance of money if you wanted to with any passion. You must first realize this, though.

I really, really want to quit my job but I can't muster up the courage for some reason ... but when you don't have a clear vision of what you want to do they seem like the only option.

You must make a decision that you're going to find a job that you LOVE doing. You must make a decision that you're going to quit your job that you don't enjoy anymore; the people there are bearing a bad influence on you anyway, by the sounds of it.

Decisions are massive. Successful people make them quick and often; others make them slower and less frequently. If you want to see any change in your life, you just have to make the decision that it's going to happen. Don't worry about "how" it'll happen; if you make the decision first, the "how" will come after.

CREATE a vision of the ultimate lifestyle you want, DECIDE that you're going to live that way, and then keep repeating that you will live that lifestyle over and over again in your head. People and opportunities will come your way that will help make your vision come true.

I was considering saving up another $2-3000 so I have $10k in the bank, and another $10k in my car if I needed to sell it in a pinch for some reason, for a total of $20k.

I want you to take my advice when I say quit your job. This, here, is only an excuse not to. Your job is giving you a false sense of security. It's the only income stream you have, and you may be thinking that you may not have another one in a long time! Thoughts become things, though, so make a decision that you will have a new job or a new source of income in the near future. Then, take action.

Do you think I should just DO IT and not think about it? $20k can easily sustain me for a long time if I keep my spending down. I basically have all the stuff I need and don't see any necessary large purchases in my near future.

Making excuses will only keep you in your job. It'll keep you from living the path to success. Yes, quit your job.

If you have any questions about what I said above, or have any questions about getting to the point where you're able to live the life that you've always wanted to live, please feel free to contact me. I'm here to help you, and I want to be sure that I do just that

To Your Success,
Matthew Cluff

[richardxthripp]

You should definitely not quit. Be grateful that you have a job...

[ellie]

Originally Posted by Hemlock

I think it also depends what sort of person you are. I've done similar to what your thinking with only 3,000 in the bank when I moved to NYC. But I am someone who doesn't get stressed out by impending doom. If you get stressed out by the idea of going broke, it is probably smarter to set things up best you can while working at your other job.

It also helps to have a safety net. Is there someone who wouldn't mind if you crashed at their place if you run out of money, friends or family? It's all less stressful if you know the worst case scenario is running out of money and having to stay at a friends house for a short while as you get yourself normal employment again. As long as you're not a bum and respectful I find people actually like having a friend over for a month or so.

I don't know I find it hard to take risks, but I know it works for me....I noticed when I take big risk, better opportunities arise. So maybe it's about learning to take risks.

But then again you got to believe taking risks can be of benefit. I see it all as a bit of a game. Something always works out...well for me at least.

[Bricona]

Do go on vacation, but do not go on vacation.

Buy a plane ticket where the currency is cheaper than the american dollar, go somewhere cool, live out of your backpack, and work some labor jobs. Work on a farm, go bar tend, you don't have to be a telemarketer in India, or strive for some perfect job. What you need to do, is just get out there and acknowledge what you already like and then go after something worth going after.

[spartacus]

I've been self employed for 8 years now. I quit my job when I was making more money doing my part time job than my full time job. I'm in real estate. I love real estate and am very passionate about it, so it was a smooth transition, but like any business, you may see cyclical ups & downs. Having reserves is key. Maybe you could get a part time job then focus the rest of your time on something you love.