No more living nightmare

[pinky]

"They work 8, 10, 12 hours a day, the worst jobs imaginable, there lives are a living nightmare.  And this show, if it can give anybody a little bit of comfort from the horror house that is their existence, then I have done my part." Tom Scharpling, yesterday.

I am quitting my job today and have no other job to go to, I am just completely fed up.  I have my 4 week notice period to find another job and have never quit one job with out knowing there was some source of income in the future, and I am not confident. 

I would love to gleam some extra comfort from the MessageBoard about other people having done the same thing and having extreme levels of success and happiness.  Of course any words of warning would be appreciated too. 

[Steve of Bloomington]

"They work 8, 10, 12 hours a day, the worst jobs imaginable, there lives are a living nightmare.  And this show, if it can give anybody a little bit of comfort from the horror house that is their existence, then I have done my part." Tom Scharpling, yesterday.

I am quitting my job today and have no other job to go to, I am just completely fed up.  I have my 4 week notice period to find another job and have never quit one job with out knowing there was some source of income in the future, and I am not confident. 

I would love to gleam some extra comfort from the MessageBoard about other people having done the same thing and having extreme levels of success and happiness.  Of course any words of warning would be appreciated too. 

Good luck (seriously).

Here's a question you may already be sick of: what are you doing next?

I am pretty disgruntled myself but lack of plan B keeps me pretty firmly where I am.  I'm all for the inspirational success stories so hopefully things work out for you.

[Emily]

Four weeks notice is better than two. At least if you're looking for a new job it'll give you a bit of "wiggle room".

How long have you been at your job?

What are your plans for the future?

Having a crappy job is still better than not having a job at all. (Because you'll get paid)

But taking a leap of faith can be a good life experience / learning lesson.

You may find out what you're truly capable of when you have to "make it work" on your own.

But you may get a tough break and find you are worse off.

It is what you make of it and, ultimately, what you really want.

And your financial situation is key. Can you manage without a job? For how long?


If you quit your job, I recommend using the momentum you gain by walking away to a) do something worthwhile (however you see fit) but also b) seriously look for another job.

If you're looking for work in the "library industry" I'd be happy to send you job ads.


Something that helps me is having an ultimate goal. Like, where you see yourself in the future. But doing what it takes now, to ensure you get there.

Good luck!

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

I've done this, and I won't lie - I went through a pretty rough patch immediately afterward.  But it had to be done, like ripping off a band-aid, and I don't regret it a bit.  In the long term everything definitely worked out for the best.

[pinky]

I have a definite lack of Plan B, but that has kept me in this job for the last year.  I am pretty sure that I can get another crappy job if necessary and at least it will be a change if I do.  Definitely ripping of the bandaid!!  Its gonna hurt.

[Susannah]

I was absolutely miserable at my first job out of college--too much drudgery, not enough thinking.  It's no coincidence that having that job coincided with the rise of my "Best Show" love: I listened to the archives all day at work, trying to make the time pass faster.  I took the time I was unhappy there to figure out what I really wanted to do, applied for different jobs, and today have the best job I could have ever imagined for now (despite my complaints sometimes )  Quitting my job was the best thing I could have done, but I made sure something else was lined up first.  Is there any way you can stick it out until you've got something else on your plate? Do you feel ok about doing temp work if you must, just to generate income?

If you're interested in teaching, message me for some job links!

[pinky]

I could probably stick it out but I have been there for a long while already and every time I am ready to start looking something happens,  like they offer me a bonus or I need to travel for a wedding or something.  I am comfortable temping and have found it is good way to get permanent employment, thank you for your offer of the teaching links but I am in the UK so probably one be too helpful. 

[iAmBaronVonTito]

pinky, i fully support this with open arms.  

ive done this MANY TIMES and like JG, i dont regret it.  i was broke and went to less shows, but it didnt hurt to sit outside the venue and listen in.  i spent more time working on my music and essays than ever.  money hurts but nothing that cant be solved with 99 cent menus, top ramen, and a clean shower/bed if nothing else.  

its not for everyone, but my twenties (can i stretch it to my early/mid-thirties?) is the decade i have to do ridiculous things like quit my job, live with three other people, and be broke...but happy.  

[andrew in philadelphia]

as long you can supply yourself w/ enough food & shelter to last until your next work gig - go for it. life is too short (and stupid) to waste it doing something you hate.

back in '02, i attended a mike watt gig in my town and was fortunate enough to have the man himself crash at my pad after the show. i've always been a fan of his whole "write your own poem, paint your own picture, start your own life" philosophy - so after he and his band shoved off the next morn - i walked down to the nearest payphone (we had no phone,) quit my horrifying job going door to door for the phone company (irony,) and took a job as a bike courier making roughly $85-$135 a week. my wife was making just barely minimum wage at the time, but somehow, we scraped together enough dough for rent, chow (mostly hot dogs and fries,) cigarettes, the occasional beer, birth control pills, and a few other luxuries. it was kind of weird that "sorry, i can't" became my standard response to anyone's inquiries regarding any happenings that required money - but to this day - that really was one of the best times of my life. the less options you have, the more you're able to surprise yourself in terms of what you're capable of.

P.S. - ROY IN '08!

[iAmBaronVonTito]

it was kind of weird that "sorry, i can't" became my standard response to anyone's inquiries regarding any happenings that required money...

ditto.  and we reverted back to the old days when we were children and had people over to the house (B.Y.O.B., etc.) and watch television, dvds, play board games, listen to records...it was free and everyone left feeling good.

[pinky]

Thank you BaronVonTito and Andrew from Philadelphia, that made me feel really good about my decision.  I did the deed yesterday and am feeling better already, I gave them 5 weeks notice so I have a bit of time to figure it out yet.  Very much appreciated.  So mark the date, you will know if I have been unsuccessful if in 5 weeks time I am posting all over this board!!!  Thanks again.

PS.  Andrew, you are the Water Method Man

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

pinky, i fully support this with open arms.  

ive done this MANY TIMES and like JG, i dont regret it.  i was broke and went to less shows, but it didnt hurt to sit outside the venue and listen in.  i spent more time working on my music and essays than ever.  money hurts but nothing that cant be solved with 99 cent menus, top ramen, and a clean shower/bed if nothing else.  

its not for everyone, but my twenties (can i stretch it to my early/mid-thirties?) is the decade i have to do ridiculous things like quit my job, live with three other people, and be broke...but happy.  

I decided to knock this sort of thing off around when I turned 27.  But that was actually just a year or two after my impulsive job-quitting, so that was mostly just not wanting to scramble again.

Not that anyone asked, but I spent most of that year or two cater-waitering, which is a way to meet a truly insane sector of New York City that you would otherwise never know existed.

[Fido]

Not that anyone asked, but I spent most of that year or two cater-waitering, which is a way to meet a truly insane sector of New York City that you would otherwise never know existed.

Now that you've brought it up, JG, I'm really curious to hear more about this insane sector you speak of. I've never been a cater waiter, but I'm wondering if what I'm imagining is anything like what you experienced.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Well, it's not exactly the dregs, but it's people too weird for temping and too ambitious (or something, maybe also too weird) to work full-time in a restaurant: alcoholics and heavy drug users, self-hating dysfunctional gay guys, recent immigrants from South America constantly looking for a hustle (and finding them in places I never would have even thought of), sleazy thuggish white dudes from Queens, and every kind of frustrated artist you could imagine, all in various stages of defeat (this last one included me at the time).  The people who had settled into being "captains" and took it way too seriously were by far the most depressing.  Lots of people freaking out, like screaming, about completely insignificant crap. 

All of this unfolded against odd corners of NY that I'm glad I saw, but it was a weird way to spend my days: one day I'd be serving coffee out of a silver tea service at 7am in a 60th floor office overlooking a helipad, another day I'd be in the bleak tan basement of a law firm, yet another I'd be on some estate in Connecticut owned by a guy so rich he had his own zoo.  There were some cool moments - leaning against the Temple of Dendur at the Met after I had put out plates of petit fours, working an all-celebrity party at Jann Wenner's house (Harrison Ford was exactly like his character in Regarding Henry), serving George HW and Barbara Bush on the USS Intrepid (George was totally charming, Barbara was horrible and mean).  But mostly I'm glad I never have to do that again (I hope).

Oh, also I got to see a whole bunch of original Picassos in some guy's apartment, and the Gold Record of Laura Branigan's "Gloria."

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Sure, I've done this plenty of times with relative success.

Though there was this one time I did wind up sleeping on the streets in a strange city for a few weeks, so perhaps I'm not the ideal respondant.