The Joys of Quitting a Lousy Job

The benefits of quitting a terrible job can far outweigh the inconveniences of looking for a new one. If your boss was difficult, pressure to perform was overly high or hated working the night shift, the freedom of leaving can be amazing. Having left a unfulfilling, dredge day job after three years of nonstop stress and psychological torture, it was great to tell them goodbye. They didn't believe me, pretending that my resignation wasn't real.

As a home agent for a large company, the position initially attracted me, with the perks of working from home and adequate medical insurance coverage. As time went on, the company began to lose business, due to a variety of factors. The customers weren't buying what we were selling, due to a nationwide recession and lack of trust in over the phone commerce. The next thing everyone knew, employees were dropping like flies and health benefits were cut back. To get its revenue up again, the bosses made everyone read poorly written scripts and be overly aggressive in trying to recruit sales customers who called us. As employees became disillusioned with their jobs and our paychecks dwindled, it was too much for me to take anymore. The minute I was hired at a new and better home agent job for a more reputable company, it felt good to give two weeks' notice.

It was a relief that training for the next job wasn't for a whole month. Being home, without having to do any drudge work felt really great. It feels like a vacation, to do nothing, sleep in every day until noon and be shamelessly lazy for once. No more getting up at the crack of dawn to sign on to a job that wasn't fun or challenging. It was exciting to anticipate the beginning of a new job. Until then, it feels good to stay off the phone completely, watch reruns of "Frasier" or a CD of a favorite movie. Doing absolutely nothing of value feels wonderful. Slowly, the feeling of life energy returns. How good it feels to answer to no one, if even for only just a week or two.

In a week, my new job training begins. It has been a gift to have peace, rejuvenation and rest. It felt good sending each and every note and memo from my old job through the paper shredder, and seeing a once important stack of papers now nothing more than a pile of shreds that would look great as bedding on the bottom of a gerbil's cage. It's time to start over. Sure, the new job will have its ups and downs, but that's no problem. This next job may not be perfect, but it's more challenging, and is more money for less work. To stagnate in a job with no future is a fate worse than death. Dealing with a corrupt former employer has taught me to make sure the new job is reputable. Coming highly recommended by just about everyone, my new position will be a welcome change.

If you hate your current job, take the chance and burst out of the depressing routine. We only live once, so it's better to try than be stuck doing something that isn't for us. It's OK to try new things, and strike out in the great unknown. You never know unless you give it a try. Go for it; just make sure you have a new job in place before quitting the old one. And, give yourself time off between jobs. You'll be glad that you did, trust me.