when would you quit a high paid job you did not enjoy?

perth_worker

Hello,

Just after a bit of advise really...

OK, so i'm from the UK (London) but am working in Australia (Perth). Straight after I finished Uni, I got a job in Perth. I thought I would give it a shot as I thought I liked the idea of working abroad, specially where there are beaches and where its hot and sunny (I now find the beaches mega boring, and look forward to grey/light rain but that's beside the point).

Anyway from Day 1, I didn't enjoy my job much but stuck with it; to gain experience, also the money was good and I had nothing better to do. It was my first proper job so I didn't have anything really to compare it to and thought it may just be the 'working-life' I don't enjoy. Anyway so I stuck with it for 2.5 years. I got a bit depressed for a while, and started seeing a physiologist for a bit (doctors recommendation) but that made me even more depressed so I have stop that.


2.5 years later, I now hate my work, don't get along with the people I work with and dread going to work everyday. I have given a lot of thought about what I want to do, and have considered travelling, taking some time off, volunteering...but these options would mean going back to work eventually (probably in the same role) so are not very appealing.

I have decided I THINK I would like a career change. After doing a bit of research I found two careers paths which seem appealing. The first is to do vocational 1-yr post grad diploma. This would allow me work for local governments, and I think I would enjoy this role a lot more than my current job (as it more related to my interest and my degree) and it might provide a lot more job security (i guess because its government work) however the negative side is it pays a lot less then my current job even in senior roles. I would definitely like to get some work experience in this sector before I completely decide if this is the career path I would like to go down (and also to try get some funding for my studies) but this is a bit difficult to do at the moment as I am working full time. The course doesn't start till March next year so I got a year to do this.

Another career option I thought about is going into teaching. I would like to teach maths in a secondary school. I work as a private tutor on the side but apart from that don't really have much experience in being a teacher. Teaching is not really something I really want to do (like its not like a life long dream, but is any job?) it just seems a bit more appealing then what I am currently doing and seems like something I don't mind doing. I love working as a private tutor, and realise teaching in a school is completely different but though maybe it may help me get more clients.

The other option is to stick with my current career as it pays well, try a different employer or role to see if I like it. Even though I don't want to and lack motivation in it.

Im currently applying for Australian permanent residency so if I quit my job now I am not allowed to work in Australia until I get PR (which could take up to six months but hopefully I should find out in a month or two). I have enough savings to survive for a few years. I have around 70K in savings (that's all my savings) but feel a bit guilty using it, as I was saving to buy a house and also I may need the money if I decide to go back to uni.

The reason why I hate my job:
- I lack motivation in it, don't understand what I doing half the time (its quite a sciencey/technical role) and am rubbish at my job. I recently submitted a report which was pretty poor and subsequently had a meeting with the director. I was told my job was not at risk however I was given a written warning stating I did not show interest an will subsequently have a lot more performance reviews. I am not sure why, but I really took the meeting to heart and got a bit teary infront of the director and said I will definately try harder. Anyway since that meeting I have hated coming into work.

Other reasons I hate my job:

- I hate the site work that is involved in the role. I have to go to mine sites for up to two weeks. These are really remote areas where I we have to work for 12 hours a day in really hot and dusty conditions. In saying that, I don't actually have to do much - just supervise drillers mainly but I find dealing with my bosses, the clients and the drillers pretty stressful and being away from my partner and home pretty hard. I have to spend roughly up to 1/3 of the year outbush. Last year I spent 90 days in total outbush and a similar amount the year before that.

-When I am not outbush, i'm in the office. We usually don't have much on in the office, which sometimes is worse as times goes so slowly.
- I have no job security at the moment, as I work as a consultant, if work dries up I would be fired pretty fast.
- I work in a really small office. There are only five of us in total, the other three are a lot more experience in the role and then me and are also 40+ years old (I am 26years old) so find it pretty awkward with them and they all look down on me. We all go for lunch together which I find really awkward and I usually just sit in silence day dreaming or ask stupid questions.

The good points about my job:

- pays really well considering my age and experience. I was on 40k a year in my first year and on 53k on the second year. No pay rise this year (perhaps due to my poor performance or maybe because they think they over pay me) - but this how I have managed to save a huge amount. I worked out that i'm getting £150 a day after tax everyday i show up to work which is a lot more than the £5.5 a hour I use to get when I was doing casual no-end jobs back in the UK.


Anyway sorry for the long rant...just wondering what you guys would advise I should do;
Should I resign, go with the flow till I get fired, wait till I get PR before resigning...

Hellomonkey

I have been in a very similar situation.....I worked my way up to a very well paid position, but after several years realised how unhappy it was making me.

I finally made the decision to leave and retrain as something I have always wanted to do but that was a massive drop in salary.

Two weeks after leaving I found out I was pregnant! My due date was 2 weeks before the 2 year full time course I was due to start began.....so I was stuffed, but very happy!

I now have an adorable little munchkin, but financially things are very tight.....I have never been happier though...it takes time to get used to budgeting and having to make decisions about what you can and can't afford, but its worth it to take away the feeling of dread every morning and, in your case, possibly the feeling of depression.

You mention a partner, I couldn't have done it without the support of mine (it's massively affected his lifestyle too) but if you have their support, you will be fine.

Hope this helps a little.....life is short, so work on what makes you happy

bugslet

1. Give it your best now, up your game, they are paying you a chunk of money.

2. Go and find a well recommended careers advisor and spend some money on finding out what best suits your talents and personality ( I think answering that one is tough, it's a can't see the wood for the trees situation). An outside professional appraisal is a godsend to shove you in the right direction. I'm syaing that as someone that used the service, not as a career advisor. ( I am happy to Pm you the details of the one I used, as she works by e-mail as well as in person/phone, if you can't find one in Oz).

3. Not liking a job is OK, hating it is no way to live however much it pays, so do something else. If you have a plan to do something else, it will make your current situation feel a bit better.

4. If you do 1., it makes you feel like an adult, and they'll give you a good reference, which you may want for your next career or uni choice.

Good luck!

Dunroamin

Do not go into teaching just as a back up plan - you won't survive.

pinkshoes

Dunroamin wrote: »

Do not go into teaching just as a back up plan - you won't survive.

I second this! I quit my career to become a teacher, and am currently doing my PGCE. It is the most time consuming and stressful thing I have ever done, and am now having second thoughts about whether it was the right decision! I love the teaching, but the hours are more horrendous that I ever could have imagined!

Voyager2002

First, what does your partner say? And there are all sorts of questions about the relationship and how important it is to you, questions that you need to think through in order to clarify your options.

Anyway, you need to see a professional careers adviser to draw up an audit of your strengths and weaknesses, and what things you do and do not like. That kind of audit would be the basis for looking at different career paths and working out what would be right for you. At that point you could start making decisions about training and/or volunteering to get the necessary experience.

And it is very clear that staying in your present job is not a viable long-term option. The way you feel about work is not a good way to be, and other people at work have noticed. The fact that they have commented indicates that what you are feeling is different from what everyone feels when they leave student life and enter the world of work. If you stay too long in a job that you do badly, other options will close off: the danger is that you get labelled as being a bad worker rather than simply bad at one specific thing. Think of your high earnings as a once-for-all windfall, meaning that you now have the financial backing required to do what is necessary for your dreams to come true. I'm sure that you have better dreams than simply having a high income!

FBaby

You are facing a real tough time when a key decision could have a significant effect on your life. You could make the best decision that could change your life for the best or the other way round.

My advise would be, don't make any decision on the basis of you hating your job. Unfortunately, it is often when things are really bad in our present situations that we make desperate decisions just to get out of it. It's only when things get a bit better that we then realise that it isn't as bad as we thought and the grass is not always greener elsewhere. It's also easy to take what we have for granted. You might be very unhappy in your job, but you could end up even unhappier faced with a limited lifestyle due to reduced income.

I think you need to plan what you want to do in your future, but do take your time to plan it well and be patient. Definitely involve your partner and these discussions.

guitarman001

Is your quoted salary in GBP or AUD? I would think that's low for Oz if in AUD? What IS your job? I quit a PhD years ago - best thing I EVER did. Stayed in the same industry (still not 100% sure about it but I've made my bed now) and moved up pretty quickly getting real experience. The PhD was making me MISERABLE. Maybe try a different employer first... that's what I'd say. BUT if you're going to make any srt of change, the younger the better...

bodmil

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Triker

I'd set yourself a time limit, say 3 months, or six months, keep saving like mad and sign up or put out inquiries to see what is out there more suitable for your needs.

I found once I gave myself a time limit in my head of how long I intended to stay in a post it felt significantly better to 'work my private notice' whilst still getting on with it. I felt much more in control rather than just miserable.

If an opportunity then comes up that suits your interests then go for it, and good luck.

Almo

guitarman001 wrote: »

Is your quoted salary in GBP or AUD? I would think that's low for Oz if in AUD? What IS your job? I quit a PhD years ago - best thing I EVER did. Stayed in the same industry (still not 100% sure about it but I've made my bed now) and moved up pretty quickly getting real experience. The PhD was making me MISERABLE. Maybe try a different employer first... that's what I'd say. BUT if you're going to make any srt of change, the younger the better...

I wondered whether it was AUD or GBP too, but think it must be GBP, Perth would be a huge struggle on $40k.