I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea. • Hacker News Board

Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.

#251

Post by flomincucci » Wed, Oct 12, 2011, 6:06 PM UTC

jlees wrote: post #188

edw519 wrote: post #141

I did quit my full-time job. So did I. Many times. About half the time it worked out great. The other half, it sucked, just like yours does now. You are not alone. I'm constantly broke, on the verge of poverty... Then get a job, any job. It doesn't have to be programming. It'll get you out of the house, get you with other people, and put a few bucks in your pocket. If you love programming enough, you'll find time to…

Then get a job, any job. It doesn't have to be programming. It'll get you out of the house, get you with other people, and put a few bucks in your pocket. If you love programming enough, you'll find time to keep it going on the side. Totally second the "any job" part. I'd go as far as to say try to do something that isn't programming. Speaking from experience, sometimes the reason freelancing isn't going so well is s…

I'd like to add: get a job, any job, and finish high school. It's always a good idea.

Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.

#252

Post by badclient » Wed, Oct 12, 2011, 6:17 PM UTC

Since the time you made this post, more than one people near you got hired for a minimum wage job.

More importantly, in the next few hours, some more people are going to be hired. One of them can be you.

Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.

#253

Post by djcjr » Wed, Oct 12, 2011, 6:30 PM UTC

"I have to constantly hear my father shout what an idiot I am for quitting a high-paying job."

I think you should go somewhere else away from your father, whatever happens. You tried something and it didn't work. There's no reverse gear on life. Your dad reveals himself as someone who does not support you.

Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.

#254

Post by prpon » Wed, Oct 12, 2011, 6:30 PM UTC

thaumaturgy wrote: post #59

So, here's my story; I tell it occasionally when stories like yours come up. I had no college experience, but did manage to jump right in to a good I.T. job while I was still in high school, and from there into an even better I.T. job in another state where I made more money than I knew what to do with. (I've never been good with money, and didn't understand what "savings" meant.) I worked there until suddenly one da…

You sir, are an inspiration.

Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.

#255

Post by mirkules » Wed, Oct 12, 2011, 6:35 PM UTC

joezydeco wrote: post #192

jlees wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then get a job, any job. It doesn't have to be programming. It'll get you out of the house, get you with other people, and put a few bucks in your pocket. If you love programming enough, you'll find time to keep it going on the side. Totally second the "any job" part. I'd go as far as to say try to do something that isn't programming. Speaking from experience, sometimes the reason freelancing isn't going so well is s…

You may also find that working in an area unrelated to computers you'll find an idea for a project or niche business that will work. There are lots of businesses that need engineers and programmers to help them but can't figure out where to look first.

You nailed it. As an example, recently I got back into music, started playing with a band, and then it hit me - there is an opportunity to make some iPad apps to help when on stage and in the practice studio.

You can spend your life as an engineer always looking for other people's problems to solve, and always running out of motivation. When you have your own problem to solve, out of necessity or convenience, the motivation is there by default.

Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.

#256

Post by zephyrfalcon » Wed, Oct 12, 2011, 6:37 PM UTC

Looking at your description of your previous job, it didn't exactly seem like a good place to work... OK, that's an understatement. You're not an idiot for leaving an abusive employer; you would have been an idiot to stay there. I bet that in a few years, you will remember it as one of the best things you've ever done. It just doesn't feel that way right now, because quitting is only the first step you have to take to make things better.

It's not that easy to find a decent job, especially in this economy... so if all else fails, you will have to "bootstrap" yourself, get any old job (as others already pointed out), and buy yourself some time to figure out what you really want.

Parents can be notoriously annoying when it comes to things like this, but (in my experience) it's usually because they're worried. They only see part of the story; you had a (well-paying) job, then you quit, now you're broke, doesn't sound like a good decision, from their POV. When I lost my job long ago, my mom acted like it was the end of the world. (It's better than having a parent who doesn't care though.) But after a few months I found a job that was what I wanted to do (i.e., programming, in my case) and things got better from there.

A final thought: it's better to make this decision when you're 20, than when you're (say) 40 and have a mortgage, a family to support, etc.

Good luck.

Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.

#257

Post by karolist » Wed, Oct 12, 2011, 6:39 PM UTC

franze wrote: post #214

a story, my story i quit my job, a good job, i was (web) business developer, had to oversee a few coders, code a little bit myself, tell other companies what they should code for us, talked in big meetings, had a great time with my boss and co-workers and the prospect of becoming a COO in time. i quit, it was 2004, i was 26 and the web was in a shitty state (this was before web 2.0 and IE had 90 market share). i want…

Interesting. What happened next?

Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.

#258

Post by anotherstupid » Wed, Oct 12, 2011, 6:49 PM UTC

I did the same; quit my boring job to try this startup thing, just to find later that I'm maybe too lazy to be an entrepreneuer. Well, I got my old job back, but quit again after few months. During that time I also messed things up with my gf. We have a young child. My parents live far away in rural area, moving there would kill my (miserable) social life so it's not an option. Oh and I'm almost 30. I feel very stressed & depressed about this whole mess right now.

OP: You are very young & only responsible for yourself (no children), things could be much more worse.

Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.

#259

Post by alexwolfe » Wed, Oct 12, 2011, 6:49 PM UTC

Not sure this message will find you, hope it does. You're 20 and made a mistake, that's ok. Really it is. At 20 years old there is usually very little chance of being an out the gate success, its rare. But what this experience shows is you have guts and clearly a ton of ambition. Believe me, this is a tough time but do your best to recover, its time for plan B. Go back to school if you want and look for other jobs. Once you get back on track you will truly value this experience because when you are ready to try again, you'll come more prepared. Good luck and keep your head up.

Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.

#260

Post by acceptfail » Wed, Oct 12, 2011, 6:52 PM UTC

I know how you feel...once you've hit bottom, you can only go up.

I quit my job last fall to pursue my startup full time. Similar deal--good pay, good experience, but just too much stress at my day job and things w/ my startup were gaining a lot of momentum.

Things took a turn for the worse when I wasn't getting where I wanted to be. I ended up becoming a regular heroin user. The inevitable occurred and my life became ruined.

Now I'm 26. I live with my dad. I don't do drugs anymore. My credit score is probably 300 (I don't even want to know) from defaulting on all of the debts undertaken when I quit my job and ran out of savings. I'm constantly 3 months behind on my BMW lease; taking it on was an impulsive decision that I thought would motivate me to work harder.

I spent a lot of time regretting my actions. It took a long time to accept my mistakes and failure... of course, with the help of some therapy and a little psychiatric medication.

Eventually you'll pull yourself out of your slump. Focus on yourself. Exercise if you don't already. Keep up a routine. And get out of the house. Your situation could be a lot worse. Go to the mall and ask for job applications. It's likely the easiest way for formally uneducated people to get jobs, especially with the upcoming holiday season. You'll work for peanuts, but you'll meet lots of people who are in your situation (working a shitty job as a stop-gap) who will probably be better friends than anyone you know today.

After months of self-deprecating thoughts and depression, I've finally gotten an interview booked with a local growing web company. I didn't try to improve things for months because I thought they couldn't be improved. You need to get over yourself and start to try at life. Stop focusing on what went wrong and instead wake up tomorrow and realize that you can start moving forward regardless of what's obstructing your path (usually mental barriers.)