Live data from Hacker News

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

news.ycombinator.com

31–40 of 350 posts

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

#31
In the last 3 years I have quit 2 high paying tech jobs. I'll admit that I did so rather rashly in both cases and have been very, very remiss in failing to develop my own freelancing career. Also, I've had some rather harrowing financial problems recently due to taking quite a lot longer to find new employment than I thought it would (though now I'm back on my feet and doing ok).

Despite all that I still believe quitting was the right thing to do. Those jobs were not right for me and were driving me towards burn out. The upside of keeping either of those jobs for longer would have been literally tens of thousands of dollars more in my pocket and a lot less financial stress. But it almost assuredly would have gutted me on the inside. And the downside of that would probably end up being the destruction of my ability to operate as a knowledge worker at the level I'm capable of which easily translates to millions of dollars of lost revenue over the next few decades. So on balance I think I made the vastly better choice.

As far as your condition, it's not so terribly bad. You're young, you have low expenses (living at home). You seemingly have a lot more skill and talent than most folks your age. So you've hit a rough patch and maybe your resume is underwhelming and you don't have any good connections and you can't find the work you want. So what? Swallow your pride and go find any job that you can get. Washing dishes. Working retail. Manning the fry-o-later. Income is income, and being able to know that you are capable of supporting yourself no matter what can actually be a huge boost to your own self-image.

When I was in my late 20s and found myself out of work (during the dark days of the first dot-com bust) with a shitty resume and no connections I ended up working as an overnight stocker at a grocery store (I ended up losing 15 lbs in 3 weeks just due to the intensity of the manual labor at that job) for a while and then doing data entry for nearly 2 years after that. Quite quickly I was able to get to a state where I could live alone, pay all my bills, and had money in my pocket to spare. It wasn't easy but it was very rewarding. And eventually I got to a state where I could start looking at moving back into technology, each job I got increased my skillset and improved my resume.

I know a lot of people who make a decent living in tech without a degree, at every level (from IT and tech support all the way up to senior developers). Even so, you've got plenty of time to acquire one should you deem it important. You've got the whole world and your whole life ahead of you, you're not nearly as behind in the game as you think. All you need to do is apply yourself enough, get over the fantasy that the world will deliver your dream job to you on a silver platter at age 20, build up your skills and your connections bit by bit, and start making solid steps towards your goals.

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

#32
post #2

I'm deeply depressed and contemplating suicide If you are having suicidal thoughts then please talk to someone about that now. There are lots of people you can talk to. No matter where you are you can visit http://www.befrienders.org/

To add to that, you might also find help on reddits suicidewatch:

reddit.com/r/suicidewatch

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

#33
"It just didn't work out and it feels very painful."

There is a lot of good advice in this thread already, but if you were my mate and we were chatting over a beer at the pub - I would say this to you:

It sucks man, im really sorry it didn't work out. BUT irrespective of the result - you learnt some important things. Two very big things specifically: 1. you have the gusto to pursue your dreams, and 2. you have the smarts to realise things aren't working out (and admit it to yourself.. and HN)

I know that 'learning things' doesn't make you feel any better right now... but you have done something millions of people spend there whole lives dreaming about... and I for one applaud you.

In regards to freelancing not working out - it's a tough thing man.. i have personally never been able to do it (successfully) for very long, and realistically not many people can.

My advice would be to start looking for a job - but a job that you find fun. Maybe look for a startup that is doing something you find cool? Pour your heart out in your cover letter... even if they don't have a position advertised - just email them and show them your passion. I have done this twice - and some people really respect it.

good luck dude - all the best.

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

#34
post #12

"A lot of the barriers are in your head ;-)" -mannicken, 17 days ago

Also consider light therapy -- a quick look at your profile indicates that you're in Seattle, and SAD sneaks up on you pretty quick this time of year. Now is when it's starting to hit hard. Although some people get it more than most, many people are affected by it at least to some degree.

A light therapy lamp has given me the best return on investment of any product I have purchased ever. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C15P7A/

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

#35
It'll be OK.

I've done the same things at least twice.

At 20 you're probably not realising that by far the best bits of life are when you have to struggle; a comfortable life is a wasted life.

Couple of tips:

* When you're feeling sad, don't drink or take drugs - believe me they really don't help.

* Use a condom ;)

* Get an education (hell, you're reading Hacker News, so you probably know a lot already)

* Get a small part-time job - it'll make your dad feel better, and maybe know you don't get it, but true happiness comes from making other people feel good.

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

#36

PLEASE DON'T CONSIDER SUICIDE. PLEASE. The feeling that all doors are closed is ALWAYS misleading. There is always an open door, alas maybe you don't see it today, or tomorrow, but it's there. The one thing you should do is to find ASAP someone who never shouts at you, who is not blaming you, and who is cab listen and consider the options. THERE ARE MANY OPTIONS. YOU WILL GET OUT no matter how unrealistically it look…

Contribute something he hasn't heard a thousand times from after school specials. Seriously. Harsh but necessary.

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

#37
post #2

I'm deeply depressed and contemplating suicide If you are having suicidal thoughts then please talk to someone about that now. There are lots of people you can talk to. No matter where you are you can visit http://www.befrienders.org/

Contribute something he hasn't heard a thousand times from after school specials. Seriously. Harsh but necessary.

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

#38
post #2

I'm deeply depressed and contemplating suicide If you are having suicidal thoughts then please talk to someone about that now. There are lots of people you can talk to. No matter where you are you can visit http://www.befrienders.org/

A few years ago I was in a really similar situation. Now I'm fine, but in that period I called those guys at http://www.befrienders.org It really helped me. (sorry for my bad english) Creativity saved me, not necessarly BIG creativity. I was helped being creative, and now I'm really fine. I hope this helps.

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

#39
post #32
post #2

I'm deeply depressed and contemplating suicide If you are having suicidal thoughts then please talk to someone about that now. There are lots of people you can talk to. No matter where you are you can visit http://www.befrienders.org/

To add to that, you might also find help on reddits suicidewatch: reddit.com/r/suicidewatch

You get a pass for linking something that might be a laugh. He needs cheering up.

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

#40

You're 20? You have your whole life ahead of you, get back on the grind and make it happen! It may feel hopeless now, but I assure you it's not. I'd bet you have skills that other people would love to have, you just need to figure out how to better apply them. Don't give up, hard work pays off, I was in your exact situation or worse when I was your age :) (I'm 23 now and have turned it around) Oh, and parents say thi…

Contribute something he hasn't heard a thousand times from after school specials. Seriously. Harsh but necessary.
Post reply on HN