Could you leave your job tomorrow?

And no this isn’t about me, I really do like my job.

I quit my job January 29th. To be honest I did exactly what you asked… I told my boss to go to hell and that was the end of it.
I have applied for two jobs that are of genuine interest to me. One I backed out on because I decided there may be some personality conflicts from past relationships. The other I got hired on, but it is a one week position in emergency medicine I am doing for the experience and for personal gratification. I know that going in. It isn’t until the last week of August.
I have been offered positions on an open offer basis with two employers bartending and waiting tables. I will not accept one of those until I decide I need to work as I continue pursuing my goals. I appreciate the offers, both from previous employers, but do not want to restrict my time I am using to continue improving my skill sets in EMS and hunting for an ideal job. I anticipate taking one of the two for two months during the peak of summer tourism, which is ideal for both me and the employer.

Definitely not. I teach, and we’re just getting back from spring break. If I bounced in the middle of a semester, I could kiss my chances of receiving a positive referral from the dean goodbye. I do, however, plan to step down from my teaching position before we transition to summer quarter, as I intend to move out of state to pursue my PhD.

I’m already guaranteed a teaching position at my new university for up to five years. Quitting my current job will have few, if any, repercussions. I worked hard to receive these honors! ;)

Yes, but that’d be a shitty thing for me to do. And how in the world would I know how long it would take me to find something else? I can’t see the future. Luckily, I love my job, so it’s a non-issue.

Can quitting school count? :)

I have done this before but I wouldn’t quit my current job, I enjoy it. With the current situation as it is now it would probably take me six months to find another job and my savings won’t stretch that far.

I love my job, but if I didn’t like it, I could afford to go without salary for quite a while, but I couldn’t afford to pay for my own health benefits (and for my child, too) so I would not quit if I didn’t like my job, no.

Nope, not without something available to fall back on right away. Thank goodness I enjoy my job and my co-workers and even my management. But with teenagers at home who are about to go to college, and a spousal support payment due every month, I’d be over a barrel without my income.

No, I couldn’t afford to just quit a job without having another to walk straight into. I am jealous of anyone who has the financial security to do that. Thankfully, I love my job!

I don’t work now, but in the past only one time did I quit with no job to go to when I needed the money to live. Otherwise, I always waited until I had a new job before quitting. Later, as I got older, my husband and I were basically living on his salary and saving mine, or just usuing mine for extras, but not to pay bills. I still didn’t quit too haphazardly, because I still cared about my reputation. Having savings so I can quit was worth every sacrifice I made when I was younger. We still save a lot with fears as we get older that it will be harder to find jobs if I need to go back to work or my husband gets laid off.

Some jobs are much easier to come by. Earlier in my career it was easy to get the sort of job, the evel, I was working at. Now that I have more experience, the level I am at in my career is harder to find the perfect job, unless I take jobs at lower levels.

What I am trying to get at with this question, is a lot of people think there is no such thing as wage slaves, your not a slave if you don’t like the pay or conditions move on or don’t take the job, WOW great theory to bad it’s full of shit, many people are stuck in low wage that can’t even pay all the bills, but they need a roof over them and food.
I realize there are different wage scales, a sales clerk at Walmart isn’t going to make the same pay as the CEO of Mac, BUT that sales clerk does indeed deserve a living wage not just minimum wage that has to be subsidized by food stamps just to put food on the table.
In North America , Canada and the US we need to move away from a minimum wage to a living wage, and a living wage has to fit the area ,what does it take in this area of the country to put a roof over your head and food on the table type thing without needing Government assistance to do that,yes a living wage would very for different parts of the country,you want and scream for less Government than stop making the lower end need Government so much.

…oh, I didn’t realize this question had political undertones.

Luckily, I earn more than a living wage, as does my husband. We’re not wealthy by any means, but his income alone has supported us before and it could do it again. My income could also support us if he were to become jobless. We prefer a dual income, though. I’m no housewife. So my answer would still be yes, financially, I could leave my job right now, but I have no plans to do so.

Well sure people should make a living wage. I couldn’t agree more. People making a minimal living wage still have trouble quitting their job. Our system looks at space between jobs as a huge negative, I mean you better be able to explain it, right? I hate it. Massive layoffs several years ago help take some of the stigma off of it. What if you make a great salary, save like crazy, and choose to take two years off fulfilling your bucket list? Lots of employers will wonder if you will be a reliable long term employee. We are slaves to our jobs for all sorts of reasons. One big one used to be medical coverage, hopefully Obamacare fixes that. Fear that we won’t get a jobs that is any better is another. Fear of change. The overall climate in America since the economic downturn is everyone should be thrilled they have any job no matter how underpaid and abused they are at work. You get what you get and don’t complain. Screw that. I’m waiting for the big backlash.

@JLeslie Great answer, kinda rubs me the wrong way when people say no one is a wage slave, your not forced to work, great theory if you don’t mind living in a cardboard box and eating garbage, BUT everyone that works should be able to put food on the table and a roof over their head without Government help, their are a lot of very wealthy corporations that pay their low end workers dirt, I think without a doubt these companies could pay a living wage instead of a minimum wage.

@SQUEEKY2 My guess is many many businesses pay more than minimum, but still so low that it is too low for someone to actually live on their own, in a safe place, and think about having a family.

I do think Americans have to take some responsibility about how they spend and save. Too many people who make well above a living wage spend their whole salary every year or spend even more then they take in. They dig themselves into debt. Some people could be more free financially, but choose to buy more and more things instead. They enslave themselves to their jobs.

The middle class spending and consuming so much helps push prices up (perfect example is the housing boom) and it is a viscious cycle of companies making more profit, the average American having to pay higher prices, and goods being more out of reach for lower income. Part of the catalyst I think was when more and more families became double income. Another was using credit became more and more commonplace. Some goods are remarkably inexpensive, while others I feel the public is being gouged.

I’d feel bad leaving even if I did have another job lined-up, because our patients get so attached to us. I recently had one on the phone upset that I don’t go to the office that’s closer to them anymore – they wanted to drove 30 miles to see me, when the other office, with skilled and compassionate clinicians is just 5 miles from where they lives.

@hearkat I fly and drive across states for medical care to see the medical professionals who I feel are competent and not assholes, let alone 30 miles.

Sure I could but I would lose my house, my car and any money I have in the bank and still owe over 7 million.

@Cruiser 7….million?

Nah, military. A lot of processing.

@livelaughlove21 It’s part of a loan I owe

@Blackberry LOL. :)

@Cruiser It’s kinda funny when you say no one is a slave, anyone has the choice of quitting, yeah, then what , a cardboard box for a house and eating out of dumpsters? some choice.

@SQUEEKY2 ??? What are you talking about?? I never said anything about anyone being a slave?? I made the choice to go into debt to the tune of $13,000,000. That is called making a choice and taking a chance. I saw opportunity and took a huge risk. No one put a gun to my head…I chose to take on buying and running a business and has absolutely nothing to do with slavery and is not even close to being funny. Please explain your comment.

@Cruiser Your right it wasn’t in this post, but you did get upset at another person in another post stating in this day and age no one is a slave to their job, everyone has a choice as to accept the job,(or stay at the job) and if you choose to accept then basically shut up and get to work type thing.
And as I said yeah right then what a cardboard box and eating out of dumpsters, I have said I understand different wage scales ,BUT even the lowest deserve a living wage,without government help such as food stamps just to eat.
The right screams for less and smaller Government, then stop making the low end need government so much.