Have you ever quit a job you hated without another one lined up?

I've considered it before, but then my sensible side kicked in.

Obviously if a job is making you completely miserable to the point that it's really affecting your mental/physical health then it's better to get out, but if it's just a case of hating the job, it's so much better to have something else lined up before you quit. Unless you've got lots of savings to fall back on if finding another job takes longer than you hope.

Many times. I usually found another job within six months, but once I went without one for nine.

Make sure you have enough savings to last you at least a year.

Jobs are like boyfriends; you don’t have to hate them to know it’s a bad fit and time to walk away.

Sometimes there are dry spells, but you find another. In the interim, as long as you don’t hit up family or friends, you make do with what you have and it’s nobody’s business but your own.

I have but I have always had a decent amount of back up in savings. 6 months at least of normal living money. If I need to tighten my belt more I could stretch it to last 8-9 months. If you have nothing saved, you are trapped. Save that money.

yes and no

I wanted to desperately but that was back in the days before COBRA insurance portability became law (Thank you, Democrats!). I could not afford to lose health insurance as I would not qualify for a plan due to pre-existing medical status.

The business I was working in changed hands. Stayed for about a year then quit. Useless owners knew nothing about the business, no input etc, they relied on the staff to keep it going. Bugger that...found a new job in about 3 weeks and never looked back.

I always did a calculation that went: what’s the worst that can happen here versus the worst that would happen if I quit now with nothing else lined up and nothing else came along.

It scared me into leaving carefully.

All of them (if I didn't get fired first).

Pre-professional career for sure. Restaurant jobs (waiting tables) were a dime a dozen when I was in college. I walked out mid-shift at one and stopped showing up to another. It wasn't because I was a lazy asshole or anything. The managers were abusive, incompetent assholes in both cases. It was fun walking in to get my final paychecks.

That’s a “not very smart” strategy.

Number 1 rule of employment. Never quit a job untill you have a new one.

It takes too long nowadays to get a new job, at least in my experience. I have voluntarily left a few jobs in my career, but it was always because I had found something else. The rest of the jobs I left were all layoffs due to the companies failing or significantly downsizing.

I work in online tech, and was out of work for over 9 months after a layoff, the last time I was in the market. It seemed to take forever to get interviews and then the process is very dragged out compared to how it once was. Plus your resume is basically scanned by AI before it gets to a human, which is another major hurdle in recent times. For those reasons, I would definitely suggest not leaving a job voluntarily without having another one lined up. There is just too much uncertainty in some industries the past 5 or so years. But it may depend on what line of work you are in, too. There have been a lot of layoffs in my industry over the last 5 years, so competition for jobs is higher, too.

I am fortunate to have saved enough money to survive for 3 years or longer if I was completely jobless. But of course I would not want to spend through my savings at all if it can be avoided.

I quit a few times in my youth (20s/30s). Got a new job in a few weeks/months (IT/Dev) - excl 2001, went to grad school instead.

Yes, and were my folks pissed when I had to move back in with them!

Yes, after day 6. The CEO wanted me to do things that were unethical.

Best thing to do if you’re unhappy in a job (I’m talking mostly professional stuff vs retail where there is more movement) is make a note on your calendar six months out to recheck.

I did this time after time and was astounding at how often I couldn’t even recall what has made me so miserable because things were much better.

Now, if it’s an abusive/toxic situation, you shouldn’t wait.

A few times when I was younger. Left a job that I knew was not going to work out, after one day after the owner tried to sexually harrass me. This was the 80s. He told me I'd be traveling with him and staying in the same room on business trips, the first day on the job. And he said "all his girls" (meaning the office) did that.

I have also been laid off, without another - got another job within a week.

I quit jobs a lot in my 20s and early 30s without another but I had parental pockets to fall back on then and not too many bills and some savings. I would not do so now, as TAG, I'm it now in my family and I'm the main breadwinner.

Many times. Also left a bad one for a new one, but the new one was it's own shithole- and left that one ASAP.

Beware: nobody quits a good job.

Yes, in September. Got a little part time job in the evening and am on government assistance while I figure things out. It's temporary but I'm learning a lot in my isolation. I took a course, and want to go back to school.

Stressing over money is the main problem, but I still never want to see that place or any of my former coworkers again.

Of course op are you mental?

Spend time applying for jobs while you’re supposed to be working. Act like it’s part of your normal workday. You’ll find something soon enough and your current job will drive you less crazy.

Someone I know works as a waitress and she fucks customers in the bathroom. Will she get fired if I report this to manager?

I've done it on several occasions. I was subjected to constant homophobic abuse in several different jobs back when I was younger.

I should have done so, but never had the guts. If you really hate it and don't think it will improve, get out.

I'm retired now, but I never quit a job before having another lined up during my working years. I worked in a field in which I was easily able to line up another job, so I was able to give notice within weeks of being fed up. I shocked a few employers with sudden 2 week notices leaving them high and dry.

Yes. I’ve had 4 jobs in my life and I walked out of 2 of them because I couldn’t take it anymore.

Yes. I'd been working in retail for a couple years when I found out that the store was hiring someone off the street instead of promoting me from within. I walked off the floor, despite having no other job in reserve. I ended up taking a civil service exam a couple days later, which led to a 30 year career -- and a very comfortable retirement.

I always found it feels even better if you have another job lined up before you do it. You can quite on your terms and feel good doing it not worried about the future. AND telling them you already found a better job puts them in the position to some times begging you to stay, which has happened. But I sill walk away with a smile on my face, no guilt, no fear, and an FU they way they deserved.

Once and that was enough. I learned the hard way that worrying about money is worse than having a job you hate.

It comes down to three things- your savings, your network and your reputation. If all three things are fantastic, ignore the “#1 rule of employment” as proclaimed by R12 and quit tomorrow. Life is just too short. In my experience, when a full time job is truly horrible, it is depleting and makes finding a new one really difficult. Better to quit, detox and ready yourself for a (hopefully) improved next chapter.

I did once, in winter 2003/2004. Toxic environment. I quit to prevent my first ever mental breakdown, which felt imminent. Took a lower paying job for 4 years and then in 2008 I catapulted to something great that paid even more than what I’d quit.

Differences between then and now:

— I was 36, not 58… ageism is all too real for job seekers

— the job market was normal and healthy and easy enough to navigate with success, compared to the unusual and kind of disturbing situation happening now

('ve quit jobs before having another one lined up a few times, always confident that something would turn up, and something always did. But usually when I did this, it was because I had decided to move to a different city, without first finding a job in the new city. I never did it without having some savings on which to fall back. Somehow, it always worked out for me. And yet I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.

I've wanted to, BUT my brain doesn't work that way. I've GOT to have a backup job.

Yes, in my 20s, no other job lined up but I had only been there a short time so I was able to just eliminate the job from my resume.

I left for lunch and never returned. It was a Friday and a payday. I was paid up to date so they didn't owe me anything and I didn't have any company property to return. This was before cellphones were common so they filled up my home answering machine with frantic messages all weekend. Not messages of concern of my well being but questions about how to do my work. LOL. I never responded.

Yes, but I always had freelancing gigs to fall back on so I was always continuously employed and had enough money coming in to live on. I also put up with a couple of absolutely nightmarish jobs because it was to my ultimate advantage to do so. You got to know when to hold 'em, etc.

OP, you need to fallow Veronica, she's got lots of great tips on how to deal with your employer.

Like others have stated, I did this often when I was in my 20s and 30s. But the job market was better then. I was laid off at age 50 and took me 18 months to find something -- thank god my husband has a well-paid job but it definitely was a strain on my mental health and our relationship (it doesn't help that I can be a compulsive slender). Ageism is VERY real. I know for a fact I was always second place candidate for several jobs i interviewed for and discovered the one they'd hired was 20 years younger than I.

I really dislike my current job but the job market out there right now is BLEAK, and I don't see it improving anytime soon. One barometer I use to gauge this is that I used to get contacted often by recruiters (I'm a specialist in my field), and I'd always politely decline because at the time I was happy in my (current) job. But now that I want to leave, CRICKETS. Even when I do get a preliminary interview it never gets past that . I asked a recruiter I met at a social event what it's like for them and they said employers have their pick of the cream of the crop candidates now, she's never seen anything like it.

Buckle up, if you have a job that doesn't make you want to kill yourself I'd hang onto it til you find something else. But be prepared that it may take a lot longer than you think to find a replacement.

Veronica is hilarious and love her but very little of what she gets away with in her videos would actually work in the real world.

It really is tough out there in unprecedented ways right now. I have a nephew who graduated Ivy League four months ago and has a great personality, comes across mature for his age, and decent roster of internships on his resume…. he’s been job hunting since May and getting an endless series of runner-up outcomes or HR ghosting or just “crickets” as GeorgeGlass (R38) describes.

You have a prayer of getting hired today if you’re between 26 and 46 and currently employed. Otherwise the Almighty Algorithms have pretty much closed themselves off to you and only person-to-person networking can save you.

It should be noted that back when I was in my 20s and walked away from a job or two, the hiring process wasn't as stringent as it is nowadays. You could get hired on the spot many times. No lengthy interview process or psych tests. Also, the only criteria for temp work was that you were breathing whereas now temp work requires just as many interviews and scrutiny as a regular job.

I got actual proof that ageism is rampant. Indeed sent me an email to let me know they are removing the number of years you have had a skill, it will no longer be listed and they will no longer ask. If you've been a mechanic for 30 years, you better not say it, or you will be deemed too old.

Even when I was young and the economy was in comparatively good shape it always took me a minimum of six months and dozens if not hundreds of applications to get an offer of a professional job. And I would never have been turned down by an employer or have turned down an offer myself because I was overqualified or my previous salary was too high because in my line of work everybody's overqualified and underpaid.

R42, another Catch-22 is that if you’re older, there’s advice to not disclose the year of your college graduation. But then the algorithm probably simply registers that and concludes “sus, and probably old”.

I did. I had a job where there was an on-site director I did not report to in any way, who was making my life a living hell. We could wfh and he would IM me random tasks to do for him that had nothing to do with my job. At first I would just do them. I asked a co-worker once why he does that and he told me that he had no idea what I was talking about. I was being singled out by him. When I was in the office he would walk over to my co-worker in the next cube and whisper in a low voice and stare at me while he did it. I remember he had a ring tone on his cell phone, when the saints go marching in. I would get so triggered when I heard it. The final straw was when I got a call from a recruiter asking me if I was interested in a job. he described it and I asked what company is this for? It was mine, it was my job. I asked him who was the person looking? He said the guys' name. I called my boss, quit on the spot. No job lined up, I just could not take him any more.

Used to make it my career. Call up a recruiter, interview for jobs that have been open a while or have a revolving door. 2nd shift Sanitation Supervisor at the mill factory. Etc. Pays for relocation to SUNNY CALIFORNIA. Not quitting, exactly, but I'd cause a scene and say it was immoral or the business practice was unethical or unsafe and tell HR if it didn't change I'd be reporting it to OSHA or the labor board, etc. As Management I'm not part of any union representation. HR is not there to protect you, they are there to protect the company. The company is *always* doing something immoral, because it's a corporation. The best way to quit is to "mutually agree" that the position is NOT a good fit, because of morals and ethics and stuff. Then sign away your right to sue for 6 to 9 months of severance. Call up a recruiter, a couple months of interviews, find a company willing to relocate me to beautiful OREGON cherry growing valley. Wash rinse repeat. I always used the last job as experience and failed up, going from lab tech to supervisor to Manager. Then I quit working for other people and became independent, it's nice. But I'm broke a lot cuz I'm lazy.

I’ve always lived modestly and prioritized saving — not just for the future, but to give myself the freedom to walk away if a job ever became untenable. I realize this is a privilege; I don't financially support anyone but myself, and my health has been stable (touch wood).

My savings proved invaluable two years ago. After years of loyalty, underpayment, and glowing performance reviews, I watched as my role was quietly dismantled. I was excluded from creative meetings and hiring decisions I’d once been central to, and my responsibilities were slowly reassigned to others. At the same time, new hires with less experience were brought in at much higher salaries than mine.

Eventually, I was told my position would be eliminated. The “solution” offered was a newly created role — same low pay, no security, and the clear message that it could vanish at any time. Instead, I declined, negotiated a severance, and left without another job lined up. Within two months, I found a role that paid significantly more.

The lesson was clear: loyalty and goodwill don’t protect you in the workplace. A job is worth keeping only as long as it serves you. Employers can, and sometimes will, make your life miserable.

Sometimes leaving isn’t failure — it’s the only way to take your power back.

R47, any idea why they did that to you? Doesn’t sound like a cost savings to them.

Congrats on landing something better!

Yes, after 3 years of punishment,, Amazon Web Services. They're animals. They treat workers like shit.

Thanks, R48!

Honestly, my best guess is that I aged out. This was a fashion brand where the middle-aged founder was really enamored with Gen Z. She clicked with one 21-year-old recent grad and then relied on that person’s circle of friends for most of the new hires. The result was a workplace that was cliquish, unprofessional, and full of drama, but my boss felt they "spoke the language of our customer."

The only explanation I ever got was that I had “outgrown this place” — and that didn’t even come from the founder, who I’d worked with for nearly a decade. It came from one of the new hires, while the founder sat across the way in her office, sipping her green tea.

It was a useful reminder that sometimes a workplace says more about the insecurities of its leadership than about your own value.

When I was a teenager, yes.

Did this one year ago. Still unemployed now. I have enough money for another year. But at 58, I’m beginning to think it wasn’t a good idea. Especially since I have no desire whatsoever to go back to work.

R52 and everyone else who ahs reached the dangerous age of 50+ : Develop a revenue stream for yourself. Rental income. an app. Something. That's #1. #2 is pay down as much debt as you can and save every dime you can put your hands on. Shit is gonna hit thee fan in the USA, our economy is gonna take a huge hit, and it will ripple to other countries too. Pay attention.

I retired at 58 on my $800/month state government pension, R52. I sold my house (which I still owed $ on), bought this ratty little trailer in Deplorable Haven for cash (and I own the land), and worked PT until I was able to collect Social Security at 62.

Of course, I was able to do this because I could get health care from the VA for free. But you know what I always say: I pay nothing for it, and I get exactly what I pay for.

Still, I feel like I did the right thing by retiring the way I did. You might too.

The American employer-based health insurance system has kept millions of Americans in shitty jobs working for shitty people.

I did.

And haven't worked since.

(I mean, I'm freelancing, but I haven't been hired by another company since. No company wants to hire any guy over 40 these days for anything.)

I did it twice in the 1990s. The first time I had a new job within a week but I was probably hasty. I lasted three years and walked out. Took four months to find a new one and I was on the verge of panic.

Yes. Today was Day 1 without that hideous company. I'm a contract consultant so it's not quite like quitting a job, but they were my primary source of income for the last 5 years. Now I'm back to pounding the pavement to find my own clients (and not give away 40% in commission!). It will take a few months to get back up to speed, but I was becoming seriously depressed there. I live in the UK where I have the NHS so I don't need to worry about health insurance thankfully.

[quote] You have a prayer of getting hired today if you’re between 26 and 46 and currently employed. Otherwise the Almighty Algorithms have pretty much closed themselves off to you and only person-to-person networking can save you.

Very, very true - though few if any people really understand how to network correctly and LinkedIn is largely unhelpful other than acting as an electronic Rolodex.

And also:

I don't know if this has changed at all since Trump and his anti-DEI push, but for many years after the 2008 crash, companies were focusing on hiring women, especially black women, and younger candidates at the beginnings of their career.

The reason why is not nice - they wanted candidates who would accept lower pay to do the same work, and who also would be least likely to leave their roles for a competitor. The thinking was that men, especially older men, who were the supposed "breadwinners" would ask for and/or require a larger salary and larger array of benefits.

I don't say any of this out of personal racist or sexist attitudes or animosity about not being hired - I am a guy over 40 and I *did* experience a lack of companies interested in my work. But I say this because I worked in the career/HR field and also was part of hiring teams when I worked in the "cube farm" world and unfortunately, that's what the attitudes were (or are) at those management levels.

I walked out with no notice on a job a couple years ago. I was a director and learned there were financial shenanigans with a billionaire major donor (non-profit) getting a kickback. His brother was the Board Chairman.

I couldn't stand the stench. They started coming for me and I emailed my resignation with discreet details and was gone before they knew it.

It was a hard choice and I paid for it, but complicity wasn't my interest.

Best of luck r58. Hope you find something better.

Thanks R61. I was in such despair working for them that I couldn't find the energy to drum up my own clients. I knew I had to clear the space for something new to come in and to feel optimistic about the future. I'll have to tighten the old belt for a while, but it's worth it. I'm 55 yrs old, so I've had a lot of years of working and saving so I'm hoping it will see me through.