Aug 13
Signs of trouble - how I knew my time was up
I’ve read Seth Godin’s book “The Dip
- I understand the idea that in life, quitting isn’t always a bad thing.
- I understand what he means when he mentions choosing the right time to quit.
- I also know how to recognize whether I’ve reached a dead-end or a cliff, but for some odd reason, I still take too much time to do it.
Today I made a list of reasons I quit my previous jobs, and a pattern emerged. I realized that if I had noticed this pattern 3-months earlier, I would have quit my jobs that much quicker.
Here are my signs of trouble:
- I stopped learning and being challenged
- I frequently arrived late and/or woke-up dreading the day ahead of me
- I became irritable towards my family and close friends
- Evenings and weekends were spent learning new things and starting personal projects (as opposed to relaxing and enjoying life with my family and friends)
- At work, I spent more and more time surfing the internet, idling and sometimes pretending to work
- Work conditions slowly deteriorated
- I resented my superior(s) and didn’t enjoy working anymore
This list is probably familiar to many people out there. So what gives? Why do we let ourselves behave this way?
I think my reason can be attributed to a lack of confidence and guts for taking big risks. I need to realize what I’m worth and what I can contribute to the world. With this knowledge, and the courage to make the right decisions at the right time, I will be able to recognize a dip worth leaning into in order to be successful. I’m not advocating quitting as soon as things appear bad, but rather being quick to know what’s going on and react accordingly (working harder/smarter VS moving-on).
On that note, I would love to know how others go about quitting their jobs. Do you wait until it is absolutely necessary?
Please leave your comments below.
August 14th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Unfortunately, I read through the list you wrote and identified with every single point. Normally, when I quit a job, it’s because all of these things together just pile up on me and someone always points out ‘Well, if you hate it that much, why don’t you stop taking it out on us and just quit?!?!’
It’s like a lightbulb comes on in my head. I think I think that if only one or two of those points are the issue then I like to give the job the benefit of the doubt and think that it’ll get better. I guess I’ll learn eventually!
August 20th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Hi Katie! Thanks for writing!
I don’t think we’re alone with this problem. On the other hand, sometimes we have to look at our situation a little differently and see if we can do anything to improve it. I’ve experienced situations where making a little extra effort (in my case, being patient) helped me push through and turn the situation around.
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:30 am
you know, the same points are what are preventing me from wanting to work at all these days. That’s the thing, who really wants to work? In the 21st century? Work doesn’t make sense to me any more. When I mean work, I mean a job. As an employee. I don’t know. I’m very confused?
Great idea for the blog though!
ock.
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:30 am
Oh shit yeah, I forgot to mention, I like the site design! That red sun would make a great favicon.ico too, I’m surprised you haven’t done it yet
ock.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Haha you’re right this could make a great favicon… but I have no idea how to make those lol. I guess it’s something I can try to figure out in my spare time. Thanks for the idea.
In all honesty, I don’t “hate” work. I think work is something we can love as long as it’s fun and interesting. I couldn’t see myself sitting at home doing nothing all day every day.
Being an employee has it perks, but at what price? Once you figure that out, and decide if you can handle it, then you’ll know if that “work” is for you.
August 25th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
http://favikon.com/
August 26th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
If you’ve got GIMP and netpbm (easy to get with OS X), it’S easy:
http://linuxproblem.org/art_19.html
Basically resize any image to a 16×16 file with GIMP and save as a raw PPM file (GIMP does it) and then use netpbm’s tools to convert that to a .ico file.
Hardest part really is to find netpbm for OS X lol
ock.
September 17th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Hey Alex
I have freelanced for many years as a web-designer and actually made a decent living from it. I have recently returned to the work force and I still freelance on the side. I enjoy both my job as a jR web-designer and my freelance gigs. I feel this set up is the best of both worlds. my advice to any one who wants to freelance full time is you will need to work harder than working for an employer you have to be disciplined, dedicated and consistent. Stay focused and you will accomplish your goals in no time.