Holding and Folding

1. Greg Skinner May 7, 2007

   I had a job in which I didn’t get to advance professionally, but I decided to stick it out because (1) hardly anyone else was hiring at the time (dot-bomb era), (2) I could do my job well, and (3) fearing a layoff, I wanted to earn as much money as possible. I wound up being laid off, and have had problems finding full-time work since, so it’s a good thing I didn’t quit because I am living off of what I made. OTOH, I sometimes wonder if I should have quit earlier and spent time trying to catch up on technologies I didn’t get to develop and/or use while I was working, as I am doing now.
2. Juergen Ammon May 7, 2007

   Unfortunately you will never know before you quit or stay.

   I have made the same mistake. Having the chance to change into a much more interesting position I thought, well maybe it will also much better here in the near future.

   Instead of getting a better situation, it becomes much worse as I thought.

   Lessons learned now for me: Take every chance you can get and don´t think, just see!
3. Howard Berkowitz May 7, 2007

   Good question, which brings up a relevant memory from my adolescence, which I sometimes remember in time to know when to quit, and when I should not. I had been a junior leader in Boy Scout Troop 13 in my hometown, and our adult leaders gradually drifted away with other priorities. I didn’t want to accept that, especially since the boys had been running things fairly well themselves. I was on the phone, or taking long bus trips, to regional Scout leadership for weeks, trying to get new adult leadership.

   My fellow Scouts, however, didn’t even dream that they could recruit new leadership, and joined one of the three other troops in the area. Eventually, after much frustration, I quit trying to resuscitate a dead unit, and joined Troop 37. The latter was closer to my home, had enthusiastic leaders and Scouts, and welcomed my skills and energy.

   So, while I have a personal tendency to stick to something to the last, trying to make it work, I have to remember the principles of the AA Serenity Prayer: “Give me the courage to change what I can, the serenity to accept what I cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.” With Troop 13, I didn’t know the difference.

   In adult life, the general principles hold, with, perhaps, an addition of recognizing that not all good things last, but they can be replaced. I’ve held on to some thoroughly enjoyable jobs where the work or funding was disappearing. A particular one during the dot-boom-crash period had allowed me to move from product development to architecture and eventually into immensely satisfying next-generation research. My management, through six rounds of layoffs, told me I was untouchable, and I wanted to believe it — while it would have been much easier to move to a comparable job with a more stable company while still employed.

   In other words, the decision isn’t always quit or stay. Sometimes, the right decision is to change. Change may apply where you are. Sometimes, the best work I’ve ever done, either prose or programming, is when I lost the original file and had to create it somewhat anew, but with the benefit of the prior thinking yet not being constrained by saving things I had written but knew were not my best.
4. Mike Carter May 7, 2007

   Ohh, tough one indeed.

   I think this is a great question for the times — I see a lot of “professionals” cutting out when the going gets tough, only to keep job-hopping around and never enduring the character-building growth that really _is_ required for them to grow professionally.

   On the other hand, had I not quit the City Supervisor position I had of 13 years, I would not have doubled my income as I did or come to live in a state I only once dreamed about moving to. I can’t say it was easy - it was the most agonizing decision I’ve made in many, many years and I only made it after a LONG period of consideration, seeking advice and lots of prayer.

   In the end, it was right. It was a scary time full of unknowns, but with hindsight, I can say it was also the most exhillarating and exciting time of career growth I’ve ever had.

   No turning back!
5. Evan Glassett May 7, 2007

   This is an interesting question. I believe that the answer isn’t as cut and dry as some might make it. How do we know when to quit?

   First of all, I don’t believe we should ever quit. I believe that all projects and goals have dips in them. If we quit when we hit the dip, then we will perpetually be in the dark for a long time.

   Second, instead of quitting, we should perhaps move around the problems instead of quitting. In other words, adjust and move forward instead of stopping and quitting.

   I hope this helps.

   Regards,

   Evan Glassett
   MindSpring Solutions
   www.mindspringsolutions.org
6. Cindy Novak May 7, 2007

   I can’t say that I’ve ever quit. However, I have on occassion redirected my efforts. Sometimes, that redirection is with another company. My decision to redirect has been based on a number of things: Personal growth potential, personal satisfaction, Company performance and location. I have never had much difficulty in knowing when to move on to another opportunity. Typically, if I’m spending my time at work looking at job boards (internal or external), or if I come home from work miserable every day (or the majority), then it’s time to seriously evaluate what my next steps will be.
   I have no regrets about any of the moves I’ve made. The position I left due to personal satisfaction issues was the easiest decision and I have no regrets about leaving that job. My health and wellbeing were better due to the change.
   Some jobs were harder to leave than others. The one that was hardest and that I questioned the most was when I changed jobs so I could relocate back home. However, I realized over time that there was really no way I was going to be transferred back home by that company. Therefore, I made the decision to pursue other opportunities. I have no regrets about the decision and it proved to be personally and professionally rewarding.
7. Liz Ryan May 10, 2007

   I don’t think there is a more heavily laden word in the English language than “quit.” We’ve all been raised on the notion that quitting is for quitters, the worst thing you can do. I haven’t read The Dip but I think that what gets people through their personal Dips is the knowledge in their guts that they’re on the right track.
   You won’t turn away from something that you know is right for you, even if it takes time to gain a foothold.

   On the other hand, continuing to do something you don’t love and that doesn’t support you is a terrible waste of your energy and brains. For instance, the old maxim “Never quit a job until you have another one” keeps miserable people in miserable jobs that they should have quit long ago. Likewise, too many entrepreneurs Stay the Course long past the point when the world has signalled, “Make a change.”

   Way back when Jimmy Carter was in the White House and I was a high school punk rocker in NJ, I did the infamous est training, and I heard this: It’s best to ride the horse in the direction it’s going.

   In your gut you know where the horse is going. You can stop doing something burdensome or unfulfilling or boring or beneath you, right now. You don’t need anyone’s permission. You can say: I’m done.
8. phillip May 11, 2007

   Love the horse metaphor, Liz!

   Still, if that horse is running in an undesirable direction (e.g. towards a cliff), you must still choose whether to try to change its course or fling yourself off and suffer the inevitable injuries

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