M (26) foreigner, but living in the UK - First Class degree (business subject) and and a year and a half experience in working in finance (same company for that period). Short story - I handed in my notice as I wasn't feeling happy and was way too stressed (I was really good at the job and everyone was happy with my performance, though). The notice was 6 weeks and they passed. Throughout that time, I regretted it a bit and asked if I could stay back. They said there might be an opportunity to stay there, but it wouldn't be on permanent, but only a few months' contract. They said to let them know asap. My notice is now ended and I am at home, applying for other jobs. I am wondering - do I take this opportunity and stay there (no jobs or interviews lined up, but saved some money over the course of my stay there for situations like this when I am in-between jobs) and still feel unhappy (but not burning through my savings), or do I take the risk of waiting for a bit for something to pop up and move on to another job? If I go back and then find something else within a few weeks, I will have to hand in my notice again in to my manager and let my team know, which would look quite weird (as last week was my official send-off, etc) and will also look like I can't make up my mind. But if I move on and apply for jobs (hoping to find something soon), I will be stressing about when that might happen. Can you possibly give me an advice? Thank you very much.
Don't go back! If you weren't happy before, you probably won't be this time. Move on! But!! Please allow me to offer this thought as a fellow that has been through several jobs over a good many more years than you. There "WILL" be unease, stress, discontent, etc. at any job you might have...EVER! To expect to have everything all satisfying and "hunky-dory" in a job is to almost be so unrealistic as to be a fantasy. It's probably not going to happen. The key is to learn to deal with the adversity, let the BS roll off your back like water on a duck. It's alright to have high expectations but do so with the understanding that the likelihood is very high that there will be bumps in your road and that you will have to learn to deal with those bumps and move on. Life is too long to do otherwise! Get that new job, take a deep breath and move on with the mindset "I "can" overcome the adversity. Be ready, willing, and able to adapt and overcome! One day at a time! One step at a time!
Thanks for the advice! The thing is - if I don't go back to the job, I am burning through my savings until I find another job. If I go back, I ensure the money inflow continues, but I am unhappy and stressed. So it's a difficult decision to make...
Thanks for supporting this as well! The thing is I am risking my happiness just so that I can continue the money inflow and save some more as opposed to risking an unknown amount of time and savings until I find my next job (but at least making sure I won't be stressed in the process).
Go back. When you're back keep looking out for a better / nicer job. In that case you won't be burning your savings. I've been there.
It's pretty clear that you want someone to tell you you're right to go back! So far you have 2 saying no and one saying go. So do what you want to do. But experience says you will be still aggravated even if you do. Remember the old cliche/adage... You can't have your cake and eat it too!
The best career advice I ever got as a young intern was "You have to do the 80% of the job you don't like to do the 20% you do like." I have tried to pass that on to every young engineer I have worked with since.
Yea what he said! No one is trying to rain on your parade here. Don't think that for a minute. BUT Listen to the voice of experience! You, as the newbie/youngest/etc., ARE going to have to "pay your dues" so to speak. You will throughout your personal and work life run into situations that you don't like, or you think isn't fair, or you have to do more than your share of, or, or, or,...... That's life my friend! That's life! You will survive. It's how you arrive at that point of survival that will tell the world what kind of person you are. If you're one that, when confronted with adversity, sticks it out and overcomes, or if you're the one that "cuts and runs." You are building your reputation right now. A reputation that will follow you all through the rest of your life! What, exactly, do you want that reputation to be?
Lots of red flags here. You quit without a plan and when you had second thoughts they didn't immediately jump on keeping you. I wouldn't go back. They were being polite and aren't really serious about taking you back. I would bet trying to go back would be awkward and embarrassing and won't end well. They may (or may not) have been happy with your work, but chronically unhappy employees are taxing and stressful to manage and they tend to hurt the team. It's often a huge relief when they leave even if they were getting the job done.
Thanks everyone. I quit, because it was stressing me out to the point where I got home from work and was stressing about work rather than relaxing. Throughout the day I was stressing as well. It was going on for 3-4 months. It wasn't the actual job (i was pretty good at it), but rather the people and processes. The reason why I later on asked if I could stay, is because I had overcome the stress and obstacles of that point in which I had handed in my notice initially. I was ready to go back, but thinking about the bigger picture, I wouldn't be feeling happy overall. The reason why I want to go back is just to keep the money flow and not worry about savings but I know I won't be happy. Things would go wrong again and stress would come back. Also, I won't be able to stay on a permanent contract once this "opportunity" expires within a few months (they've told me it's only this temp contract and then I can't become permanent again) and I will have to start looking for jobs again closer to the end of that contract. Besides, if something pops up in let's say a few weeks and I have just come back there and have to resign again, it won't really look well towards my managers and colleagues. It will be like "he resigned, then he went back, now he resigns again - what is he doing?". I have saved enough money to last me months ahead, specifically for situations like this, but again, I feel like just because I have the chance to stay there, I got to take it so that I don't feel guilty that I didn't. I know all of this sounds weird - thank you so much for taking the time to read all of it and for all the advice.
Sounds like it's not the job for you. In the future, I recommend having something else lined up before you quit
While I don't have a degree or equivalent, I did have some college, mostly computer skills coursework. It was enough to land me a job as an office manager. I worked there for 3 years. One day I decided that I didn't like sitting behind a desk. I wanted a meaningful job. I wanted to leave something behind me when I kicked off this mortal coil. Ended up getting a job as a welder, at a company that was willing to train me. Since then I've worked at several places, not all of them great, but at each place I built things that would last. Railcars, excavation equipment, conveyors, water tanks, ships. Last night I was working under a makeshift rain cover tarp, wearing four layers of clothes to keep warm, using an air wand to try to keep water out of the spot I was welding, army crawling on a wet deck, dragging 60 lbs. of tools under piping to get to my spot. Most people would say that sounds like hell... I wouldn't change it for the world. When that ocean going barge launches this Saturday, my wife and I will be there, and she will finally get to see something I have built. That's something I can be proud of, something no one can take from me. You are 26 years old. You have a full life ahead of you. Get a job doing something, anything. Even if it pays peanuts. It will help you stretch out your savings. Don't go back to a job you hate. I learned time management working as a stocker at a grocery store, learned speed as a prep cook. Learned how to be charming and persuasive working in high end retail (I also learned that you can't judge a person's wealth by the way they dress. It also taught me what things to look for in quality clothing). Helping out in my father's machine shop as a child taught me the importance of keeping my work space tidy, and the proper care of good tools. All of these different experiences have taught me valuable life lessons that I carry with me every day. Do what you love, love what you do, and if you are exceptionally lucky, you'll get paid to do it.
I agree with this 100%. But, I also have a few other observations to make. First of all, you were ONLY at that first job for a year and a half. Had you posted here BEFORE handing in your notice I would have said the same thing as S Barnhardt but suggested that you stay on the job and look for another one. It is always easier to find another job when you are working. If you aren't working, that's already one strike against you. In addition, when you find that next job, you need to stay on as long as you can. You need to show stability and commitment. If I see a resume that shows the candidate working 1 year here, 1 1/2 years there, 2 years here, 1 year there, hopping around, I'm going to not even bother considering that person. My first 3 jobs were on the shorter term side. 1 year, 2 years. But each time I found something while still working. Then I landed a job with a major corporation. Lots of room for advancement and, more importantly, to learn. I stayed there almost 20 years and that led to another company finding me when I wasn't even looking and they hired me away from that job for twice what I was making and a promotion and that lasted another 10 years. I wasn't always insanely happy at either of those places but I pushed through and it all paid off. I feel there are three criteria that need to be met by an employer, provided you are doing everything they ask of you. First, I need to be challenged intellectually and professionally. Second, I need to be provided with the tools and resources to be able to do the job well. Third, I need to be paid commensurate with my level of expertise that I bring to the company. I can live with only two of the three criteria met. But when only one is being met, that's when I start looking. At this point, you already blew it with the current company by giving in your notice. The question is whether your industry is "small". In other words, do most people in your industry know one another. If they do, and your are looking to stay in that industry, you probably don't want to upset that apple cart any more than you have by asking to stay and then leaving soon after to take another job. You don't want a reputation that will get around. But keep in mind, it may not be so easy to find another job. Burning bridges is never a good thing. Burning bridges twice with the same company is definitely not a good thing. I think I'm of the opinion that you should probably just look for another job and not go back. But you also need to consider the advice that has been given to you that there will BS at any job. The sign of someone with character, perseverance and ambition is they can push through the BS and manage through it. You're young. The sooner you understand this basic concept, the better off you will be in the future and you will be more likely to advance along the way. Another way to look at it is, do you look at your work as a career or a job? If' it's just a job for a paycheck, then maybe it doesn't matter what you do. If you consider it a career that you care about and are trying to develop and grow, then you need to be very mindful of the decisions you make along the way. Quitting after a year and a half without another job lined up isn't the sign of someone looking to develop a career. Sorry to sound so harsh but as someone who has hired lots of people in the financial services industry that's my perspective. Take it for what its' worth. But it sounds like you have already gotten some good advice before my posting this. Good luck to you.
Well said, Sir! @venom0706 Disregarding what I've said, you have been given a lot of good information by several people who've "Talked the Talk" "AND" "Walked the walk." Don't put an awful lot of stock in people who will talk a good fight, but have no practical experience to back up their spiel. Often referred to as "verbal diarrhea." When someone tells you something they "know" versus someone telling you something they've learned in theory without the benefit of having actually "walked the walk", it'd be my suggestion to go with the one that's been there. In other words, if you end up going back to that old job, which you sound like you want to do, most of the people I"m reading here are trying to tell you as diplomatically as they can "You'll be sorry!" But what do I know? I'm just an old man who has probably worked more different jobs than you are years old!
I agree 100% and have tried to structure my work life in the same manner. Regardless of the job, always take something with you. It may not lead to your next job, but the soft skills are just as important and frankly are used more frequently. If you can't love what you do (I am a sysadmin), at least work for a company in which you believe in what you do. There are more important things than money when considering a job (company culture, paid time off, benefits, etc...). Best wishes and good luck on your job search.
been there, done that ..i wouldn't go back.i have gone from apprentice mechanic ,to journeyman ,to shop owner.took me thirty years to figure out that i hate the automotive industry and what its become.going back as a retired consultant and getting $$$ is one thing,but asking for your job back is self defeating and you may be treated poorly.i kept thinking that going up in my field would bring happiness.not really ,same crap ,different office..if you are funded ,move on and try something new or different and remember your previous skills learned.they could enhance a new opportunity..at present i now service write/advise for a friends shop.it keeps a few bucks coming in.but i really want something different..good luck.great advice already posted here.. edit...i am also grateful for the benefits loyalty to a company can bring.things got done ,bills were paid.life went along.no real regrets.but.
Thanks everyone! I might decide to move on, then... As most of you have mentioned, going back might be self-defeating and against my principles. I also might be treated poorly. One of the reasons why I quit in the first place was because I was receiving zero managerial support or help went things went wrong. Problems would go for weeks/months unresolved, because not even managers would've encountered the problem before and wouldn't be able to help me. I would end up resolving the problems myself, then explaining to everyone else how to solve them in the future. I would also always end up getting the worst and most problematic work (compared to my colleagues), as if I have some weird bad luck all the time. Now if I go back.. things will continue to be the same (if not worse). I really enjoy working in this area as I am good at it, I just want to try it in a different and more welcoming place.
Right there "is" your answer! You enjoy the type of work! You're good at it! You just want to be able to do it in a better place! How do you do that? You use the money you said you have saved and start looking. The sooner you start that quest, the better off you will be. I'm paraphrasing yet another old cliche....."A journey of great length starts with but one step." Or something very similar to that! Take that step Dude! You're the only one that can make it happen. "Charge!"
