

Quit Current Job that Involves Work I wasn't hired to do, or Stay? - jrkemerer

I graduated with my BS in Computer Science around a year ago, and have been employed by my school's web development department to do PHP web dev for about a year.<p>The problem is that I haven't been doing much web application development, and have been pushed into doing templating for various blogging/wiki software.<p>The extent of my work has been basically setting up, configuring, and writing templates for the software I've been assigned to.  This has been emotionally and mentally draining for me, a person who was hired on to do web application development, and who has previously worked in mobile application development.<p>I've been considering quitting my current job, and focusing on finding a new job and personal projects, and I was wondering what advice the Hacker News community could provide on this situation.<p>Thank you in advance,<p>-ins0mniac
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patio11
The best advice I've ever received on job content, from my younger brother:
"There is a support group for people who hate their job. It is called Everyone
and we meet at the bars starting at about 5:30."

What is your goal for being at this job? If it is "I'd sort of prefer earning
an honest living on a dependable schedule so that I don't have to return to
living with Mom and Dad", then kiss your paycheck and be happy you're getting
it because something like a tenth of kids your age are not. If you're
prioritizing career growth and feel that this job isn't contributing to it, a)
welcome to almost all employment of young people by universities and b) start
pounding the pavement to find yourself another position, _then_ quit.

If you're a risk-tolerating person, I hear that contract iPhone developers are
still turning down work at $100 an hour. You don't have to land many contracts
to make yourself ramen profitable if you can bill $100 an hour.

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michael_dorfman
Any particular reason you can't find a new job before quitting the old one?
That's the way it's usually done (unless you've got a big enough nest egg to
take you through the transition.)

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jrkemerer
I'm still looking, and the search hasn't been going on too long. There's no
reason I can't find a job in a relatively short amount of time, the mobile
industry is currently booming. Even if I have to settle for a short term
mobile contract position until I find something long term, I should be able to
find something.

As far as finding something before quitting goes, I'm still looking, and I'm
still living at home being a relatively fresh graduate, and my current job is
both emotionally and mentally draining which is why I want to get out.

-ins0mniac

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jarsj
If job is what you want to do, please find one before quitting. You may end up
realizing finding a job was not trivial.

If you want to pursue entrepreneurship, I had say start working on your idea
in your free time, unless you save some money and then quit.

my 2 cents.

~~~
anthonyb
The other trick is to take leave and use that time to look for work (depending
on how long you've been there, of course). Job searching and interviewing can
often be hard when you're already in a position, particularly if you're
working long hours, or the work is draining.

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nis
There's something that nobody has told you yet in this forum: you don't have
to do such a good job to remain employed. I agree with everyone who told you
to find a job first. That is not mutually exclusive with the advice to quit.
If yor job sucks you should quit, but don't underestimate the stress of being
"on the beach." My point is that you can keep your job and paycheck while
commiting 60-70% of your current energy to it and then devote the excess time
and energy to your job search. Good luck.

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orev
Your post sounds a lot like "I just graduated and I expect to be doing cool
stuff and getting paid the big bucks, but I'm in an entry level position doing
crap work." The good news is that you've finally reached the summit of the
education mountain after a long climb. The bad news is that you've just
reached the base of a new mountain, the "employment" one.

You might be in The Valley where every CS grad has a slightly better chance of
becoming a millionaire, but in general the response to your inquiry would be
this: Welcome to the real world.

That said, however, entry level jobs will start to shape your career, so you
should make sure you are on the path you want to be on. There are certainly
entry-level jobs where you would be doing more than what you are now, and you
should probably seek them out.

One thing that is telling here is that you are working for your university,
which tells me that you went for the easy-to-get job instead of putting
yourself out there. You're going to need to take some more risks if you want
to get the good opportunities and the good payoffs. You're also still living
at home, which gives you the mental cushion that if you fail you won't be hurt
/too/ bad, but it also removes some of the incentive to push yourself towards
self-sufficiency.

As far as the situation you're in right now, update your resume and look for
something _while you still have this job_. Do NOT quit until you have a new
one. The economy is the worst it's been in a long time, and while you may
think "there's no reason I can't find a job in a relatively short amount of
time", you are wrong. That's the hubris of a recent grad who hasn't faced the
real world yet talking. If you really could get a job so easily, why haven't
you? (And if you could, just do it already) You work in a university which is
probably the most relaxed work environment you could have, so performing a job
search while in this job should be extremely easy.

The only action that would be helpful and also counter to this advice is if
you were able to land an internship (paid or unpaid) at a startup in the space
you definitely want to be in. In that case the support of living at home will
help you, as long as you have a plan to work your ass off and get really good
at whatever you want to be doing.

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matwood
When I was young my dad told me "never quit your job until you have another
one lined up." I think that advice still holds, but I will expand it some. Get
some side work lined up or something, but don't just quit without a plan.
That's going to put you in a pinch and you might have to take another, even
worse job because you need money.

When I've worked jobs or had lulls in jobs where I was working below my level
it always led me to create new projects at home on my own time. These projects
kept me learning, stimulated my desire to solve problems, and some have made
me a bit of side money. Sadly none have yet taken off to the point where I
work on them permanently.

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acg
Practically your choice may depend on how much money you have. The answer is
probably networking, if you have just graduated you are in a position where
you are probably still in touch with classmates: find out what projects they
are working on and whether you can help. Look through the industry and see
what you would like to do and see if those projects are hiring.

Many top projects are interested in recruiting enthusiastic and motivated
graduates.

With social networking it's increasingly easy to find people who you could
help out/work with.

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rwhitman
I would quit simply because I would want to break away from the comfort zone
of working for my school.

If you want your focus to be in mobile app development, take as many contracts
as you can until it can replace your work. As a recent graduate you're likely
in a lower-risk position to give up a fulltime job anyhow, take the plunge
now.. you don't want to wake up in 3 years to realize you're still slicing
templates for your school

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jrkemerer
The problem I am facing is the fact that I am both emotionally and mentally
drained at my current job, but also, I am getting paid wages which are far
below what I should be making if I were working full time doing the same work.
I'm basically making student assistant wages, doing full time work that would
in industry, make much more than I am current' making.

-ins0mniac

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marilyn
You are not your job. Your job pays the rent. I'm sorry you are in an
unsatisfying job, I'm sure the majority of HN'ers have been there before. It
sucks.

Times are tough right now. Getting your next job should be your priority, but
quitting your day job to focus on the job hunt is a silly move when
unemployment is over 10%. Keep your job until you secure the next one.

Until then take some solace in the knowledge that your current situation is
temporary.

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jrkemerer
Thank you marilyn, I must say, that out of most of the replies, your's has
been the most helpful.

I must say that the other replies that I've read have also been helpful, I
cannot disregard the other replies though, and I am still torn between
quitting and keeping my current job which pays student assistant wages yet
still, we do most of the work in the department.

-ins0mniac

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drtse4
If that job is so draining/soul-crushing/useless you should really plan your
quit.

What i get reading the thread is that this job is also draining away the
energy you need to search for another job seriously (and that lead to the
desire to just quit and start searching for something else). As others have
said, i don't see any particular reason to suggest you to "just quit". Why
don't you simply find a temporary job somewhere just to get out of the current
environment, and then start a proper next job search while still receiving a
paycheck,etc...? It should not be that hard to find a temporary web dev job.My
.2$.

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fierarul
So you got hired straight after finishing school but somehow you see yourself
as a person who's into mobile application development ? I assume you worked on
that mobile stuff while going to school ?

Anyhow, look for a job before quitting. It might be a stupid move to just quit
and then stay unemployed.

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savant
If you aren't happy, leave. If you aren't learning, leave. Remember that at
the end of your life, you are going to die. There is no sense in spending your
life being miserable.

~~~
gramakri
+1. Just leave. Nobody ever regretted quitting a boring job.

~~~
gte910h
I disagree, I've seen people quit and not find work for 12 months or more.

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swombat
No-brainer. Quit. You owe no allegiance to your current employer - or to your
next one.

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gte910h
Find a job first.

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Mz
I gave up a national merit scholarship when I was a teen and dropped out of
college around the time I turned 20. Then began looking into going back to
college in my early twenties. The scholarship landed in my lap with no effort
on my part to get it and I was wooed by a number of colleges. So I was shocked
by the reality that once gone, going back to college wasn't at all an easy
feat. I have wrapped up an associate's degree and a certificate in GIS that is
the equivalent of graduate level work. I still don't have my bachelor's and I
am 44 years old.

I have no regrets. But it wasn't as easy a path as I had imagined. I really
had not anticipated it would be difficult to go back to school. School had
always been a breeze for me. The idea that there would be barriers to getting
back to school was a completely alien concept for me.

I suggest you look before you leap. If you are okay with doing _anything_ else
(flipping burgers, digging ditches) in order to get away from this job, then
go. But if you have fantasies that it will be easy to land some ideal job,
that you will surely be more appreciated and better paid elsewhere, and so on,
be very careful to ensure that is actually true before you burn your bridges.
Especially with a recession on, a job hunt can take a very long time.

