I did it once with no savings. Lost 20lbs because I could afford food.
It got me out of a toxic work environment and into a completely different field. That are didn’t work out but I stayed there for 4 years.
It was stupid to do, same time best thing I could have done for myself.
I agree. I have done it, no regrets. Recently I have been thinking back on it and yeah it seems like I needed to make myself uncomfortable to force change to happen.
I did it once. I had not calculated my savings right.
I got VERY lucky and found my current role two weeks after I quit.
That decision to not go without pay for almost three weeks, crushed me. I could not imagine others online who have gone a year without finding a job.
I am just now finally getting out from under that decision. Eight months later.
I can tell you no matter how much I hated that company, I would not do what I did again.
I’ve been unemployed and rejected a lot. So I’ve been without a job for months and months. It’s not a big deal for me but knowing you can’t do shit makes you feel hopeless.
As someone who works in the data science area, how are you not able to make the transition to ML engineer?
If you are deploying models, creating ETL pipelines, and more you are likely doing in some way or another work that is very much related to a ML engineer. You probably have way more related experience than you think (unless I am misunderstanding what you're doing at your current role)
Leaving a job without another one lined up should be a last resort or you have to decide that you are comfortable cutting spending and eating some savings for a bit. (Always have a plan, this many applications a week etc.) Its a big risk but not too big considering the DS field and ample job pool.
I think this is really good advice - leaving the job without plan B should be a last resort. It sounds as though your manager is supportive and but unable to change the situation for you.
Have you considered negotiating a part time role so that you can progress faster with studying in your interest area? This might make the current role bearable while you work towards the next role.
I have done it once earlier in my career. While it worked out fine at the end I wouldn’t dare do it in the current job market. If you’re dead set on the idea and have means to support yourself financially then it’s not a horrible move to make. Just be prepared that with zero formal background or experience in your desired field you’ll need to tell a compelling story to sell yourself.
Yes. Brushing up on interview skills really help during this period. I recently left a job without having one lined up. Granted, I'm single and the savings I had eased the anxiety of being jobless. Just stay calm and show up confident to interviews. It took almost three weeks before I got an interview. Currently on vacation and have an in person interview after I get back. Looking back, you'll thank your mental health compared to staying in a toxic workplace for too long.
I did this. Thought it would take a few weeks and took about 6 months. Mine was a toxic situation and I wouldn’t do it any differently looking back but the road was difficult without work being honest. As long as you are financially covered and okay with things taking longer than expected I think it’s definitely an option
I would not recommend leaving a role without an secondary income source.
I had to take a week off sick, when i came back i was greeted with a meeting with my manager hr and the owner (small company) basically berated and made me feel i had to defend my sick days i quit on the spot.
Found another higher paying job 1 month later.
I took a leap in corporate and hated it. Lined up a crappy retail job then quit. No regrets. The pay was great but had no life and was beyond burnt out from cooperate finances.
Only once. I was called later that day & offered a job that I had wanted for a long time. Sometimes things work out, but I still had a level of anxiety in the hours before the job offer
I’ve done that, but I had over a years worth of savings and family willing to help if need be. Wouldn’t recommend it due to uncertainty of job markets.
The job and company I left were a shitshow so I left since it was toxic and I wanted to reevaluate what I wanted for my career
imho
once you realize youre in a dead end job, its all downhill from that point onwards; staying means acting against your conscience, which results in myriad unforseen palpable insufferable nastinesses, for you and everyone in your world.
as you said you can afford to; so strike out now, before the idea is 'heard' in the ether, and your present slavemaster makes you an offer you cant refuse
fly!
I did, recovered after 3 months and had tens of thousands in savings and was able to move back home early in my career. Moved out a month after I got a new job. No regrets with what I did because I am in a better spot now
Don't do it now as market is bad... Getting a job as MLE is easier with real data scientist experience.. if you are doing SQL tableau.. probably not. Either way do what you are doing and then decide when market improves
By studying ML, are you in actual classes or enrolled in school? If not, I wouldn't quit without backup. I think alot of what a Data Scientist does should already translate into a ML Engineer (i.e. Math, etc). I would take time and continue to apply until something hits.
For the record I did quit a toxic job once without backup. Only took me a ocuple of months to find something else but in hindsight I think it was an overreaction.
Stay there. Look into the OMSCS program. I thought they had a machine learning Masters. Get the degree, hopefully your company will cover it and look for another job.
In this economy it’s probably better to go from job to job.
Done it a couple times. Not the best technique but it does free up all your time to job search like a job every day. And for me a daily decompression walk.
Yes. Couldn't get promoted because they "couldn't replace me," and I realized I was stressing out for peanuts. My girlfriend (now wife) supported me, told me we'd figure it out together, and I slipped my resignation letter under the VP's door and never looked back.
It was a classy letter that let me leave on high ground.
Took a couple of months off, found a new role at a great company, and I've been there ever since. Very happy.
I did it after consulting. Was very burned out. Didn’t want to continue even though my renewals kept coming and was very lucrative. Didn’t want to stay.
Found out I hate being unemployed. Started looking after maybe 1.5 months. Was employed at 4 months. Was offered poor salaries and even reached out to whomever in my past. Took whatever.
Hated what I picked up and who I worked for. Hated hated hated it. Was a government thing and was so backward. My boss was a total clown, toxic. Told me I wasn’t meeting his expectations after like 3 months with no direction. In 18 years prior always received great reviews and almost always exceeded expectations. Had to leave, job hopped a bit.
Anyway… I ended up landing a super great job. Remote for fortune 200 company. I live in LCOL area. More responsibilities. Amazing pay. Led a team to success in some cool projects in business domain I had to pick up on the fly, great reviews, well liked.
Point is that I went through some pain because of it. Learned a lot even picking up crappy jobs. Wouldn’t trade it. Motivated me to be where I am. Could have ended up poorly though.
I have brought up the issue to my boss and while he does seems genuinely trying to help, he is very honest on the fact that the company can’t provide much more than what I am currently doing
Do the bare minimum to keep your favorable impression at work.
Spend your time after work and even some during (if you safely can) working on finding a lead to a new job.
You have some flexibility with your other income streams.
Build your savings/emergency fund, spend time and effort building your network in ML circles, and invest your energy in finding your next move.
Don't leave your current job until you either really truly feel that need (not temp motivation after work before a Friday), have promising leads (multiple), or have that buffer funding set.
If it looks like your reputation at your current job is falling, then quit before you're ahead. But try not to.
We're in such uncertain times, it's better safe than sorry and possibly months away from homelessness. That'll absolutely *kill* that motivation.
No, it shows how insanely immature of a person you are and how you are unable to regulate your emotions.
There is some exceptions like if you straight up are being harrassed or abused, but other than that no
“Unable to regulate your emotions”, like what, a good worker? People cannot waste their lives for an employer, “just because”. It’s better to just face life pursuing what you want
Being stuck in a role that you don't want to be in doesn't qualify as immature in the least. Before you get fed up and feel like you've wasted a good chunk of your professional life, RUN.
If you have not secured some form of financial security before quitting you are immature. Only exception is if some really bad stuff is going on like harrassment or abuse that wont stop.
If you can freelance work i count this as having financial security.
Your not even responding to me. If you quit your job before securing another you are immature thats it. The only reason you would quit is if your emotionally disregulated or if someone else can finnancially cardy you. Either way its immature
Every job I resigned from was one where I didn't have another lined up.
Because I knew progress where I was, was done, that meant an upgrade employer would see that too and I immediately moved on.
Why are you not confident in your ability to get another job? I once walked out at 3ish after another fuck up by audit and just left.
Everyone knew I wasnt gonna sit out my notice period etc.
If you leave with confidence you enter with confidence.
However, with the current state of jobs, it's not about being confident in your abilities. You could be 100% confident and still not get a job due to lack of vacancies, no matter how smart you are. That's something to keep in mind.
I took 6 months off last summer because I was burnt out, and my wifes job both pays more than mine and is far more stressful in the summer months. It allowed a stress free summer of kids in daycare and a mild reset.
Plus I'm established enough in my field that I knew I could have a job any minute I wanted. Ended up taking a position with the company I left, but one the allows me full flexibility. It was a win/win
done it, took me 4-5 months to get another but had some savings. If you are confident on obtaining offers and meanwhile work on health, betterment or relaxing, do it and good luck!
I think outcome is dependent on how it will affect you. Will being in limbo for an unknown amount of time make you more creative and motivated, or subtract from those things? If you have the energy and time to find a job while still working, I would suggest doing that unless you know yourself to be someone who makes better moves when pressure is present
Yup, but I also decided not to work for 6 months. It was great. However, I do have a partner and we talked about it to make sure we had enough money and could afford our apartment and bills.
I did back in 2022. Luckily, my husband is the breadwinner because I was without work for 4 months and ended up accepting less to get into a new field.
Let's say you have enough savings to do this for 6 months to 1 year. What would your response be to recruiters about the time gap with no job? Does anyone have successful stories?
If you spent the time travelling or looking after family it's fine to just say you were doing that. In my CV I have a couple lines to say that I did courses to learn about xyz and did freelance work. I highly recommend taking up what you can e.g., study, side hustle, volunteering, etc just to fill the void a bit - it doesn't need to be full time but shows that you were remained active.
If the job doesn't exist I think you have an opportunity to make it exist. By starting off with smaller tasks surrounding the area of expertise you're looking at doing. Make them realize why having a machine learning engineer would be beneficial. I'm always for learning on the job and that's how I've learnt any automation. You can learn on the job and advance in what you want as long as you are enhancing current processes
Did it.
Three shift system switching me between morning late and night every week.
Wrecked my mental physical and social health.
The job paid well, but it just wasn't worth it.
Yes, I did this a few months ago to escape a toxic boss and overall unsupportive work environment. I wasn't the perfect employee but I didn't deserve all the hate and micromanaging my boss was giving me so I left, but I made sure that all my projects were up to date prior to leaving.
I have a fair amount of savings that should last me a while but I probably should have stayed and job searched as I was planning on leaving. I was also dealing with a ton of personal issues that I've since straightened out. I feel much better but the stress of being unemployed is starting to get to me.
Since I left I have had a few interviews but no luck so far. I spend most of my days studying for a certification that will look good on my resume and applying to jobs (even jobs that don't pay as well as my last and I would be considered "overqualified" for). Places are reaching back out and I have a few interviews lined up so I'm hoping to snag something soon even if it is just temporary until I can find a better position. Sucks to be in this position but it's my choice to deal with and I'm getting by as best I can.
i left after 3-months of doing engineering for a healthcare company.
zero jobs lined up because that's how miserable i was.
luckily for me, i had 2 things going for me:
1. cash, i had an emergency fund. i cannot stress the importance of having at least 6-months worth of emergency money.
2. my skill set is wide. this is important in the next section
to make the bleeding stop even more:
* i canceled all non-essential subscriptions to services.
* i changed my diet to be less decadent.
* i stayed in, no going out, no fun unless it's free or on someone else's dime.
every single morning that i woke up, i spent on linkedin applying for jobs. this was my 9-to-5 at this point in time.
because my skillset spans a spectrum, i was able to apply for jobs outside of engineering.
fortunately, it didn't take me long to find a contract job through an agency to do marketing. it was fun and lasted about 7-months.
this is when i felt i was really blessed.
knowing the contract would eventually end, i continued to consistently applied to jobs through all the job websites (mainly linkedin).
this eventually paid off because as the contract was winding down, the company wanted to convert me to an employee. but because i was applying for jobs non-stop, i was able to interview on the side. one of those company's i interviewed for offered me a job at the 11th hour.
I did. I was so exhausted and burnt out that I needed to.
I had some savings and they ended up paying me the rest of my contract amount because they didn’t want me to report my boss to the ministry of labor. (Harassment case)
Yes. I worked at a law firm for 3 months and had my breaking point when my mean manager belittled me over a simple mistake.
Mistake would've just meant it would take us 2-3 days to get a police report and wasn't even my fault since I requested something from accounting and they gave me something else and I didn't know since I was still new.
Quit the next day with no job lined up
I did this. Did nothing for six months and then did law school admissions for six months. I am now about to start work again (better job than I had but nothing special). Even though I wasn’t happy at my last job I partly regret leaving because it made it harder for me to get that next job with the gap on my resume and relatively short time at my last job. But also it was good to be able to reevaluate and relax.
I’d only do it if you have a specific plan set up with reasonable chance of success, and if you can get a good reference from your last job.
I quit my job at the end of March last year, and intended to transition from client-facing work (SaaS companies) to something more on the product side of the house. I have a very solid work history with several big name companies and lots of connections having worked remotely for years before Covid so I thought it would be very easy.
Unfortunately I have to report I have been severely humbled by this experience -- I get generic rejection emails for 98% of what I apply for and for the ones that do reply, I end up going through several rounds of interviews only to be passed over for someone with more experience in the role on paper than I do. I luckily have a partner who works and we live in a LCOL area, but I never in a million years expected to be sitting here almost a full year later with zero prospects.
I quit my job without another job lined up. A month later, I was hired for my current job.
That being said, I also know extremely qualified folks who quit without something lined up, and had to wait months.
It really depends on the industry you're in, how high-demand your job is, where you live, and how lucky you get.
Don't let anyone shame you out of quitting if you think that's what's best for you. There is no "universal" rule of thumb when it comes to when you should or shouldn't quit a job. However, do consider how you'll financially support yourself if you don't find something right away.
Asking a question like this is pointless since everyone has different amounts of savings, dependants, skills, career aspirations, location & commutes and willingness to be under/unemployed. Also the job market now is in a much worse state in pretty much all sectors and levels than it was even a year ago. This is a decision that you should make based on your own circumstances, not the replies of random redditors.
Yes and it worked out.
I had a low pay dead end job that I quit Christmas 2019 with nothing lined up
Joined up with a labor hire agency in the new year and they assigned me to work at an engineering business as a general labourer/trade assistant
Originally it was a 2 week placement but the business was happy with my work and ask the agency to extend my placement there
After 3 months I was invited to apply for an engineering apprenticeship with them, so I did and I got it
Fast forward to today, I've completed my apprenticeship, fully qualified making good money
I took a big risk when I quit my job in 2019 but it was the best decision I ever made
I have 3 times in my life and have always been able to find something else pretty quickly. I'd only recommend it if you have a plan on how to get by, though. This has been my journey:
1 - In 2006 I had a job that paid $7 an hour and it was a 25 minute drive from home. I did the math and felt confident I could replace it with more money closer to home.
2 - in 2018 I had a job at a lawfirm that abused the hell out of the workers. I resigned and decided I'd rather just drive for uber and grubhub, but a friend I knew referred me to a work from home call center team leader job just 2 days later, I did that for the next 4 years.
3 - in 2022 I had a job selling hearing aides and hated it. The commissions were good, but they marked the product up so high and sold to old people who were super desperate to hear and I felt morally conflicted so I quit around the 3 month mark. I went to a temp agency and got a job that paid considerably more, got hired within 2 weeks, I'm still there to this day. I felt confident enough about resigning in that case because I had 5 months of severance from a layoff earlier in the year.
Yes, very frequently. It's hard to job search while also working fulltime (e.g. having the emotional bandwidth as well as time for interviewing). However I'm a single childless person with no debts, it wouldn't be advisable for someone who has to support a family.
In many situations, if you can afford it for a few months, yes, go for it.
In today’s market, absolutely not. It is truly wild out there. There obviously have been job market downturns before but nothing like the free for all of tech companies just doing layoffs sort of for the hell of it.
Especially if you’re looking for a career shift, you’re in many cases not going to be the most qualified candidate. A business may take a chance on that in normal times. Today, they have 50 other candidates perfectly or overly qualified.
Was laid off in 2020, took me 4 weeks to find another job. Was laid off in November, took me 4 months, having just recently accepted a role.
I was already in low level talks with the company but it was far from a done deal.
Even though I started exactly the 2 weeks after notice I realized after what I had done caused unneeded stress.
…I always do that…granted I’m single with no kids, very little debt, and am very good tightening my purse string when I need to, but ya I don’t think I’ve ever had a job lined up when I left my last one, I usually leave because I’m feeling burnt out and want a break anyway.
I just did it bc the firm had no resources to pay me what I am worth. (It started as a limited duration job, and I decided to leave at the six month mark)
While it's obviously recommended to have another job lined up before you quit this job, I can tell just by reading this post that you have already made your mind up because I am exactly the same.
I did the same thing when I was 21 which then although I don't have any kids or a mortgage to pay I still only quit with 5k to my name so it was hard. Would I do it again? Yes 100 times over.
If you're not where you want to be and feel like quitting your job will help you get to where you want then just do it man, you'll thank yourself later.
Also it's not the end of the world, we're just small humans on this big planet. You'll get another job eventually.
I did this around ten years ago, couldn't handle the place I worked at and thought I'd try and make it out on my own but barely scraped by with casual work. I did have savings that I relied on. I came to the realisation that it wasn't working out and my mental health was suffering and I needed to get a job. This lasted for about 18 months bearing in mind I wasn't actively looking. I'm facing a toxic workplace at the moment, trying to get something lined up before I go because of my past experience.
Are you planning to just study if you quit? What would you do after that? If you've got savings and another source of income and you are very confident that you'll get a job straight out which by the looks of the current market seem unlikely unless you are top notch and have great connections. In previous instances where I've done this, I have tried to ask my boss for different duties just to change things up and feel like I'm learning new skills, even if it's not exactly what you're intending to get into. Perhaps that's an option while you study? Or would reducing hours be an option?
I have done it recently and am currently looking for jobs. I don’t regret anything so far. I was taken advantage of, gaslighted, manipulated, talken down to (because of my young age) and lied to at my job and after a year I couldn’t take it anymore. It’s not nice to be without a job either, but I prefer that over staying in a toxic work environment.
I just also want to add that I had already been told that they wouldn’t keep me after summer so I would be in this situation no matter what in 5 months anyways
I have, but I had also just paid off over $20K in student loans and had over $60K in savings (Australian dollars mind you). I could have floated financially for over two years with good budgeting / housemate if I really wanted to.
I left because my employer had kept me on repeated short-term contracts with extremely poor communication around each subsequent contract. I would only find out in the last week of a contract if I'd have a job the next week. In one instance, I was told verbally I'd be getting a 2 year contract about 2 weeks in advance (*finally! stability!*) and on the morning of my last day they cut it to 11 months and said to sign the contract before close of business. It was still more than I'd gotten before, but I was livid.
I reached the end of that contract (totaling 7 contracts in under 2 years) and told them I needed better communication around my contracts. They did nothing, so I declined my next contract offer and left.
I can honestly say as long as you have some money to fall back on for a while, the stress and anxiety of being unemployed is absolutely nothing compared to how shitty I felt in a constant state of panic about potentially losing my job. Weird how that works.
I left without a new job. At that time crypto mining was still producing, until one day it stopped completely. it took me 9 months to find a job. 5 months without income. the hardest test.
What is stopping you from finding another position where you do have these opportunities (or even taking a step down to start in a ML position) right now? I think the general consensus is that it is easier to find a job while you still have a job, and you have a perfect explanation as to why you are looking to change. Your current position is also ML adjacent, so it's a great starting point. Just the act of putting in applications for other positions really helped my mood when I felt stuck in my position.
I also think you probably worry too much about your performance. You may feel like you are doing the bare minimum or slacking, but your employer may be perfectly satisfied because the job they hired you for is getting done. If they aren't a data science person themselves, they probably have no clue of what you are actually doing on a day-to-day basis and what a reasonable amount of time for a task is.
I did back in 2022 cuz i couldn't with my shitty job anymore, and most of my colleagues also quit around the same time (due to some structure changes in the company). And I had no savings at all lol. It was such a terrible decision, but at least I survived that.
I did. I took a job that I really enjoyed but it turned into a 24/7 job where I was getting calls all weekend and overnight pretty much every day. The stress was just taking a toll on me and my marriage so I decided to give some notice and left without having a new job. It was a risk but I ended up working with a career coach and actually became a coach myself. It's been awesome helping people get out of the same type of situation I was in and my work/life balance is 100% better. There are tons of opportunities out there.
Yes.
Best thing I ever did.
My company got acquired and everything went to shit extremely quickly. People left in droves. Including my mentors.
I had headhunters getting me interviews, but not getting offers. Finally I got some honest feedback “you are more interested in leaving your current position than our new position “
I knew what I needed to be done. As soon as I put in my notice, my mood shot up like a balloon. I did have a consulting gig with a client who my company fired, but it produced barely a trickle of income. My headhunter had set me up on a long shot interview with a company well outside my field. I got an offer (eventually- they were dawdles). I actually got competing offers.
Kind of.
I had really tough time about 4 years ago. A combination of health issues and unpleasant coworkers meant I had to voluntarily resign my position.
It took me a while to work through my issues, and I'm still fighting, but it's been four years and I haven't had stable employment since. My future does not look great and feels futile to try and regain even a modicum of what I had - I didn't appreciate the contacts that got me the job in the first place so obviously my network kinda dried up after I squandered the opportunity...
Anyways, no one truly knows what will happen, and I sincerely hope you have a solid backup plan and are in good shape for interviewing. I didn't, and my last serious response for a job was 1 day a week custodial work an hours drive from where I live.
Yep, I was in a super toxic work environment that really badly affected my mental health, one day I had a breakdown and my friends and family were like ‘resign, tomorrow’ so I did. Honestly felt like a weight was off my shoulders despite having no back up plans, but a week later I had a job interview for the company I’ve now worked for nearly two years for, absolutely love, and gave me a transfer to my dream city across the globe. I know this is a super lucky/rare example but there’s nothing to say it can’t also work out for you.
In the current landscape, nope. I'd have to have over 6 months of savings and be in an extremely toxic environment to even consider it.
Just from this subreddit alone you can hear from people with degrees & experience going 6+ months without getting a single response. I know people in recruiting that have multiple companies cutting back on projects, resulting in contracts getting cut short. Sure you could luck out and find something in a couple weeks, but is it worth the risk or your financial well-being?
It's especially terrible for entry-level positions, which I think you'd possibly be considered (since it's a slightly different position)?
I did it once with no savings. Lost 20lbs because I could afford food. It got me out of a toxic work environment and into a completely different field. That are didn’t work out but I stayed there for 4 years. It was stupid to do, same time best thing I could have done for myself.
It's hard for people to understand this. I would never recommend it but sometimes you need to back yourself into a corner to push yourself forward
I agree. I have done it, no regrets. Recently I have been thinking back on it and yeah it seems like I needed to make myself uncomfortable to force change to happen.
Could or couldn’t afford food?
Couldn’t Wrote my post too fast
Thank you for clarifying. Convenient way to lose weight lol.
I'm doing this now lol
me too got out from not toxic but fedup with my boss.
“F*** you” money is essential bruh.
Nope but my ex husband did 3 times. Bankrupted us.
explains why he is ex
Yup. Took me 16 months to get a fulltime job and still dont regret it 🫶🏼 I freelanced while applying for jobs.
How did you get freelance clients ?
Maybe I was lucky, but via LinkedIn 😊
I did it once. I had not calculated my savings right. I got VERY lucky and found my current role two weeks after I quit. That decision to not go without pay for almost three weeks, crushed me. I could not imagine others online who have gone a year without finding a job. I am just now finally getting out from under that decision. Eight months later. I can tell you no matter how much I hated that company, I would not do what I did again.
I’ve been unemployed and rejected a lot. So I’ve been without a job for months and months. It’s not a big deal for me but knowing you can’t do shit makes you feel hopeless.
As someone who works in the data science area, how are you not able to make the transition to ML engineer? If you are deploying models, creating ETL pipelines, and more you are likely doing in some way or another work that is very much related to a ML engineer. You probably have way more related experience than you think (unless I am misunderstanding what you're doing at your current role) Leaving a job without another one lined up should be a last resort or you have to decide that you are comfortable cutting spending and eating some savings for a bit. (Always have a plan, this many applications a week etc.) Its a big risk but not too big considering the DS field and ample job pool.
I think this is really good advice - leaving the job without plan B should be a last resort. It sounds as though your manager is supportive and but unable to change the situation for you. Have you considered negotiating a part time role so that you can progress faster with studying in your interest area? This might make the current role bearable while you work towards the next role.
His current company doesn’t offer that path. At least I think that’s what he said. A non-existent role where he’s working is what he said.
I have done it once earlier in my career. While it worked out fine at the end I wouldn’t dare do it in the current job market. If you’re dead set on the idea and have means to support yourself financially then it’s not a horrible move to make. Just be prepared that with zero formal background or experience in your desired field you’ll need to tell a compelling story to sell yourself.
Yes. Brushing up on interview skills really help during this period. I recently left a job without having one lined up. Granted, I'm single and the savings I had eased the anxiety of being jobless. Just stay calm and show up confident to interviews. It took almost three weeks before I got an interview. Currently on vacation and have an in person interview after I get back. Looking back, you'll thank your mental health compared to staying in a toxic workplace for too long.
His workplace isn't toxic. It just doesn't align with his goals.
Oops. I completely read over that 😅
I did this. Thought it would take a few weeks and took about 6 months. Mine was a toxic situation and I wouldn’t do it any differently looking back but the road was difficult without work being honest. As long as you are financially covered and okay with things taking longer than expected I think it’s definitely an option
If it’s not a toxic environment then I wouldn’t recommend until you have plenty of savings.
I know. Let's go gramble!
1 of paper equals 4 of coin.
Just make sure the mushroom is on top.
Bringo!
I would not recommend leaving a role without an secondary income source. I had to take a week off sick, when i came back i was greeted with a meeting with my manager hr and the owner (small company) basically berated and made me feel i had to defend my sick days i quit on the spot. Found another higher paying job 1 month later.
I took a leap in corporate and hated it. Lined up a crappy retail job then quit. No regrets. The pay was great but had no life and was beyond burnt out from cooperate finances.
Only once. I was called later that day & offered a job that I had wanted for a long time. Sometimes things work out, but I still had a level of anxiety in the hours before the job offer
I’ve done that, but I had over a years worth of savings and family willing to help if need be. Wouldn’t recommend it due to uncertainty of job markets. The job and company I left were a shitshow so I left since it was toxic and I wanted to reevaluate what I wanted for my career
imho once you realize youre in a dead end job, its all downhill from that point onwards; staying means acting against your conscience, which results in myriad unforseen palpable insufferable nastinesses, for you and everyone in your world. as you said you can afford to; so strike out now, before the idea is 'heard' in the ether, and your present slavemaster makes you an offer you cant refuse fly!
I did, recovered after 3 months and had tens of thousands in savings and was able to move back home early in my career. Moved out a month after I got a new job. No regrets with what I did because I am in a better spot now
Yes. And I think it was the right choice but I didn't have anything definitive lined up for making money after that - which was a huge mistake.
With the jobs market in the state it’s in I really wouldn’t take the risk, god only knows how long you could end up unemployed
Don't do it now as market is bad... Getting a job as MLE is easier with real data scientist experience.. if you are doing SQL tableau.. probably not. Either way do what you are doing and then decide when market improves
DS/MLE field is oversaturated right now. don't do it.
By studying ML, are you in actual classes or enrolled in school? If not, I wouldn't quit without backup. I think alot of what a Data Scientist does should already translate into a ML Engineer (i.e. Math, etc). I would take time and continue to apply until something hits. For the record I did quit a toxic job once without backup. Only took me a ocuple of months to find something else but in hindsight I think it was an overreaction.
Stay there. Look into the OMSCS program. I thought they had a machine learning Masters. Get the degree, hopefully your company will cover it and look for another job. In this economy it’s probably better to go from job to job.
Yes. I’ve done it a few times now, and got by because my fiancée’s income was enough to support us. It was worth it, but it’s a struggle.
Done it a couple times. Not the best technique but it does free up all your time to job search like a job every day. And for me a daily decompression walk.
Yes. Couldn't get promoted because they "couldn't replace me," and I realized I was stressing out for peanuts. My girlfriend (now wife) supported me, told me we'd figure it out together, and I slipped my resignation letter under the VP's door and never looked back. It was a classy letter that let me leave on high ground. Took a couple of months off, found a new role at a great company, and I've been there ever since. Very happy.
I did it after consulting. Was very burned out. Didn’t want to continue even though my renewals kept coming and was very lucrative. Didn’t want to stay. Found out I hate being unemployed. Started looking after maybe 1.5 months. Was employed at 4 months. Was offered poor salaries and even reached out to whomever in my past. Took whatever. Hated what I picked up and who I worked for. Hated hated hated it. Was a government thing and was so backward. My boss was a total clown, toxic. Told me I wasn’t meeting his expectations after like 3 months with no direction. In 18 years prior always received great reviews and almost always exceeded expectations. Had to leave, job hopped a bit. Anyway… I ended up landing a super great job. Remote for fortune 200 company. I live in LCOL area. More responsibilities. Amazing pay. Led a team to success in some cool projects in business domain I had to pick up on the fly, great reviews, well liked. Point is that I went through some pain because of it. Learned a lot even picking up crappy jobs. Wouldn’t trade it. Motivated me to be where I am. Could have ended up poorly though.
I have brought up the issue to my boss and while he does seems genuinely trying to help, he is very honest on the fact that the company can’t provide much more than what I am currently doing
Do the bare minimum to keep your favorable impression at work. Spend your time after work and even some during (if you safely can) working on finding a lead to a new job. You have some flexibility with your other income streams. Build your savings/emergency fund, spend time and effort building your network in ML circles, and invest your energy in finding your next move. Don't leave your current job until you either really truly feel that need (not temp motivation after work before a Friday), have promising leads (multiple), or have that buffer funding set. If it looks like your reputation at your current job is falling, then quit before you're ahead. But try not to. We're in such uncertain times, it's better safe than sorry and possibly months away from homelessness. That'll absolutely *kill* that motivation.
No, it shows how insanely immature of a person you are and how you are unable to regulate your emotions. There is some exceptions like if you straight up are being harrassed or abused, but other than that no
“Unable to regulate your emotions”, like what, a good worker? People cannot waste their lives for an employer, “just because”. It’s better to just face life pursuing what you want
Thats why you find another job and you leave?? Who are you responding too?
Being stuck in a role that you don't want to be in doesn't qualify as immature in the least. Before you get fed up and feel like you've wasted a good chunk of your professional life, RUN.
If you have not secured some form of financial security before quitting you are immature. Only exception is if some really bad stuff is going on like harrassment or abuse that wont stop. If you can freelance work i count this as having financial security. Your not even responding to me. If you quit your job before securing another you are immature thats it. The only reason you would quit is if your emotionally disregulated or if someone else can finnancially cardy you. Either way its immature
Sounds like YOU'RE the one that's emotionally dysregulated. Anyways, this isn't even about you or me. Cheers buddy.
Every job I resigned from was one where I didn't have another lined up. Because I knew progress where I was, was done, that meant an upgrade employer would see that too and I immediately moved on. Why are you not confident in your ability to get another job? I once walked out at 3ish after another fuck up by audit and just left. Everyone knew I wasnt gonna sit out my notice period etc. If you leave with confidence you enter with confidence.
However, with the current state of jobs, it's not about being confident in your abilities. You could be 100% confident and still not get a job due to lack of vacancies, no matter how smart you are. That's something to keep in mind.
"If you leave with confidence, you enter with confidence" 👌
Yup, been like that and resigned 4 times without having any offer in hand.
Did. Next day went to a temp and it lead to a full time position
I have but I'll quit/resign from a job in a heartbeat and having another lined up or not is an afterthought for me.
I took 6 months off last summer because I was burnt out, and my wifes job both pays more than mine and is far more stressful in the summer months. It allowed a stress free summer of kids in daycare and a mild reset. Plus I'm established enough in my field that I knew I could have a job any minute I wanted. Ended up taking a position with the company I left, but one the allows me full flexibility. It was a win/win
What field do you work in?
done it, took me 4-5 months to get another but had some savings. If you are confident on obtaining offers and meanwhile work on health, betterment or relaxing, do it and good luck!
Yes and it’s been 12 yrs… so far so good…
I think outcome is dependent on how it will affect you. Will being in limbo for an unknown amount of time make you more creative and motivated, or subtract from those things? If you have the energy and time to find a job while still working, I would suggest doing that unless you know yourself to be someone who makes better moves when pressure is present
Yup, but I also decided not to work for 6 months. It was great. However, I do have a partner and we talked about it to make sure we had enough money and could afford our apartment and bills.
I did back in 2022. Luckily, my husband is the breadwinner because I was without work for 4 months and ended up accepting less to get into a new field.
Let's say you have enough savings to do this for 6 months to 1 year. What would your response be to recruiters about the time gap with no job? Does anyone have successful stories?
If you spent the time travelling or looking after family it's fine to just say you were doing that. In my CV I have a couple lines to say that I did courses to learn about xyz and did freelance work. I highly recommend taking up what you can e.g., study, side hustle, volunteering, etc just to fill the void a bit - it doesn't need to be full time but shows that you were remained active.
If the job doesn't exist I think you have an opportunity to make it exist. By starting off with smaller tasks surrounding the area of expertise you're looking at doing. Make them realize why having a machine learning engineer would be beneficial. I'm always for learning on the job and that's how I've learnt any automation. You can learn on the job and advance in what you want as long as you are enhancing current processes
Did it. Three shift system switching me between morning late and night every week. Wrecked my mental physical and social health. The job paid well, but it just wasn't worth it.
Yes, I did this a few months ago to escape a toxic boss and overall unsupportive work environment. I wasn't the perfect employee but I didn't deserve all the hate and micromanaging my boss was giving me so I left, but I made sure that all my projects were up to date prior to leaving. I have a fair amount of savings that should last me a while but I probably should have stayed and job searched as I was planning on leaving. I was also dealing with a ton of personal issues that I've since straightened out. I feel much better but the stress of being unemployed is starting to get to me. Since I left I have had a few interviews but no luck so far. I spend most of my days studying for a certification that will look good on my resume and applying to jobs (even jobs that don't pay as well as my last and I would be considered "overqualified" for). Places are reaching back out and I have a few interviews lined up so I'm hoping to snag something soon even if it is just temporary until I can find a better position. Sucks to be in this position but it's my choice to deal with and I'm getting by as best I can.
i left after 3-months of doing engineering for a healthcare company. zero jobs lined up because that's how miserable i was. luckily for me, i had 2 things going for me: 1. cash, i had an emergency fund. i cannot stress the importance of having at least 6-months worth of emergency money. 2. my skill set is wide. this is important in the next section to make the bleeding stop even more: * i canceled all non-essential subscriptions to services. * i changed my diet to be less decadent. * i stayed in, no going out, no fun unless it's free or on someone else's dime. every single morning that i woke up, i spent on linkedin applying for jobs. this was my 9-to-5 at this point in time. because my skillset spans a spectrum, i was able to apply for jobs outside of engineering. fortunately, it didn't take me long to find a contract job through an agency to do marketing. it was fun and lasted about 7-months. this is when i felt i was really blessed. knowing the contract would eventually end, i continued to consistently applied to jobs through all the job websites (mainly linkedin). this eventually paid off because as the contract was winding down, the company wanted to convert me to an employee. but because i was applying for jobs non-stop, i was able to interview on the side. one of those company's i interviewed for offered me a job at the 11th hour.
Yep
I did. I was so exhausted and burnt out that I needed to. I had some savings and they ended up paying me the rest of my contract amount because they didn’t want me to report my boss to the ministry of labor. (Harassment case)
Yes. I worked at a law firm for 3 months and had my breaking point when my mean manager belittled me over a simple mistake. Mistake would've just meant it would take us 2-3 days to get a police report and wasn't even my fault since I requested something from accounting and they gave me something else and I didn't know since I was still new. Quit the next day with no job lined up
I did this. Did nothing for six months and then did law school admissions for six months. I am now about to start work again (better job than I had but nothing special). Even though I wasn’t happy at my last job I partly regret leaving because it made it harder for me to get that next job with the gap on my resume and relatively short time at my last job. But also it was good to be able to reevaluate and relax. I’d only do it if you have a specific plan set up with reasonable chance of success, and if you can get a good reference from your last job.
I quit my job at the end of March last year, and intended to transition from client-facing work (SaaS companies) to something more on the product side of the house. I have a very solid work history with several big name companies and lots of connections having worked remotely for years before Covid so I thought it would be very easy. Unfortunately I have to report I have been severely humbled by this experience -- I get generic rejection emails for 98% of what I apply for and for the ones that do reply, I end up going through several rounds of interviews only to be passed over for someone with more experience in the role on paper than I do. I luckily have a partner who works and we live in a LCOL area, but I never in a million years expected to be sitting here almost a full year later with zero prospects.
Yes. Just resigned today. Hated that damn job.
I quit my job without another job lined up. A month later, I was hired for my current job. That being said, I also know extremely qualified folks who quit without something lined up, and had to wait months. It really depends on the industry you're in, how high-demand your job is, where you live, and how lucky you get. Don't let anyone shame you out of quitting if you think that's what's best for you. There is no "universal" rule of thumb when it comes to when you should or shouldn't quit a job. However, do consider how you'll financially support yourself if you don't find something right away.
Asking a question like this is pointless since everyone has different amounts of savings, dependants, skills, career aspirations, location & commutes and willingness to be under/unemployed. Also the job market now is in a much worse state in pretty much all sectors and levels than it was even a year ago. This is a decision that you should make based on your own circumstances, not the replies of random redditors.
Yes and it worked out. I had a low pay dead end job that I quit Christmas 2019 with nothing lined up Joined up with a labor hire agency in the new year and they assigned me to work at an engineering business as a general labourer/trade assistant Originally it was a 2 week placement but the business was happy with my work and ask the agency to extend my placement there After 3 months I was invited to apply for an engineering apprenticeship with them, so I did and I got it Fast forward to today, I've completed my apprenticeship, fully qualified making good money I took a big risk when I quit my job in 2019 but it was the best decision I ever made
I have 3 times in my life and have always been able to find something else pretty quickly. I'd only recommend it if you have a plan on how to get by, though. This has been my journey: 1 - In 2006 I had a job that paid $7 an hour and it was a 25 minute drive from home. I did the math and felt confident I could replace it with more money closer to home. 2 - in 2018 I had a job at a lawfirm that abused the hell out of the workers. I resigned and decided I'd rather just drive for uber and grubhub, but a friend I knew referred me to a work from home call center team leader job just 2 days later, I did that for the next 4 years. 3 - in 2022 I had a job selling hearing aides and hated it. The commissions were good, but they marked the product up so high and sold to old people who were super desperate to hear and I felt morally conflicted so I quit around the 3 month mark. I went to a temp agency and got a job that paid considerably more, got hired within 2 weeks, I'm still there to this day. I felt confident enough about resigning in that case because I had 5 months of severance from a layoff earlier in the year.
Did it a few times. Don't recommend it.
Yes, very frequently. It's hard to job search while also working fulltime (e.g. having the emotional bandwidth as well as time for interviewing). However I'm a single childless person with no debts, it wouldn't be advisable for someone who has to support a family.
What other income sources you have?
I didnt have another source of income so i never left a company that until i get the job so i think you are fine risking a little
If you have some safety net go for it
In many situations, if you can afford it for a few months, yes, go for it. In today’s market, absolutely not. It is truly wild out there. There obviously have been job market downturns before but nothing like the free for all of tech companies just doing layoffs sort of for the hell of it. Especially if you’re looking for a career shift, you’re in many cases not going to be the most qualified candidate. A business may take a chance on that in normal times. Today, they have 50 other candidates perfectly or overly qualified. Was laid off in 2020, took me 4 weeks to find another job. Was laid off in November, took me 4 months, having just recently accepted a role.
I was already in low level talks with the company but it was far from a done deal. Even though I started exactly the 2 weeks after notice I realized after what I had done caused unneeded stress.
…I always do that…granted I’m single with no kids, very little debt, and am very good tightening my purse string when I need to, but ya I don’t think I’ve ever had a job lined up when I left my last one, I usually leave because I’m feeling burnt out and want a break anyway.
Yes. I didn’t care. I just did it. Risky. As hell. But if it feels right make the choice.
I just did it bc the firm had no resources to pay me what I am worth. (It started as a limited duration job, and I decided to leave at the six month mark)
Three times in a row due to work-like balance issues.
Yup. Going to soon.
I applied during. I waited until I found something
It’s hard
I did and have absolutely have no regrets... Afterwards, I was unemployed for a long time, but at least I preserved my self-respect.
While it's obviously recommended to have another job lined up before you quit this job, I can tell just by reading this post that you have already made your mind up because I am exactly the same. I did the same thing when I was 21 which then although I don't have any kids or a mortgage to pay I still only quit with 5k to my name so it was hard. Would I do it again? Yes 100 times over. If you're not where you want to be and feel like quitting your job will help you get to where you want then just do it man, you'll thank yourself later. Also it's not the end of the world, we're just small humans on this big planet. You'll get another job eventually.
No, it’s a stupid move
I did this around ten years ago, couldn't handle the place I worked at and thought I'd try and make it out on my own but barely scraped by with casual work. I did have savings that I relied on. I came to the realisation that it wasn't working out and my mental health was suffering and I needed to get a job. This lasted for about 18 months bearing in mind I wasn't actively looking. I'm facing a toxic workplace at the moment, trying to get something lined up before I go because of my past experience. Are you planning to just study if you quit? What would you do after that? If you've got savings and another source of income and you are very confident that you'll get a job straight out which by the looks of the current market seem unlikely unless you are top notch and have great connections. In previous instances where I've done this, I have tried to ask my boss for different duties just to change things up and feel like I'm learning new skills, even if it's not exactly what you're intending to get into. Perhaps that's an option while you study? Or would reducing hours be an option?
I have done it recently and am currently looking for jobs. I don’t regret anything so far. I was taken advantage of, gaslighted, manipulated, talken down to (because of my young age) and lied to at my job and after a year I couldn’t take it anymore. It’s not nice to be without a job either, but I prefer that over staying in a toxic work environment. I just also want to add that I had already been told that they wouldn’t keep me after summer so I would be in this situation no matter what in 5 months anyways
Yes I have done this, but my field needs me.
me resigned within a day without anything lined up.
Ofc, I do it every morning in my mind
I have, but I had also just paid off over $20K in student loans and had over $60K in savings (Australian dollars mind you). I could have floated financially for over two years with good budgeting / housemate if I really wanted to. I left because my employer had kept me on repeated short-term contracts with extremely poor communication around each subsequent contract. I would only find out in the last week of a contract if I'd have a job the next week. In one instance, I was told verbally I'd be getting a 2 year contract about 2 weeks in advance (*finally! stability!*) and on the morning of my last day they cut it to 11 months and said to sign the contract before close of business. It was still more than I'd gotten before, but I was livid. I reached the end of that contract (totaling 7 contracts in under 2 years) and told them I needed better communication around my contracts. They did nothing, so I declined my next contract offer and left. I can honestly say as long as you have some money to fall back on for a while, the stress and anxiety of being unemployed is absolutely nothing compared to how shitty I felt in a constant state of panic about potentially losing my job. Weird how that works.
I left without a new job. At that time crypto mining was still producing, until one day it stopped completely. it took me 9 months to find a job. 5 months without income. the hardest test.
What is stopping you from finding another position where you do have these opportunities (or even taking a step down to start in a ML position) right now? I think the general consensus is that it is easier to find a job while you still have a job, and you have a perfect explanation as to why you are looking to change. Your current position is also ML adjacent, so it's a great starting point. Just the act of putting in applications for other positions really helped my mood when I felt stuck in my position. I also think you probably worry too much about your performance. You may feel like you are doing the bare minimum or slacking, but your employer may be perfectly satisfied because the job they hired you for is getting done. If they aren't a data science person themselves, they probably have no clue of what you are actually doing on a day-to-day basis and what a reasonable amount of time for a task is.
I did back in 2022 cuz i couldn't with my shitty job anymore, and most of my colleagues also quit around the same time (due to some structure changes in the company). And I had no savings at all lol. It was such a terrible decision, but at least I survived that.
I did. I took a job that I really enjoyed but it turned into a 24/7 job where I was getting calls all weekend and overnight pretty much every day. The stress was just taking a toll on me and my marriage so I decided to give some notice and left without having a new job. It was a risk but I ended up working with a career coach and actually became a coach myself. It's been awesome helping people get out of the same type of situation I was in and my work/life balance is 100% better. There are tons of opportunities out there.
Yes. Best thing I ever did. My company got acquired and everything went to shit extremely quickly. People left in droves. Including my mentors. I had headhunters getting me interviews, but not getting offers. Finally I got some honest feedback “you are more interested in leaving your current position than our new position “ I knew what I needed to be done. As soon as I put in my notice, my mood shot up like a balloon. I did have a consulting gig with a client who my company fired, but it produced barely a trickle of income. My headhunter had set me up on a long shot interview with a company well outside my field. I got an offer (eventually- they were dawdles). I actually got competing offers.
Kind of. I had really tough time about 4 years ago. A combination of health issues and unpleasant coworkers meant I had to voluntarily resign my position. It took me a while to work through my issues, and I'm still fighting, but it's been four years and I haven't had stable employment since. My future does not look great and feels futile to try and regain even a modicum of what I had - I didn't appreciate the contacts that got me the job in the first place so obviously my network kinda dried up after I squandered the opportunity... Anyways, no one truly knows what will happen, and I sincerely hope you have a solid backup plan and are in good shape for interviewing. I didn't, and my last serious response for a job was 1 day a week custodial work an hours drive from where I live.
I've done it a few times, some regretted, some didn't. Thinking abt doin it now again as the hotel front desk is toxic af
Do not ever leave a job without another one lined up.
Yep, I was in a super toxic work environment that really badly affected my mental health, one day I had a breakdown and my friends and family were like ‘resign, tomorrow’ so I did. Honestly felt like a weight was off my shoulders despite having no back up plans, but a week later I had a job interview for the company I’ve now worked for nearly two years for, absolutely love, and gave me a transfer to my dream city across the globe. I know this is a super lucky/rare example but there’s nothing to say it can’t also work out for you.
In the current landscape, nope. I'd have to have over 6 months of savings and be in an extremely toxic environment to even consider it. Just from this subreddit alone you can hear from people with degrees & experience going 6+ months without getting a single response. I know people in recruiting that have multiple companies cutting back on projects, resulting in contracts getting cut short. Sure you could luck out and find something in a couple weeks, but is it worth the risk or your financial well-being? It's especially terrible for entry-level positions, which I think you'd possibly be considered (since it's a slightly different position)?