# Have you ever just "QUIT" a job?



## Woodchuck (Nov 1, 2012)

I mean QUIT, with no other job to fall back on....

Back in 1967 I was 21, and had worked at McDonnell Douglas aerospace outside of St. Louis. for almost 2 1/2 years. I was in a jig and fixture builder position that turned out to be a total dead end....The money was fair, but the work was totally demoralizing....I finally just quit....

It was a dumb move, but through nothing but shear luck, things worked out well....

I had learned enough, blueprint reading, precision measuring instruments, surface plate layout etc. to get on at the Carter Carburetor plant in St. Louis....

It was a night and day difference. I liked the people, the job, and the money...I stayed for almost 13 years, and really learned a lot.....Till fuel injection put carburetors in the bone yard....

I got a really good job at the Borg Warner plant in Blytheville Ar.
They were in the fuel system business, so I was a good match. I stayed there almost 20 years....

After Borg Warner I was pretty much able to free lance. I would work at a place for a few months to a couple of years, depending on the money......

I did quit one other job....It was a company that built steel utility poles......Twelve hours in, I found the boredom just too much, and told the HR manager Adios....

Picked up a job in Panama City Beach a few days later, stayed there 13 months...Good job, good people...great money...

A friend hired me away to help him with some production issues....Retired from there 5 years later...


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## CuddleBug (Nov 26, 2012)

Woodchuck said:


> I mean QUIT, with no other job to fall back on....
> 
> Back in 1967 I was 21, and had worked at McDonnell Douglas aerospace outside of St. Louis. for almost 2 1/2 years. I was in a jig and fixture builder position that turned out to be a total dead end....The money was fair, but the work was totally demoralizing....I finally just quit....
> 
> ...



When I was much younger, yes, I have just quit a few jobs. I walked into the company, started my first day at work, by first break I was out of there.

I was into golf courses. I loved to cut, trim, use all the grounds equipment and drove tractor. But at one place the owner committed suicide due to his wife having an affair....so I went to another golf course. Did that, loved it, but then the street was double laned and the owners all got out and sold. I moved on as well.

Then I got into manufacturing plants. I loved it. Wasn't a career but I loved it and you do get to run machines and move up. Then our main truck company that basically gave us a main industry was bought out and taken to the US and then to Mexico. All main industry left one after the other.

I then worked doing swamping, liked that but it was only for 1 year until the injured coworker came back. Then I got into a CNC Machine Shop and did that for 10 years, oil crashed, I got layed off, more people quit and now the shop is trying to fill positions due to people quitting and the owner / boss likes to hire 18 to 20 year old kids for $12 hr with little to no experience.

I knew these companies weren't careers but they weren't bad places to work for and I enjoyed it.

The way I see it, do an interview, and go with your gut. If its a place you would sorta enjoy to really love, work there. If its something that you wouldn't enjoy, look for another job and move on. No point in working somewhere for a few months, giving the employer the impression you will work for him and then quit.

I've been really close to getting work and have had many job offers. Some turned out to be only seasonal hires, work until end of December and then who knows....

Some turned out to be a 3 month term job, and that's it.

Some turned out to be way out of my city by 40 minute drive for a wage that's not worth driving out that far 5 days week.

Some turned out to be undesirable and the companies are having a hard time getting people and if they stay.


My impression is people want to work but that means getting treated right, competitive wages, some room for advancement, full time and not seasonal hires or 3 month terms, etc.


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## TeddieG (Sep 9, 2015)

I did, in 2007. I left a job where I had to put up with people who were appointed in our department by the President, and they were absolute a**holes. So I left for another department, only to find out that it too was instituted by the President and he had picked another nut case to run IT. So I didn't last a year, and quit. Within three months I was hired back to the original department with a new director and doubled my salary. 

But yeah, sometimes you just have to take the risk.


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## Ynot (Aug 26, 2014)

I have done it twice. Both times to start my own business with no guarantee of it being successful. I quit good paying jobs with benefits and career opportunities to go it alone.


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## Jen65 (Nov 27, 2015)

Just left my job but do have interview next week


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## TeddieG (Sep 9, 2015)

Jen65 said:


> Just left my job but do have interview next week


Good luck!


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## thebirdman (Apr 5, 2014)

Quit one guy who lied to me about a pay raise on the spot. Hopped in the truck and thought to myself, "I'm not going home tonight without another job." Walked into an office, asked if they were hiring, owner hired me on the spot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Woodchuck (Nov 1, 2012)

thebirdman said:


> Quit one guy who lied to me about a pay raise on the spot. Hopped in the truck and thought to myself, "I'm not going home tonight without another job." Walked into an office, asked if they were hiring, owner hired me on the spot.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I can't stand being lied to....An HR manager and I negotiated 3 weeks vacation my first year. When I called and asked about it later he said "Ya didn't get it in writing"....I started sending out resumes that day...I landed a better job , and emailed my boss a resignation.....The HR manager was pissed because I gave him ZERO notice....I sent him an Email...."I quit....in writing"...


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## Bibi1031 (Sep 14, 2015)

I did this just last year. I was having health problems and so was my mother. The principal questioned my absences even with doctor's excuses. I had worked on that school for ten years was was hardly ever absent, but when illness strikes, you can't make doctor's appointments on weekends. I figured my mother's and my health were worth more than the grief I was being given. I gave my 2 weeks notice and left.

I have had two surgeries since I left. I am glad for Obama care. I now do private tutoring and choose my own hours. I live off of that and my rental properties. I will never go back to public education again!


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## thebirdman (Apr 5, 2014)

Ironically, the guy who hired me on the spot was also ethically "shady." 2 1/2 years later he was ripping off his clients. The top exec at his biggest client, which I happened to service, called me into the office and told me that they were parting ways with the firm. They wanted me to leave and take over their account on my own. I said, " I'll think about it." Next day: termination of services notices arrives via fax. They were not going to give me time to think about it. Boss asked me if I knew anything about it. I thought about it for a second and simply said, "consider this my resignation. I'll finish out the month if you would like." I finished out the month. 

Monday morning following my last day I had contracts with the old bosses former 5 largest clients. Within six months I picked up another 30% of their remaining commercial business. I learned how to be an entrepreneur on the fly. 

Bibi,

I understand. The politics of public education are absurd. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Thundarr (Jul 4, 2012)

No. I've never left a job without a notice and never left without another job lined up. I did jump the gun one time and turn in my notice before officially having my next job. But I knew I killed the test and I passed the drug test so I was pretty confident I had the job.


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## ExiledBayStater (Feb 16, 2013)

Nope. When I was younger I had hopes of through-hiking the Appalacian Trail. Being married, I'd say that's out of the question. Without our employer-provided health insurance we would be bankrupt within a year.


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## BlueWoman (Jan 8, 2015)

Yes. One or two times. A couple of times when I was a teenager working in fast food. Once when I had already planned to leave a job, but then had an accident that put me out of work. Since I knew I wasn't going back to the job, I quit. 

I am very fortunate that I have a job that is in high demand. In the last two weeks I've gotten 6 seperate call from agencies looking to see if I was interested in taking a position with them. I am comfortable know that if I quite my job today I would have a new job tomorrow. 

Of course, I wouldn't do that, because it wouldn't just be my employer's in the lurch it would be the kids I work with. I like to keep good relationships with employers so I have more options, but it is nice to know I can quit if it ever gets bad enough.


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## tech-novelist (May 15, 2014)

Yes, I quit a (contract) job after about two weeks there, under the following circumstances:

1. It was about as far from my home as it is possible to get in the lower 48 states.
2. I couldn't line up a place to live that I could afford on the salary they were paying me.
3. The job was *much *worse than they indicated when they hired me: constant pressure, having to take a pager every few weekends, no support network. I would have needed the suicide prevention hotline on speed dial if I kept working there.
4. The guy who hired me, who was nice, moved to another position on the day I got there, and I didn't know anything about the new guy.

Amazingly, I still hear from the contracting company about positions at that same client! I would think that they got in trouble with the client for my premature departure, but maybe not...


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## Woodchuck (Nov 1, 2012)

A company can always be expected to do what it feels is in it's best interest...And screw you....I had worked at this place for weeks short of 20 years. I knew the plant was closing in the not too distant future, so I had feelers out. 

The last straw came when I came into the office one December morning, and found a letter from HR....Vacation policy was changing....Beginning Jan. 1 all accrued vacation would be erased....I had already earned 4 weeks.....

I walked down to HR and asked how I would be able to use my vacation time.....He said it would be gone, even if I quit that day..

I called a place I had sent a resume to, and was told the job was essentially mine...

I gave the a$$holes where I worked 20 minutes notice for 20 years on the job.....

Then I told the plant manager I would be back for my vacation pay later.....He walked me down to HR and told the HR manager to cut me a check for a months pay.......

Sometimes you have to call their bluff...


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## plomito (Apr 7, 2015)

Back in 2003 i started working for a restaurant well known for their ice creams, everything started fine until i met the general manager. She was nice the first day, but then started to get very rude and loved to talk down on people. When i started to train in the kitchen i noticed things that made me not ever eat at this place, and i mean ever. I decided to quit, one-because i know somebody is going to get sick eating at this place, and didn't want to wait for that to happen, 2-because no way i was going to take the crap this lady was giving me and the rest of the crew.

One day i just went and handed the uniform, and some set of keys, at that point i didn't have nothing to fall back on, other than some little savings, but felt so much better after i left that place. A month later i landed a better job


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## Runs like Dog (Feb 25, 2011)

I worked for a consulting firm on contract to the US State dept in West Africa in 1994, creating financial incubators. The contract was 'transferred', basically factored and grandfathered to another branch of government. I walked off the job when I found out I'd be working for the DoD indirectly - which would have made my job impossible. Ironically I wound up working for one of those three letter agencies 18 months later, not the same one though. Mind you I have no ethical or moral compunction for working for the DoD but it has to make sense - it has to fit. When I walked off the job I had a sick wife and 3 kids living in another country. Balls were juggled.


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## knobcreek (Nov 18, 2015)

I have never outright quit a job as I've always had responsibilities even when a teenager. But I work in IT and I've seen guys lose it and quit in dramatic fashion. And I'm not talking entry level jobs I'm talking six figure positions. The field is really stressful and I've seen it break people.


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## kristin2349 (Sep 12, 2013)

I've quit several jobs. When I was younger I had one that I just knew was not going to work out, the boss was a flat out jerk and overstimated how much I "needed" the job. I went to lunch and didn't return. In my current line of work I am self employed and I can't really "quit" but I have dropped clients which is pretty much the same thing. I have always had the luxury of a financial safety net though, if I didn't I might not have made the same choices.


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## ExiledBayStater (Feb 16, 2013)

If we're going to count jobs as a teenager I have to change my answer. I generally didn't work during the school year. I saved a lot of money by not owning a car.


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## sapientia (Nov 24, 2012)

Only once when I was much younger. It was for a biotech company. The job wasn't what they said it would be. I left on principle.

Since then, I've learned that principle doesn't pay bills. Get employment deals in writing. People will say all kinds of things to get you onboard but once there, unless you have it in writing, you are no longer a priority.

Over the years I've owned my own businesses and been employed. I never leave a position until I have my next one secured. The last one I was headhunted for. I waited until my new deal was in place before letting my employer know I was leaving. It's a gamble to let them know you are looking, unless you think you want to stay and finesse a better offer from your current employer. If not, then don't let on at all until you are ready to leave.


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## Broken at 20 (Sep 25, 2012)

When I worked for a grocery store as a stocker, I walked into the freezer one day to find one of the cashiers, who was supposed to be filling the ice cooler up front with bags of ice, smoking a cigarette. 
I told my manager, and needless to say, the ice coolers didn't get filled. 

Out of all the quitters I saw there, that was by far the funniest.


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## Pluto2 (Aug 17, 2011)

I did when I was first starting out. I found out my first boss was an alcoholic. He ran his car off the road, hit a cow and ended up in the hospital and a DUI. So, I got a another job and left. Then I found out my new boss was a coke-head. I quit when I stumbled onto his stash. No prospects, just left. I was out of work about eight months. It all worked out.


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## Kivlor (Oct 27, 2015)

I did a couple of times while working for minimum wage. Wasn't worried because I'd have another by tomorrow.

I did, however, quit my last job suddenly, although I was making decent money, and it was an easy job. Hated it, had grown tired. I decided I was going to stop, and find something else. Walked in and said "this is my last shift." 

I'd saved up enough to last quite a while. Went home, to a very upset GF, and worked out on paper a couple of options. Sat down with my step-mother and dad a couple of days later, and changed the plan completely. Next day I went to work (100% commission, no salary) for our dying family company. Told my GF she'd have to help with half of the rent; she left me a few days later.

I lived bare bones, and survived on my savings. My dad died two years in, leaving me alone in the family business (with the exception of a family friend who mentors me regularly). I still hadn't seen a single commission. I was out of savings. I had built up a serious clientele, but a single deal in my business takes 9+ months once a contract is signed. 12+ from start to payday, and I almost gave up. 

I remember being at my wits end, financially destitute, and being ready to give up. I doubled down, borrowed money for the first time in my life, and said I'd stick it out till the end of the year. Made my first paycheck December 31 that year, and then things started to align.

I've turned it all around, re-imagined our 60+ year family business, and turned it into something my grandparents and even my dad couldn't have dreamed of. I'm glad I took that chance years ago, and again that I doubled down when I thought I couldn't go on. 

Fortes, Inquit, Fortuna Iuvat!


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## Therealbrighteyes (Feb 11, 2010)

Yes. I used to be a bond trader. Had a full on cardiac arrest on the trading room floor at 34, which is very rare for a woman, and was taken away by paramedics after they shocked my heart back with those portable paddles. I don't remember any part of it. I spent 6 days in the hospital and realized that all that money wasn't worth it. I had two youngish children at that time who needed a living mother and a husband who didn't deserve to be widow. I called my boss from my hospital bed to tell him I quit. Granted I had a few bucks saved up. Money is fabulous if you live long enough to enjoy it. Other than that........


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## tech-novelist (May 15, 2014)

Therealbrighteyes said:


> Yes. I used to be a bond trader. Had a full on cardiac arrest on the trading room floor at 34, which is very rare for a woman, and was taken away by paramedics after they shocked my heart back with those portable paddles. I don't remember any part of it. I spent 6 days in the hospital and realized that all that money wasn't worth it. I had two youngish children at that time who needed a living mother and a husband who didn't deserve to be widow. I called my boss from my hospital bed to tell him I quit. Granted I had a few bucks saved up. Money is fabulous if you live long enough to enjoy it. Other than that........


Wow! I had no idea that bond trading would be that stressful, as bad as (let's say) commodity trading. Was there some specific event that caused the stress, or was it continuous?


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## Therealbrighteyes (Feb 11, 2010)

technovelist said:


> Wow! I had no idea that bond trading would be that stressful, as bad as (let's say) commodity trading. Was there some specific event that caused the stress, or was it continuous?


Continuous. Everybody who worked there was young(ish) and yet had health problems.


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## tech-novelist (May 15, 2014)

Therealbrighteyes said:


> Continuous. Everybody who worked there was young(ish) and yet had health problems.


Amazing. This just reinforces my rule never to use leverage in my investing!


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## FormerSelf (Apr 21, 2013)

Just once. I was called up by a manager to work for him in his hotel department when he heard that the weather was turning sour at a hotel I was presently working at. It was an ego boost to be called up and and even greater ego boost when they offered me a higher wage when I first declined (which should have been a red flag).
I made the leap and found myself in chaos, a food and beverage department that was falling apart, and antiquated way of running things. Busting into holiday season...it was three weeks of unending stress and disorganization. I knew I wasn't going to endure it much longer, so I wrote a note basically saying that since I was in a 30 day probationary period, so were they.
My manager called me the next day...laughing about it; he had just given his notice too! The new catering director was inspired by my actions and quit as well. I had a new job three days later.


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## Reaper39 (Nov 25, 2015)

Yes I was working for a tow truck company back in the day with no benefits so it made it real easy to quit!


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## Lloyd Dobler (Apr 24, 2014)

I walked out on a job once when I was about 20. I had worked in a grocery store since I was 15 through high school and into my college years and I really enjoyed it - the people there were great (still friends with some of those people 30 years later) and I didn't mind working hard. 

Well, they scheduled me for a nightcrew one particular night. Back in those days, they locked the doors on you (with no supervisors on hand) and you had to stock all the palettes of groceries for the next day. I can't remember how many guys we had working that night but we worked pretty consistently the whole night with relatively little time off for breaks or goofing off. Problem is, we didn't finish stocking all the groceries that management wanted.

The next morning comes around, and at 7:00 AM management unlocks the door and let's all the other workers in to prepare for the store opening at 8:00 AM. The Assistant Manager was a real [email protected] with us about not finishing everything and he gave us a hard time then walked away. A few minutes later the Grocery Manager (who was a friend of mine) comes into the aisle where me and my co-workers were finishing up. Grocery Manager says to me - "<Assistant Manager Name> says you guys have to stay to put up all the palettes". 

I think to myself - no effing way. I'm tired and I busted my butt all night long and I want to go home and go to bed. One of the other guys complained and said something to Grocery Manager. Grocery Manager says, "If you don't stay to finish up, <Assistant Manager Name> says he's going to fire you." I knew this was BS, but at that point I'd had enough. I unholstered my price stamper, handed it to Grocery Manager and told him to to bother because I quit. I walked to the break room, got my jacket and walked out of there, stopping just long enough to tell another one of my friends who was opening up the store what I had done. Felt fricking great, to be honest. And the other guys on the night crew did indeed stay to finish up.

Whenever we get together to talk about old times, this always comes up and everyone gets a big chuckle out of it. I had a new (and better) job within a week.


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## Avogadro (Mar 31, 2015)

Quit? No.

I had worked 19 years for the same company. It went from a dream job to a nightmare of stress and depression just trying to survive the place. Over the years, I had learned the ins and outs of how they handled employees, so I decided I was going to get myself fired, without cause.

I made it a point over 9 months to embarrass every senior manager when ever I could, do mass emails when ever we tried to ship defective product, point out safety violations when OSHA came in and send mass emails when ever i would spot any discrimination of any type. It worked, they fired me after nine months.

To keep me quite, they cut a check for one year salary and my 22 weeks of accumulated vacation. CHA CHING. I had that bad boy deposited within an hour of getting canned.

They asked me to come back in the next day. Completely unheard of at this company, once fired you are banned from the premises for life. I knew what they wanted (muhahahah).

You see, I started in a hourly crappy job at this company and worked my way nearly to the top. They had neglected to ever have me sign a non-compete agreement. They slid it in front of me and asked me to sign. I said "Sure, 50 grand will be adequate compensation" I am sure I had the biggest ship-eating grin on my face. They walked me out with unbelievable malice and rudeness. 

I spent three months touring Europe on their dime and went to work for their biggest competitor making nearly 150% of my previous salary. Not jack-ship they could do about it.


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## SadSamIAm (Oct 29, 2010)

My first job was delivering news papers. (10 years old) 
Quit the job to become a box boy at a grocery store. (13 years old) 
Quit that job to go to University (18 years old). 
Quit university after 1 year and went back to the grocery store to work full time. (19 years old) 
Quit the grocery store after 1 year to move away to college and play volleyball. (20 years old)
After graduating college, got a job in a lumberyard. (22 years old)
Quit the lumber yard (after 2 months) to take a job in my field of study.
Job was temporary and quit that job after 8 months to take a permanent job with another company.(23 years old)
Quit that job after 2 years to take a better job with another company.(25 years old)
Quit that job after 6 years to take a job with a small company that offered a chance for ownership. (31 years old)
Became part owner of that company 2 years later. (33 years old)
Became full owner of that company 10 years later. (43 years old)
Still operating company (51 years old)

So have quit a number of jobs but never without something else lined up.


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## sapientia (Nov 24, 2012)

Avogadro said:


> Quit? No.
> 
> I had worked 19 years for the same company. It went from a dream job to a nightmare of stress and depression just trying to survive the place. Over the years, I had learned the ins and outs of how they handled employees, so I decided I was going to get myself fired, without cause.
> 
> ...


Okay, this was an awesome "I quit" story. Congrats on graduating from the Workplace Sociopaths pyramid.


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## EleGirl (Dec 3, 2011)

The summer after graduating from high school I got a job selling diner card memberships/credit cards over the phone. It was a stupid job to even take. But when I interviewed they did not actually describe what the job turned out to be. It was in a banquet room in a big fancy hotel. The guy who ran the show was an a$$. At the start of each day he'd come in the room and get all of the phone workers (all women) in a 'meeting' . Then he would start yelling, screaming and jumping up, throwing his arms around and down telling us what pieces of sh!t we were because we were not selling enough.. and a lot of other insults. I walked out on the 5th day of the job without even an explanation.. just walked and never looked back. I think that the only reason I lasted 5 days was because I was young and unsure what to do.

Then a few years later I got a job as an inspector at a Levi plant. I had to inspect jeans as they came off the sewing line. They taught us what I call a 'dance'. It was a sequence of steps that we had to follow to inspect every seam in as short a time as possible. I could not do the job. Within days my eyes were killing me from the way I had to look at the jeans. I just could not do it.. so I quit.


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## Sbrown (Jul 29, 2012)

I worked for a company running g a cold forge machine. Extremely boring job and the boss had little man syndrome really bad. He liked to get mad and throw stuff. One day it was a crow bar that nearly hit me. Went home that night and stewed on it. Went in the next day and told them I was gone after friday. The look on their faces when I told them I didn't know where i was going was priceless. Had a job by the next week. 

Scott


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## Pollo (Oct 17, 2014)

I was an analyst at a clothing/sportswear company that didn't care about their employees. Half of each month I would work around 10-12 hours a day and was taken advantage of by other directors because my boss was on maternity leave. 

One time I wanted to leave early because I was sick with a really bad cough but I had a meeting in the morning, so I asked to leave right after that. Our VP coincidentally postponed the meeting after I made my request and held it at the very end of the day. Also, I'm pretty sure he was drunk during it.

Also, I needed to go for knee surgery at the end of the year and I only had 2 vacation days left. HR told me that I could only use those days for the surgery and nothing more. A couple of days after that I quit without having another job lined up. It was, by far, the worst place I ever worked.


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## Marduk (Jul 16, 2010)

I once woke up in the morning on some guy's couch with a girl calling my boss and saying in a low voice pretending to be me that I quit and he should (and I quote) "slurp **** and die."

Which is from the movie heathers, which I thought was a pretty cool reference.

Does that count?


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## Thound (Jan 20, 2013)

Yea once I was a male stripper. Women were always after me throwing themselves at me. Rich women were wanting to buy me cars houses etc. I just felt like a piece of meat.



Wait no that was a dream I had once. Sorry about that.


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## Lilac23 (Jul 9, 2015)

Yes...and it was awesome...sigh...


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## Redactus (Nov 22, 2015)

Yes,

Worked for the assistant counsel at the legal dept. at a large corp. in Vegas. The assistant counsel got promoted to GC and began to change. He started blaming me for his mistakes. I had enough and one day after he yelled at me for his mistakes, I simply flipped him the double bird to his face and told him to F off...... I walked out and never regretted it. My whole family knew the stress I was under and backed me up on the action.


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## unbelievable (Aug 20, 2010)

I left the full time Army back in '92 but was given a great job offer the same day I returned to "the world" (within a couple hours of landing). I transferred over to the Reserves so I knew I had at least a part time job plus a pocket full of separation bonus money that could have carried me several months. When I signed the papers, though, I didn't have a full time gig. I didn't figure I'd be out of work long and I wasn't. That's the only job I've ever quit without having a full time job to replace it and I've been working since I was 14. Usually had two jobs at once, so if I just had to quit I would always have a backup. If the money comes in steadily I can put up with the devil if that's what it takes to feed my family. I've been shot at, beat on, rocketed, and mortared. What's some unpleasant boss or colleague gonna do to me? Yell at me? Make unpleasant faces or surly comments? If any of that was lethal I would have died a million deaths in Basic Training.


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## SMG15 (May 23, 2015)

Only when I was still living with my mom and on summer break from college


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## NotEasy (Apr 19, 2015)

I only quit one job without a certain next job lined up. It was a government job, a job for life. 
I found out my real job was to keep our pointless fiasco out of the papers. After 8 months we had not had 1 headline, but only by me working double time, unpaid. The boss had threatened that anyone trying to leave would get a shocking reference, so I resigned. He was upset that he would never get anyone else to carry the team.
Picked up a new gig within a week, contracting to a different government department, paying over double my old salary. 3 months later I got a call asking for a reference for my old boss.


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