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Do you hate your job but can’t quit?
Are you constantly going nuts and saying “I hate my job!”
It’s a tough situation and I bet these thoughts go through your head A LOT:
“I want to quit my job but I need money. What should I do?”
“I hate my job and my life. What can I do to change this?”
“What to do when you hate your job but can’t quit?”
“How do you deal with a job you don’t like?”
“My job is making me miserable. Should I quit?”
Well, I want to tell you that you are not alone!
According to a report by Gallup, 87% workers worldwide are emotionally disconnected from their workplaces.
Yep, that includes me!
I Hate My Job!
For the past few years, I’ve gone straight home to yell, scream, and cry because I felt stuck at a day job that I absolutely hate.
I admit I hate work and I hate going to work!
It didn’t matter how many jobs I switched or how much I got paid. I still felt miserable and sad deep inside.
Not to mention, I hate having to answer to man, especially those who think they’re “the” $hit, but I know they’re not; they’re just plain “$hit!”
Oh yeah, and I know it’s easy for people to tell you: “If you hate your job so much, you should just find a new one.”
Yes, I agree this works for people who want change and a new challenge at a new job. But for some (you know who you are), this won’t solve your problem.
I know that dreadful feeling you face when you’re at a job you hate so much (or any other job).
It can really sap the energy out of you!
But I want to tell you that you don’t have to feel this way.
What To Do When You Hate Your Job
So, you’re probably now asking, “What do you do when you hate your job?” and “How can I get out of my job?
Here’s what I’ve been doing to help me cope with a job I hate but can’t quit (yet).
BTW, don’t forget to check out some funny “I hate my job” memes at the end of this post to help you cheer up for the day! 🙂
🌟 UPDATE: I initially started this blog as a side hobby to learn how to make money online. To my surprise, I was able to quit my job to become a full-time blogger within 1 year after following the tips I wrote for you below. I sincerely hope this will help you too!
Related posts related to quitting your job:
– How I Quit My Job To Earn a Full-Time Income Online (I started at $0 and today, I’ve been earning between $7,000 to $10,000 per month)
– 13 Epic Passive Income Ideas That Will Allow You To Quit Your Job (#2 Will Blow Your Mind Away)
– This Quote By Warren Buffett Will Inspire You To Quit Your Job!
Ask yourself why you hate your job
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It’s hard to solve your problem when you don’t know why you hate your job. The first step is to figure out the root cause.
Here are some common reasons why you hate your job:
– the people you work with are toxic.
– you are being micromanaged and controlled.
– your work is not appreciated and no one respects you.
– you are underpaid and overworked.
– there are no opportunities for growth or promotions.
– the work is not challenging.
– your company’s values are not in sync with yours.
– there is no work-life balance.
– the stuff you’re doing is just not what you expected.
– you are lacking passion and fulfillment.
– you just know that you cannot answer to man. (you want to be your own boss).
If all of the above is how you feel, except for the last point, then beefing up your resume and changing jobs may solve your problem.
However, if the last point also applies to you – like me – switching jobs will probably not help. This is where you need to do more digging and search for answers about yourself.
How to be happy at a job you hate
Thinking outside of your job, spend a few moments to figure out what makes you happy.
What do you love to do?
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I know this sound so cliche, but I cannot stress how important this is!
I admit that I had still have trouble figuring out what I love and want to do for the rest of my life.
We’re often asked the question, “What are your passions?” but we scratch our heads because we never seem to have the answers.
Don’t worry, I was there once. And to be honest with you, I still don’t know 100%. However, I’m able to answer this question better than before.
With that said, I want to help you search for your answers too.
What I’m about to say might be different from the general advice, but following the steps below helped me figure out what sparks joy within me.
This is how to stay happy at work despite hating your job. It’s what helped me cope with the current job I hate and I hope you’ll be inspired to do the same as well.
What do you do when you hate your job
After asking yourself why you hate your job, it’s time to do some internal research.
That means learning more about yourself and finding your purpose.
Photo by Heather Schwartz on Unsplash
This free personality test may help you search for some answers — I have to admit that I didn’t really know myself that well prior to taking this test!
If it weren’t for this test, I wouldn’t have discovered the opportunities outside of the 9-5 (or today’s 9-9) traditional jobs that I hate so much!
Don’t let social norms dictate who you are
I have to say, though, you’ll have to be 100% honest with yourself when you take the personality test.
Don’t try to force your answers to what society thinks you should be. That will just lead you back to confusion, unhappiness, and potentially stuck at the job you hate forever.
Using myself as an example, when I first found out that I’m an INFJ (one type of introvert), I was flipping out and thought it was the end of the world!
I was quite upset and mad about it.
Why?
Well, I didn’t realize this, but I wanted the results to tell me that I’m an extrovert.
For goodness sake, the job that I’m in is dominated with more extroverts than introverts (at least that’s how it seems on the surface)!
Perhaps there are many introverts who disguise themselves as extroverts because they subconsciously think that is what’s going to make them become more successful, make more money, and hence become happier.
Despite knowing deep inside that the personality test results were pretty accurate, I still redid the test over 50 times because I couldn’t accept myself.
The results kept screaming out, in Nelson’s laugh…
“HA-HA! Loser, INFJ, INFJ, INFJ…”
I realized that my self-denial was making me become close-minded, which clouded my vision and prevented me from seeking other opportunities.
With that said, it was time for me to be 100% honest with myself…
Embrace yourself!
This may mean letting go of your ego and accepting who you really are.
Doing that may open more doors to other career opportunities that you would have never thought about.
It’s time to look for other career opportunities — whether it be finding a new job or looking for non-traditional work from home jobs for introverts.
Being 100% honest with yourself can lead you to opportunities that you never thought would be possible.
That’s when I finally told myself that I need to accept the facts and embrace who I really am.
You also need to train yourself to become open-minded to new possibilities and be ready for some change!
🌟 UPDATE: I NEVER in my life imagined that I would transition from a traditional day job as an analyst at the bank to start a profitable blog and become a full-time blogger!
Trust me, I’m NO expert and I started with absolutely zero experience just over a year ago!
There are a ton of things I still need to learn, but I never felt this excited about working from home and being able to earn a full-time income online!
Discover Other Potential Career Opportunities
Once I accepted my results from the personality test, I endlessly searched about my personality type and read EVERY SINGLE article and blog post I could find on Google and Pinterest!
I highly recommend you to do this too.
Search for answers to find out more about your personality type. This self-discovery could help you learn more about yourself, and potentially what you may enjoy doing.
I found this to be especially true when I was reading about my personality trait under the jobs and career sections.
Using my personal results as an example, it says INFJs are creative creatures and would do well and find meaningful work as psychologists, designers, artists, professors, life coaches, or authors (including starting a blog).
Again, all of these career opportunities NEVER crossed my mind because my vision was clouded by my parents’ and society’s expectations.
They all told me that I should graduate from business school and climb as high as I can in the corporate world.
And look at where I am now…
Bouncing from one corporate job to another and hating it with a passion!
I’m just not a fan of corporate work or corporate politics… I just like the idea of financial freedom so I can live life with purpose and spend more time with the people I love.
With all that said, this is why I started a blog in addition to flipping furniture as a side hustle for extra money.
Again, starting this blog was out of this world for me because I never considered myself a writer (I still don’t). For crying out loud, I failed grade 11 English, LOL!
I couldn’t tell you how much happier I’ve become. I’m currently writing for my readers while making extra money on the side.
On top of that, being able to write on this blog is helping me cope with a job I hate but can’t quit (yet). ♥
I hope this inspires you to start your blog too.
🌟 UPDATE: Just one year ago when I wrote this post, I was still at a job I hated.
I tried a ton of side hustles to make extra money, but I found blogging one of the most enjoyable and profitable! And what I realized is you DON’T need to be tech savvy nor the best writer to start a money-making blog!
At the time of this update, I’m making over $7,000 per month blogging. I officially started this blog in November 2017 (with no experience) and was able to quit my job by the end of 2018.
Sign up to my FREE 7-day e-mail course here and I’ll teach you how to start a money-making blog from scratch!
I hate my job but it pays well
Now, some of you may be thinking “I hate my job but it pays well”.
If you had to take one person’s advice, take it from the billionaire, Warren Buffett.
While I was searching for new career opportunities, I stumbled upon this quote, which I put a lot of thought into.
Again, the personality test helped me figure out which career could be the right fit for me based on my personality results.
“Take the job you would take if you were independently wealthy. You’re going to do well at it.” — Warren Buffett
Here’s a quick video clip of Warren Buffett’s career advice, tap dancing to work…
For me, I gave flipping furniture and blogging a try AFTER figuring out my personality type.
As I got into learning more and more about it, I realized that those hobbies and potential career opportunities sparked my interest!
Whether you love cooking, crafting, cleaning, crunching numbers, talking to people, making people laugh, playing with kids, or [whatever it is], you need to figure out what you enjoy.
While I was trying to learn more about myself, I had to stop thinking about what jobs my parents wanted me to pursue. They wanted me to become “successful” and their definition of success meant high-paying jobs in accounting, banking, law, medical, etc.
Overall, I stopped caring about what my parents wanted. I also stopped caring about what society defines as “right” or “successful”.
Quit your job to chase your passions??
And NO, I’m not telling you to quit your job now to blindly chase your passions!
I know you have financial obligations and cannot afford to quit your job.
Spare some time to take the personality test and do thorough research based on your results.
Those results may help you think about how to leverage your skills and interests to make money.
As you get closer to finding your answers, set aside some time on weeknights and weekends to pursue these interests, hobbies, passions — whatever you want to call them.
That’s exactly what I’m doing with this blog and my furniture gig. I’ve spent time learning how to flip furniture and how to start a blog to make extra money.
I will tell you straight up that this doesn’t happen overnight. It took me over one year just to be here, and I’m nowhere near quitting my job yet.
But, I am taking small steps to get to where I want to be.
This self-discovery journey includes investing in yourself as well, another brilliant advice from Warren Buffett.
“The most important investment you can make is in yourself.” — Warren Buffett
Once you start investing your time, money, and energy into your hobbies and interests, you won’t even notice that times flies because you’ll be so focused on trying to make things work so you can quit your job soon.
Long story short, learn and study yourself as if you’re studying for an exam.
Try many different things to see what brings you joy. Start googling for more answers. That includes seeing if there’s a way to monetize your skills, passions, and interests.
You can also start reading self-development books for additional help here.
By the way, you don’t necessarily have to be skilled as long as you have a strong interest in learning whatever it is that you enjoy doing.
You may want to invest in yourself while learning or picking up a new skill you find enjoyable that is, of course, marketable at the same time.
For me, I used my spare time to invest in a blogging education so I could learn how to monetize what I enjoy doing.
Are you chasing the wrong passions?
Here is a quick video by life coach, Shaina Leis, that I found VERY helpful when it comes to knowing whether or not you’re chasing the wrong passions.
Be sure to watch it!
Action plan: How to quit your job
How do you plan to quit your job? When is your “quit” date?
First, look at the bigger picture and plan for your long-term goals.
Next, break them down into smaller goals.
Once you figure out why you hate your job and understand yourself better, it’s time to focus on your new “life goals” and slowly shift your negative energy away from the job you hate.
It could be that you’re looking for a new job, learning a new skill for a new job, or starting a business on the side.
Again, I’m not telling you to quit now when you have no money — you won’t be financially ready and that will likely cause more stress.
As usual, continue with your job and do what’s expected based on your job description while you’re preparing for an exit plan.
You’re still held responsible for your tasks and duties at work, so don’t show any negative emotions.
And definitely, DO NOT give any hints that you’re preparing to quit your job.
Remain professional about the situation so you avoid being axed. Trust me, you don’t want to burn any bridges or leave with a bad impression.
Efficiently use your time and energy to focus on your next big move. This is where you write down your plans and goals.
To make it more motivating, markdown your desired “quit” date on your calendar. Make sure this is realistic.
As time goes by, do quarterly and/or semi-annual reviews to see how things are going. It’s okay to tweak your plans and make adjustments.
How to quit your job when you have no money
Quitting your job with no money is no joke.
So, take the necessary steps to become financially secured before saying bye to your boss!
To do that, you must have sufficient financial resources.
Without it, you will become more stressed than sucking up the job you hate.
Maybe some of you are lucky enough to have a support system such as family and friends. But what if you don’t have these resources to lean back on?
Here are some tips on how to prepare yourself financially before quitting your job:
– Living frugally by avoiding waste and unnecessary spending. This will also help you build an emergency fund as a backup plan. It is recommended to build at least 3 to 6 months worth of living expenses. But the more the better.
– Pay off as much debt as you can (especially consumer debt).
– Prepare for financial independence by following the secret tips from millionaires.
Keep Asking Yourself the “Why”
Two years ago, I went to see a counselor and went through several therapy sessions paid by my company.
Here’s one tip my counselor offered when we talked about how much I hated my job but couldn’t quit yet.
This is what he asked me. You can apply this to yourself as well:
“Ask yourself why you’re still at the job you hate. Why aren’t you leaving? There must be a purpose. What’s the end goal?”
I responded something along the lines:
“I’m still here because it can help me buy a ticket to financial freedom while being able to pursue my other hobbies on the side. I know that switching to another job will not solve my problems because I have a goal of becoming so and so (not sharing that part yet). If sticking around for a few more years can yield huge payoffs for my family’s future, I’m more than willing to sacrifice a little bit today.”
He told me to always keep this “why” in mind because it will make the job I hate much more tolerable. He said as long as you know what your life goals are, and how to get there, this “why” should serve as a motivating factor.
I Quit My Job To Blog Full-Time!
After keeping my “why” in mind and working towards my goals, I was able to move onto new and better things!
Again, it never crossed my mind to quit my job this soon!
When I started this blog, I liked the idea of making an extra $100 to $1,000 as a start. Making extra money definitely helped a lot because it allowed me to save money as I was preparing to quit my job.
If you’re interested, you can start your blog for as low as $2.95 USD per month when you sign up through my easy step-by-step tutorial here. That’s over 60% off regular pricing! Plus, get a FREE domain name ($15 value) when you sign up through my tutorial.
This low price is exclusive to Finsavvy Panda readers!
Starting a blog was the best decision I made last year because it actually allowed me to work towards my goals and quit the job I hated!
Summary on what to do when you hate your job
Well, there you have it — my approach to dealing with a job you hate but can’t seem to quit yet. It will take time, but the most important part is getting started.
Here’s my recap:
1) Ask yourself why you hate your job. Determine the root cause.
2) Do you know what you enjoy? What is your life’s purpose?
3) Whether you know your passions or not, take the free personality test to find out.
4) Research more about your personality trait and find out which careers match closest to your type. A lot of this has to do with self-discovery. Starting a money-making blog opened many doors and opportunities for me!
5) Take Warren Buffett’s advice:
– Take the job you would take if you were independently wealthy. You’re going to do well at it.
– The best investment you can make is in yourself.
6) Create an action plan (and goals) for when and how to quit your job. Make sure you do periodic reviews and adjust accordingly.
7) Create a financial plan (and goals) for when and how to quit your job. Like the action plan, make sure you do periodic reviews and adjust accordingly.
8) Keep asking and reminding yourself the “why” question. This should serve as your motivation.
Over to you — Are you motivated to start slaying your “quit your job” goals? Don’t forget to check out a few of my favorite “I hate my job memes” below. It can bring out some good laughs when you just can’t stand the job you hate!
“I hate my job” memes
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Did you enjoy this post? If so, don’t forget to share it on Pinterest! 🙂
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