Suddenly that 20-hour per week job that you were so excited to land during week one (extra cash—hooray!) is starting to stress you out. Sure, it seemed feasible then, but that was “syllabus week” and you didn’t know yet that your accounting class was going to eat you alive this semester.
This is just one of many scenarios that might tempt you to quit your job. Most collegiettes never want to quit because they are afraid of how it might affect their resume or they don’t want to stop getting paychecks. However, there are many situations when quitting your job might be the best solution. HC has determined five circumstances in which quitting is ok as well as some situations in which you should reconsider.
1. You’ve overcommitted yourself this semester.
One of the great things about college is the never-ending list of activities or organizations you can join. Whether you’re on a sports team, in a sorority or writing for your school paper (or all three!), you may realize that juggling all of this is just more than you can handle.
If your many commitments are causing your grades to drop, it may be time to quit your job. “Many college students have a lot on their plates, and although a job may seem necessary to pull in some much-needed cash, it could distract from their studies,” says Heather R. Huhman, career expert and founder and president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy company. “If your outside job is getting in the way of excelling in your classes, it might be time to quit in order to focus on your degree—after all, you’re spending a lot of money on your education.”
2. Your boss is disrespectful.
If your boss takes The Devil Wears Prada to the next level, chances are you’re feeling overworked and frustrated. In a 2004 poll of 1 million U.S. workers, Gallup concluded that the No.1 1 reason people quit their jobs is because of a bad boss or supervisor. “People leave managers not companies… in the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue,” Gallup said in the survey findings.
However, it’s important to know that there is a difference between simply not liking your boss (that can be fixed!) and being disrespected at your job. If your boss is bullying you, harassing you or not respecting your legal rights, you are completely justified in quitting (and reporting them).
3. You’ve landed a great internship in your field of study.
Ultimately, the best way to ensure that you get a job you both want and enjoy after graduation (especially in this economy!) is to have as many related internships as possible. “Although many internships are unpaid, they provide the experience you’ll need in order to get an entry-level job after graduation,” says Huhman.
You might be hesitant to leave your paid part-time job for an unpaid internship, but in the long run you’ll create more contacts in your industry andhave a better idea of what you want to do after graduation.
4. You aren’t learning anything.
While you’re in school, jobs can help you earn a little extra cash to pay electricity bills or tuition. But, most importantly, jobs should teach you transferable skills.
Learning to work with a team, how to communicate or specific technical skills can be more important than you think in your future jobs. “Many jobs held before graduation can be related to your field of study, so working at the bookstore for two years while in school could give you the upper hand when it comes time for your entry-level job search,” says Huhman.
However, if your job isn’t helping you learn anything new, it might be time to step back and assess whether it’s worth keeping. Sure, you can keep at it for the extra cash, but you might be better off finding a job that will help you with your career goals.
5. You’re just plain ol’ miserable!
If your job is affecting your sleep, health or really just making you bitter about life, you might want to reassess how important the job is to you. The Mayo Clinic suggests evaluating your current work-life balance and then applying new strategies to achieve a better state-of-mind. Some of these strategies include:
- Learning to say “no”
- Disconnecting from work when you’re in class or at home
- Nurturing yourself with enough sleep, food and exercise to stay healthy
Remember, you’re only in college for a few years! Don’t exhaust yourself to the point where you’re already burnt out by the time you enter the workforce.
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Of course, there are things you should think about before actually quitting your job, such as are you quitting this job for the right reasons? Will quitting do you more harm than good in the long run?
Here are some reasons you shouldn’t quit your job:
1. You’re forced to do “grunt work”.
We’ve all been there. That job or internship we were so happy to get has become eight hours a day of stuffing envelopes and doing arts and crafts projects. Is there any higher meaning in these tasks?
Lindsey Pollak, Generation Y career and workplace expert, thinks so. In her blog, Pollak says doing grunt work now can help make you a better boss in the future.
“The more you know about how to do any task in your organization or line of business, the better,” Pollak says. “For instance, if you know it always took you about an hour to proofread a certain number of articles, you’ll be able to assess the skills of the person doing that now.”
2. You haven’t been promoted in a year.
One of the best indicators of if you’re succeeding at your job is whether or not you’ve been promoted. Namrata Dadwal, a writer for the Economic Times, says not being promoted can mean two things: your supervisors don’t believe you’re capable of additional tasks or they aren’t aware you exist.
If this is the case, ask to take on more work. If you seem happy and challenged by your current workload, your supervisor will pass the new, larger jobs onto the other employees. By taking the initiative, you can demonstrate your commitment to your job and you’ll be more likely to be considered for a promotion.
3. You have to wake up early (and go to bed even earlier) for work.
As appealing as it sounds to live the “work hard, play harder” motto to the fullest during college, sometimes you need to plan your schedule carefully and focus on your goals. “During college, it’s important to learn to manage your time wisely,” says Huhman.
Though you might not be able to follow the 3:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. sleep pattern you enjoyed freshmen year, you must realize eventually that the early mornings and early nights will help your resume that much more after college!
So after looking at your own reasoning, you’ve still decided you should quit your job. But how should you go about it? Here’s a list of things you should do if you’ve decided to quit:
- Give two-weeks notice: Write a short and sweet resignation letter including why you are leaving and when. This might not be necessary for every job, but it can’t hurt!
- Tell your boss or supervisor about your decision first: This might be the hardest part, but you certainly don’t want your boss to find out you’re quitting through the grapevine.
- Leave your job peacefully: Refrain from gloating to your co-workers or telling off your boss during your last day on the job. This will only hurt your reputation.
Sources
Heather R. Huhman, career expert, hiring manager, founder and president of Come Recommended and author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships: The Truth About Getting from Classroom to Cubicle
http://www.universitylanguage.com/resumes/resume-skills-to-list/
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/quittingyourjob/tp/quit_your_job.htm
http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/whatsnew/package.jsp?name=fte/…
http://www.mainstreet.com/slideshow/career/students/gen-y/best-side-jobs-college-students
http://www.lindseypollak.com/
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2011/03/28/10-signs-its-tim…
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/joblossandresignation/tp/resignation-etiquette.htm
http://www.lindseypollak.com/archives/why-“grunt-work”-matters
http://www.usatoday.com/money/jobcenter/workplace/quitting/2002-11-20-le…
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-08-08/news/29864331_1_…