HAVE to quit my job... ramble...

[Belia]

I have to quit my job. It's making me crazy and miserable and giving me panic attacks. I've struggled with it for years and its getting WORSE, but I make really good money, have summers off, etc etc etc. Classic golden handcuffs.

But for some reason I've decided to give it one more year to get my act together, and then I have to quit. I was talking about it with my therapist yesterday, and that conversation was the first time I've felt HOPEFUL about ANYTHING in a long, long time. WHich was great, but also sad in a way.

I've got to do it for my own well-being.

Too bad I can't afford to.

I found this neat online calculator at Kiplingers.com that helps to calculate how much of a deficit there would be if you quit your job. With our regular budget AND me earning $500 a month somehow, we're $1300 short.

With me trimming the budget, not to bare bones but about as far as I'm realistically able to go, we're still $800 short.

How can I find out how to do this? How can I figure out what hourly salary I would need, and how many hours a week I would need to work, to earn this money? How do you figure out what an hourly wage or salary would transfer to out-of-pocket??

Sorry if I'm rambling... its been a 2-glass-of-wine night since I crunched these numbers.

[elizawill]

Originally Posted by Belia

With our regular budget AND me earning $500 a month somehow, we're $1300 short.

With me trimming the budget, not to bare bones but about as far as I'm realistically able to go, we're still $800 short.

How can I find out how to do this? How can I figure out what hourly salary I would need, and how many hours a week I would need to work, to earn this money? How do you figure out what an hourly wage or salary would transfer to out-of-pocket??

Sorry if I'm rambling... its been a 2-glass-of-wine night since I crunched these numbers.

i think there are several variables that come into play. if you need to make a minimum of $800, than you would need to make at least a couple hundred a week. how many hours that requires is totally dependant on the wage though. for example, if you worked for $10 hour, than you would need to work roughly 23-24 hours a week. this way your wage would be $230-$240 & your take home would be about $200 after taxes, kwim? more money equals less hours obviously.


as for wages that trasfer to out-of-pocket? do you mean what your actual take home pay will be? for my husband, his take home pay is about 15% less than his actual salary. i'm *guessing* this is about the same around the US. hth.

[VisionaryMom]

I am self-employed, so about 1/3 of what I make goes to various taxes. My husband's net pay is 78% of his gross pay. That includes both taxes and pre-tax deductions - health insurance, retirement, etc. having been taken out.

Are you sure there aren't other places you could cut your budget? Depending on how you live now, being at home could be cheaper than you think.

[SleeplessMommy]

Have you asked about ways to change to position to make is less horrible? Transfer to a different boss?

Would you be looking for a new job after?

You could look out for layoffs and volunteer. Or ask for a part time position.

If there is ANY family illness, you could take a break via FMLA, which will also greatly increase your chances of getting a layoff.

I left my hard-to-quit job via FMLA, a request for part time work, and a well timed layoff when DS1 was 12 week old. (just at the end of FMLA leave.) I miss the excitement sometimes but I have mostly gotten over it.

[A&A]

I assume you're a teacher, since you said you have summers off. If so, this is what I do to make teaching a lot more enjoyable (I know this isn't what you asked for, but I thought I'd throw it out there, anyway.) I spend my own money on classroom supplies, perhaps $1000 per year some years (and then that is tax deductible). I buy classroom sets of books I want to teach, etc. Or I might spend it on stamps, for example, so I can send my students a letter before school even starts. Those kind of things make me happy.

So that $1000 is a lot of money, but really not when you consider it allows me to enjoy my job and keep earning the rest of the money that I earn.

I'd also suggest reading some of Harry Wong's work (books, websites) on teaching.

Teachers make pretty good money and it would be a shame to throw that away instead of finding a way to like it more. Now, if you're a teacher's aide in a special ed unit and you change teenage diapers for $6 an hour, then I totally understand quitting!

[JollyGG]

Have you thought about looking for a new job in the same career field? What about a change to a related career field? Some education to allow you to change careers?

It seems to me like staying home is just not financially feasible for you. So that means you need to find a way to enjoy working outside the home as much as is possible.

I'm also assuming teaching based on you having the summers off.

Would teaching in a different school or district be possible and perhaps more rewarding? Would looking for something in a private school vs a public school be more enjoyable? I know many teachers who report a world of difference between the teaching public and private school. Would a different grade or subject be more enjoyable?

What about working in tutoring, or preschool, or working for a museum or nature center?

Could you make use of evenings, weekends, weekends and your summers off to train for a new career path while still working.

If you have a bachelors degree to do whatever it is you are unsatisfied with what about a career field to any one of a number of that doesn't really care what your degree was in as long as you have a 4 year degree?

[Belia]

You guys are close- I'm actually a school counselor. And FOR SURE there's no way to make my current position better. The current administration I'm working under, at all levels- YUCK. Just yuck. No hope for any improvement, and after this school year it will actually get exponentially worse due to the retirement of the only good guy in the bunch.

Plus, I realized that this is the wrong career for me. I started out as an elementary teacher, then was a counselor in a community agency, and now am a counselor in a school. All very significant "direct service" jobs. And I'm an introvert!!! TOTALLY. My favorite parts of the jobs has always been the behind-the-scenes stuff, computer work, master scheduling, policies and procedures. Yet I'm in these jobs where I need to be "on stage" in a way, and it DRAINS ME. I don't enjoy it, and it is a bad fit for my personality. I think I've stayed so long because I really love to help people, but I have realized that I need to be in a helping profession but work behind the scenes.

I have a bachelors degree and 2 masters, so education isn't a problem.

And a lot of you may be thinking "school administrator," but NO. I've already ruled that out.

Do you know what my dream scenario would be?

Send DS to his current school 5 days a week just in the mornings. Then I work 3 days a week as a book shelver at the library. The other 2 days a week I would be off to run errands, get stuff done, have me time. I know, I know, the math doesn't add up. But how far off am I??????

Seriously, my dream job is to shelve books at the library. Please don't laugh at me!!

Mornings only at his current school (which we both LOVE) would be about $575 a month 8:30 - 11:30. He could go from 8:30 - 1:30 for about $840 a month. I wouldn't have a problem with continuing to send him to school FT either- he's thriving there. FT would be $900 a month plus. Summers would be extra with all these scenarios.

The only shelving jobs I've found are $11.22 an hour for 20 hours a week.


Let's say I got one of those shelving jobs. Is this in any way financially feasible????? Help me with the math!!!

And thanks for letting me think out loud.

[A&A]

How would your dp feel about your significant drop in income?

[pumpkin]

There are plenty of jobs for introverts who like computers and policy and procedures. Plenty of them pay a whole lot more than you are probably making now. I would do some soul searching and think about all the different types of jobs that you could do. If you can start to imagine yourself in a completely different career, possibly a corporate type job, you may not need to look at this as a pay cut situation at all.

[elizawill]

Originally Posted by Belia

Seriously, my dream job is to shelve books at the library. Please don't laugh at me!!

Let's say I got one of those shelving jobs. Is this in any way financially feasible????? Help me with the math!!!

And thanks for letting me think out loud.

i think it may be very doable for your minimum of $800 needed. depending on what exemption you can claim on your W4 form, you could get less taxes taken out and possibly make the $200 you need each week (or close to it).

i agree though, there are plenty of jobs for introverts. unless you really just want a part time job shelving books, i think the market is wide open for you with various options. i also wonder how your partner is with you making the minimum needed. if they're cool with it though, awesome! then i'd say go for whatever job you will find contentment in. hugs.

[Belia]

DH is fine with me quitting. He knows how much i hate it and how unhappy and stressed it makes me. He also knows that I'm a serious person who would never make such a decision lightly or on a whim.

And yeah, I really do just want to shelve books. Or do whatever on a part-time basis.

I just want to make $75 an hour while I do it, set my own schedule, and have summers off!!!! What, too demanding?!?!?

[2cutiekitties]

Originally Posted by Belia

And yeah, I really do just want to shelve books.

I have this as a fantasy job as well. Glad I am not the only one, but we might be the only two!

[annettemarie]

You may have thought about this, but would there be a position for you with an online/cyber school? And would that maybe be less stressful? Just a thought.

[bender]

Can you work for your school district part time as a counselor?

Sometimes switching to part time makes a sucky job much better. Also, shelving books might seem appealing right now, but that might just be a reaction to your current job and the stress it entails. After you recover from the stress of the counseling job, book shelving might become a tedious and mind-numbing job. Especially if you have financial stresses weighing on you.

[Thystle]

I vote trim down as far as you can on budget, get the job at the library and try to secure some online teaching.

Dont wait another year. Uh but get the library job first.

[zebra15]

This may not be popular but if you are quitting your job you dont need daycare/preschool for DS. that saves you a ton of $$ right there. HE may 'love' it but he would love spending time w. you at the park too. ya know?

[just_lily]

I just want to say that I can relate to the completely random 'dream job' scenario. For a long time my dream job was mowing lawns. And I have a degree in business.

When I was working at my soul sucking job in commercial banking I used to wait for the bus just outside of a university. While I was waiting I would often watch the groundskeepers riding around on their riding lawnmowers listening to their iPods. It looked great! I know that it wasn't such a fantastic job, but I was so stressed out the idea of cruising around in the sunshine listening to music and nobody bothering me seemed like heaven!!

Does home cleaning interest you at all? When I had someone in to clean my house before my wedding she charged $35 an hour, and she was just an independent so that was paid directly to her. At that rate you could work 10 hours a week and make up your shortfall.

[Ellien C]

Originally Posted by Thystle

I vote trim down as far as you can on budget, get the job at the library and try to secure some online teaching.

Dont wait another year. Uh but get the library job first.

my vote, too.

[fioner]

I would love to shelve books for a living. That sounds like an ideal job to me. I am also an introvert.

[Poddi]

The problem is you can't shelve books "for a living". They don't pay very much even if you're full time. Have you ever looked into a library job? My mom went and got a two-year diploma and now she works as a cataloger. Very easy work and decent pay. Not stressful at all and hardly need to talk to any customers.