Comments on: I’ve Decided. Screw Work. Fire Me.

By: Financial Freedumb and Brownie - A PF Blog » Look, I’m Not Trying To Get Fired.

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 20:09:31 +0000

[...] newsgirly on I’ve Decided. Screw Work. Fire Me. [...]

By: newsgirly

newsgirly — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:23:21 +0000

Do your best to take the high road. You will always remember how you handled this tough spot. I think you’ll look back on it better and with more self-respect if you give notice when you decide to go. Ditto on the burning bridges comment. You never know when a co-worker will end up being your boss, especially in a small world like Hawaii tech. It’s happened to me (different town, different field). Just my two cents. But take care of yourself. Do what’s right for you!

By: mapgirl

mapgirl — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 20:24:08 +0000

Revisiting this page, I’m a little concerned. Never pick up and quit if you don’t have something lined up. But BE HONEST about what you need at work with your management. Give them a chance to make things better. After that, look for a job that will make you happy and leave your current job on a good note.

Don’t screw them over by looking to get fired. That’s a very bad idea. Email me off-blog if you wish to discuss further.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:24:40 +0000

If you have a plan, go for it. If it is just a depression phase, you may want to really think it out. With the corporate mentallity nowadays, we dont owe them anything, do what is right for you.

By: empty spaces

empty spaces — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:04:43 +0000

way to go!
get out of that shit. work is supposed to make you happy, not to kill your enthusiasm.

By: » Great Blog Articles From This Past Week on Consumerism Commentary: A Personal Finance Blog

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 02:47:28 +0000

[...] Financial Freedumb is unhappy at his job and wants to underperform to get fired. Commenters agree: just quit and don’t play games. [...]

By: kassy

kassy — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 20:31:28 +0000

I agree, don’t try to get fired, just quit. You want to leave on good terms just in case something happens and you need to come back to this place. Which is what happened here recently a, a coworker left and his new job turned out to be utter crap but because he left here on good terms they were willing to hire him back. Not that you would go back, but its best to not burn that bridge.

Now about that online business, could you make movies starring Brownie?

By: freedumb

freedumb — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 18:25:13 +0000

You guys are right…I think that’s why I feel bad.

I’ve had some time to think about it now though, and I’m willing to give it another try.

In Hawaii, it’s not easy to come by a competitive paying position, yet a technical, well paying job. So yes, in some ways, even though I don’t enjoy 4 out 5 days at work, just happened to be the past few weeks were more like 7 out of 5 days :/, it ain’t easy to pick up and go.

I don’t like playing games either. And to play games while dealing with my coworkers would be like sticking pins in myself…It would be painful. So I can’t do it. I’ll work, do what I can, and if that’s still not enough, then my manager will have a talk and decide what to do. I’m not screwing up, just doing what’s reasonable…and if that’s not good enough, then quitting might be an option.

By: Kate

Kate — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 11:57:25 +0000

Please, please! Do the responsible thing and give your employer notice and leave your company on good terms. The world is smaller than you think (and employers talk more than they should) and you don’t want your bad attitude about a job you hate to come back and bite you at a later date.

I have left several jobs over the years because I came to the point where I could hardly face another day there, so I understand how you feel. Because I had children to support, I always lined up another job before quitting the hated one. But you are in a position to just give two weeks notice and go!

By: HC

HC — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 18:42:40 +0000

There’s nothing wrong with looking for something else and still doing the job you were paid for. Or quitting to give you the chance to do that full time.

But unless you know with absolute certainty that nobody will ever look at your resume again, trying to get fired seems like it would be shooting yourself in the foot.

Or, what Flexo said, in many more words. [grin]

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 17:53:34 +0000

I’ll second what flexo said. Quit, don’t try to get fired. In the long run, it will be better for you, your employer, and maybe most importantly . . . Brownie!

By: Flexo

Flexo — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 03:42:41 +0000

Just quit. Don’t try to get fired. When you do that, you’re playing games. That’s not the right thing to do. On top of that, you’re just extending the amount of time you’re unhappy. Wouldn’t you want to spend as much time as possible happy? If you don’t like your job, and you can do so, quit.

By: freedumb

freedumb — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 23:53:56 +0000

I had a good long conversation with my manager yesterday, where I repeatedly stated, “I am not looking at support as my career path.” Again, the usual replies, “What if you moved to _____?,” “What if we moved you to another product?,” blah blah blah…

Kira, You know, I’m really the type of person to just let things happen, if an opportunity presents itself, I’ll jump on it, but if it’s not there, I’ll just go along…It could be a problem.

Maria, Thanks…adventurous is an interesting way to put it lol.

Lazy Man, Congrats on making that move. I’m not at the point that it is affecting relationships, I think…just during work…don’t bother me. I get really grumpy while doing work. I feel like that coworker that was about to retire, who had his door closed all the time.

Udandi, Single Ma is wise isn’t she?!?

D, Are you serious? 1 yard is a big amount…I could imagine less than 80 thousand years at that rate. Ah, maybe if I invest in a house about 1000 yards in, I’ll have beach front property before I die?

Jonathan, Yeah, there’s a lot more…it’s been ongoing now for quite some time. I’ve been hating my job on and off…it’s a love hate relationship. On calling your previous employer, that’s actually illegal. The only thing an employer can get from your previous place of employment is your length of employment and end date or something like that I think.

Single Ma, Lol…Thanks?! :S

Mapgirl, Thank you! Seriously, I’m debating…

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 23:05:27 +0000

Hmm… can I get the unedited version? I just found this post, and it seems incomplete. What’s the whole story?

That said, why not just quit? That’s what I did just over 12 months ago, and I’m very happy with life. Getting fired means burning some bridges. What happens when your next employer calls your old boss? Just my 2 pesos.

By: D

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:49:53 +0000

How can we help with the online business venture?

This ought to make dad feel good – having you more involved with the family business.

There is a reason for everything. Hopefully you are swiftly fired.

While I was at the hospital today, I was scanning the Sun Times and they had an article about Hawaii. Well, and now that I know someone there –sort of, I read on. Do you know that quake made Hawaii fall a yard deeper into the sea. I hope you aren’t planning on a long life cause word had it that in another 80 thousand or some crazy number like that years, your home state will be under water.

Maybe Hawaii just wants to be where California is going.

By: udandi

udandi — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 19:21:01 +0000

I agree with single ma in that there is more to life than work and money. As someone who up and quit her job to return to grad school to make a career switch, I fully endorse doing what makes you happy and everythin else falls into place!

By: Lazy Man and Money

Lazy Man and Money — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 19:19:45 +0000

I recently ran into a stretch much like yours. It wasn’t just me though, but all my co-workers. We knew we could all get 20% more money at other similar jobs and that the company was no longer moving in the direction that it was when we signed on. I personally had to support (as a software engineer) code that I felt needed to be completely rewritten (or refractored as they say in the software world). I think we all ended up trying to do just the bare minimum where months before we were happy to work 12 hour days. As Single Ma said, it was getting to the point where it not only impacted my health, but my relationship with my fiancee. One of the best moves I ever made was getting out of that game.

By: Maria

Maria — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:38:01 +0000

There’s something very “adventurous” about trying to get fired. I dont mean it in the bad sense of running your boss over with your car, but in the “I dont care what you think” sense. No job is worth losing your sanity over. You never know what doors may open for you unless you take this leap!
Best of luck- all will turn out as it should!

By: Kira

Kira — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:08:43 +0000

Only you know when you get to that point where It’s Just Not Fun (or even Bearable) Anymore, and I agree that it’s much classier to come to a gradual and well-planned close, than to simply blow your stack one day. I think you will look back on this as one of the great decisions of your life. Too many people think that life is something that just happens TO them, and they passively sit through it, but you can change anything.

By: mapgirl

mapgirl — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:40:13 +0000

Hey kiddo,

I hear you. Support is not something you can do endlessly. If your company does not understand the implied social contract of giving you some job satisfaction, you shouldn’t feel bad for leaving. Support is a high burnout job and call-center work lasts generally about 18-24 months. I don’t know exactly what kind of support you are doing, but 6 years is a long time at any one job and no one should stay that long. Tally up your raises and I’m sure you will find that if you had jumped ship earlier, you would have made more.

I’m all for leaving when you need to leave, or even 6 months before you need to leave. At least you’re doing it in a classy way.

Much good luck to you. Have fun with Brownie!

mapgirl

By: Single Ma

Single Ma — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:17:06 +0000

I don’t think we know enough about your situation to call you any names (lol). However, I do think there’s more to life than work and money. If you are stressed and unhappy, it begins to affect your health. Without health, you couldn’t work anyway. So if you’ve reached the end of your rope and you have a plan B, then I say go for it. I hope you get fired soon…I think.