Health or Wealth

dazberry

I've worked in a job for the last 4+ years, but the last 2 1/2 have been a complete bundle of stress and its been getting progressively worse. This is really due to management cutting corners on projects so they can get them shoehorned in quickly - take the credit - and then I generally have to pick up the resulting mess and try keep things working. I've never worked in a company that is so short sighted - and there's no talking to anyone - its just all political.

So 1 1/2 years into this I'm completely run down, I'm exhausted, angry, frustrated, tense - and I started to experience health issues. A year later I'm still the same and my quality of life is thru' the floor. So I hand in my notice - but they ask me to take unpaid leave for a few months instead - which I did.

The health issue I think we finally have cracked - but now I'm at the point where I have to make a call because if I don't want to go back - I have to formally hand in my notice soon. The problem is this: I never want to set foot in that place again - but I don't have another job. I'm worried that if I leave I will end up spending an extended period sans work (given the current climate) - but if I go back I'll end up stressed and sick again.

For the record I write software, but my experience is with tools that are no-longer in demand.

Any opinions?

Thanks

D.

delly

Well there's no option to return really, as it will just make your life even worse. Maybe hand your notice in and work the time out thru' sick leave, then maybe get a cert from your Doc to try and get some social payments.

I understand the fear of moving without somewhere to go, but if your health is at risk then it will have to be the lesser of two evils. When its all done and dusted as well in a few years time, you will probably kick yourself for not doing it sooner as I know somebody who was in a similar position and thats how they look at it now.

gixerfixer

Sorry to hear about the stress.I packed in a high paying job few years back because of the stress and the fact we where starting a family.Think it's way more important to me anyway to have quality time with my family than see them when im exhausted all the time and stressed out.Not always possible to take a lower paying job with less hours and stress as i did though but my advice to anyone would be to always put your health before your wealth.No point having a 08 4x4 and the worlds biggest flatscreen TV if you miss your family growing up.

run_Forrest_run

your health is your wealth. trust me, this country is so caught up in greed and trying to grab all the money they can get we forget to chill out and enjoy what we have (kids etc.) until it's too late. money will come and go but memories and good health will reward you in the long run.

I've often read posts like this where people are stressed out with their jobs and the jobs mainly tend to be in IT...as I'm in IT I can fully understand this.
i've yet to hear it from a civil servant;)

AARRRGH

Don't make yourself sick: quit your job.

Could you take a lower paid junior PHP/C#/Java role?

snellers

Stress KILLS ...don't underestimate it

I decided to change my career as was always stressed out

Doing something different, not nearly as well paid but I am happy - more time for family and enjoy life. (The wife prefers it too as I snore when stressed....she noticed I stopped the minute I left my old job!)

Is there any chance your company could make you redundant? - would be much easier in terms of job seeker benefit I believe

Sherifu

Walk away from it. Run, in fact.

dazberry

Just want to thank everyone for their advice - I resigned yesterday and since I'm on unpaid leave anyway I have no notice to work out so I'm effectively finished. In one sense I'm sad - I'm going to miss my work buddies and I actually liked the company. What I won't miss are the politics, the posturing and the absolute frustration of watching the same mistakes again and again. I guess now the real adventure begins

D.

Sherifu

Good luck with the job hunt. Fair play to you.

the_syco

dazberry wrote: »

For the record I write software, but my experience is with tools that are no-longer in demand.

By chance, what tools were they? Look into being a consultant and using them in companies that still use the old toys (esp banks).

Supercell

Fair play, I once worked in a job that gave me chest pains just thinking about it - yes I was that stressed.

I cut the leash and got another job that paid about half the original one did - but it fed me and now I'm doing good on a pretty reasonable salary.

DB you've cut the leash..not get your ass out there and start doing something that leaves you feeling happy on the way home..even if the pay sucks.

I quit a burger management job a while ago..these days I work with Fibre...go figure..hardest step is taking the first one.

dazberry

the_syco wrote: »

By chance, what tools were they? Look into being a consultant and using them in companies that still use the old toys (esp banks).

It was a bank - I guess I could be accused of bottom feeding at this point - but of all the things I could be called - I'm just not a banker . It was of course a great place for the "consultants" and the "contractors", and of course the sycophants. There are people cut out for working this way - I'm not.

I used to think all those crazy examples in the software project management books of things that went wrong in Acme XYZ we're just made up to prove a point - they're fuppin true!!!!

Supercell wrote:

I quit a burger management job a while ago..these days I work with Fibre...go figure..hardest step is taking the first one.

Thanks Supercell. I've always liked what I do - increasingly its how I've had to do it that's become difficult - and well being a little dated hasn't left many options - its time for me to have a word with the Oracle at Delphi again I suspect

D.