OT: Quitting the Rat Race

[Kitsune06]

uhm... yeah, thanks. no, it was crazy to quit my nice job to move to Portland area. I actually did so hoping to find a *better* job. ... and I was a little delusional, I suppose, assuming people would *want* to hire me after seeing my resume such is life.

[mtkitchn]

Like others have mentioned, it would be best to look for a new job while you have your old job. Find a job that will let you take time off or have flexible schedules or work part time....whatever suits you! But it sure is easier to find that dream job while you're currently employed.
Good luck in whatever you decide.

[li10up]

uhm... yeah, thanks. no, it was crazy to quit my nice job to move to Portland area. I actually did so hoping to find a *better* job. ... and I was a little delusional, I suppose, assuming people would *want* to hire me after seeing my resume such is life.

Sorry, that probably didn't come out right...
Crazy or not though you DID it. I mean you actually quit a good job to leap into the unknown...HOWDIDYOUDOTHAT? Did the dream job ever come or are you still looking...or have you learned to love living with less? Was it worth it? Would you do it again?

Like others have mentioned, it would be best to look for a new job while you have your old job. Find a job that will let you take time off or have flexible schedules or work part time....whatever suits you! But it sure is easier to find that dream job while you're currently employed.
Good luck in whatever you decide.

This sounds like a good idea but who would hire you if you told them, "Oh, by the way, I'm gonna need 6 months off before I start." Usually if someone is looking to hire they need the person then and now - don't they? I'm thinking I would have to take my time off before having another job lined up. That means having a bunch of money set aside in case I can't find a job after my time off. Of course all of this would be moot if DH would just support my lazy butt.

[eofelis]

I have $5 in my savings acct. Maybe $200 in checking. $7,000 in my IRA and 401k. Owe $11k on my car, $8k on my student loans, $5k on my visa.

oops.

The only thing I have so far for "retirement" is the attitude that I can get by on very little money. When I finish school in 2008 and get some sort of real job I should be able to save lots of money, as I intend to keep living as I do.

~$4000 in my savings and checking accts. bf has his own money, he's doing ok.
15 yo car, 4 bikes, fancy camping gear, second hand household goods (except for the new queen size bed we just bought - the first NEW piece of furniture I have ever bought.)
Just paid off the Visa today, as I do every month.
Rent is $475/mo. Electric is $30/mo. Phone is ~$35/mo. Food and gas vary. Car insurance is $300/yr.

Another down side for me is no health insurance. We fortunate here to have a good medical/dental clinic for non-insured folks. The county family planning clinic has also been helpful. I'm not sure what I'd do if I had a major medical crisis. Can they take what I don't have? (money, assets)

[farrellcollie]

About 14 yrs ago, I quit a job as a lawyer with a medium size firm where I was making a good salary. I quit to become a public defender - salary was cut by more than half. I decided I would rather do something I was interested in and cared about rather than help businesses sue each other. It was not easy, but I had paid off all my debt except house payment and then looked at other expenses to decide what was worth my spending money on (deciding what fit with my vision/my values = this is very personal and no two people will have exactly the same) - it was not that hard - I had more time to hike with dog and bike - the two things I really like to do. I became a vegetarian and ate out very seldom etc. It was for me deciding the minimum I needed to live on - determining what I really enjoyed and whether it was worth the money (hours of my life expended making money to buy/spend money) -= when it was I kept it in my life - when it wasn't - I cut it out. I was living alone at the time with a dog and three cats.

[eofelis]

Plenty of my students carry huge credit card debts, too. I don't know whether it's that nobody ever taught them about compounded interest or that they just never learned any fiscal responsibility at all. Probably both.

It's important to make good choices, but not everybody has been taught how to do that, and sometimes you just don't have a lot of choices.

Way back when, in 1985, I had graduated high school and got a job. I got my first credit card from a local bank. It had a $500 credit limit. I had that card for several years and it worked out fine for me. I did carry a balance on it from time to time, but mostly paid it off every month. If I wanted to spend more than $500, it made more sense to just pay with cash (after saving up.)

I never got in the habit of going wild with a cc.

I have 2 credit cards now, with enough of a credit line to buy a new car. I'm not even sure what the interest rates are on the cards. I never looked, I don't care.

I decide if I want to buy something and check to see if I already have the money. If it all looks ok, I go ahead and get the cc out of the lockbox where it lives (I seldom carry it around with me otherwise) and go buy the gizmo. Then I pay it off when the bill comes. I use the cards for my convenience.

I think cc companies call folks like me "deadbeats." They don't make much money off of us.

[crazycanuck]

I had a cc in Canada & then NZ but i only had a $500 limit (on both)as that's all i ever wanted. Credit card from Canada was paid off & canned when we lived in japan and the NZ cc was paid off & canned when i moved to Perth. I can't be bothered to apply for another cc and am happy using eftpos.

Ian & I have one cc btwn us, it's paid off at the end of the month.

We don't have any outstanding loans etc...well actually that's a lie..the soon to be mortgage will be our main & only debt. If that's the only way for me to get a credit rating here in Australia so be it.

When i worked for The National Bank in NZ i always told ian that i was amazed about peoplé's finances....I still don't like the idea of overdrafts...I remember trying to beat the idea of interest on cc's into people's heads...F&&&&~!!!! Explaining to someone why thier cc wouldn't work any longer...and then them complaining because they were in a busy shop & were embarassed....TOUGH S**** i say...(not on the phone though...)

Even where i work now, I get to see paperwork for the area that completes financial hardship requests...

I don't mean to sound like a goodie goodie....I just hope someone out there understands what i mean.


c