This is an anonymous post from an Elpha member.

Unhappy in my new job and looking for advice

Loida6·Jan 24, 2024

I have been working at my current job for about three months now and I am realizing I made a mistake in accepting the role.

Some background: I worked at a very toxic start up for 9 months and eventually quit this past fall because my mental health was suffering. I thought I wanted to leave tech altogether because of my last experience. I focused on finding a job outside of tech and landed a job offer fairly quickly that I ended up accepting.

Looking back, I should have given myself some time to heal and soul search for what made me happy in a role. Now, I am three months into this new job that isn't aligning with what I want in a role. I also realized I that I should have stayed in like tech.

I will not be adding this job to my resume as I do not see it benefitting me during the job search this time around. However, I'm unsure of what to do next - I see my options are:

Continue at this role and job search

Quit this role so that I can job search full time, but have a gap in my resume

I am feeling quite alone in this experience and would love to hear if anyone has been through this before. Thank you!

ashleymoss·Jan 25

You are not alone! It's hard to say whether to quit or stay without knowing more about your life. It depends on your savings situation, how many job opportunities are nearby, whether you have a partner or family members you can rely on, etc. When considering the next role, think of it as you choosing the company more so than the company choosing you. Think about your values, read Glassdoor reviews, and ask questions in the interview. Finding a solid fit may take time and patience.

Amelia5·Jan 25

It sounds like you may have gotten the soul searching you needed AND got paid to do it. Ultimately it depends on a few things: your savings, whether or not you can effectively job search while in this role, if you need additional soul searching. I wouldn't worry too much about the gap in your resume considering how common this is now with all the layoffs. My best advice is to get clear on what you truly need so you don't end up in another similar position.

MyrnaKing·Jan 26

@Loida6 I see some Good News in your post. 1. You determined your last role/company situation was toxic and got out. Yay You! 2. You found a new job, outside of Tech. Yay You! I'm loving that you identify what you want and then make it happen. So - the new Role isn't what you hoped, and you don't feel it is adding to your career. That's cool. Do your best there, collect a check and make your Part Time job learning more about where you DO belong in the work world. You have time. Your happiness in Life is not dependent on your job, but on you. Make yourself happy with friends, activities, and hobbies and relax into a serious job search. Informational interviews, etc to be well informed for your next job hire. You got this!