‘Better to hang on ’til you find another job’: Netizens advise man who wants to quit his first job after just 2 weeks

SINGAPORE: Would you quit if you had no job lined up? A 27-year-old man was considering doing so after working for just two weeks, as he found his job “very dry.” He also said he dreaded going to work every day and felt “very unmotivated,” adding that he plans to switch to a career in project management, which he had experience in, having had two internships managing projects.

Netizens commenting on The Independent Singapore’s Facebook page, however, advised him against doing so, with one saying, “Better to hang on till you find another job – not easy to get jobs these days.”

Another called pushing through quitting without backup as “foolish.” While a third advised, “You should always secure a job first before quitting, especially when the current job market is much tougher.”

Before starting his current role, the man said he had been eyeing a job with a hybrid arrangement but faced multiple rejections and eventually settled for his current role, which pays less than S$4,000 a month. He noted then that after applying for two weeks, he received little to no callbacks.

While you’re often told never to jump without a safety net, there are five situations where it may make sense to do so, career change coach Caroline Ceniza-Levine wrote on Forbes.

1. When your health is compromised by burnout because the work environment is too toxic.

2. When the opportunity cost of staying in your job is too high and means missing out on what matters most to you.

3. When you have the savings to handle the financial impact of a career gap, or clear ideas on what to do next.

4. When you’re sure your next move would be more lucrative, more fulfilling or more suitable to you.

5. When you’re at peace with quitting and ready for a change.

Meanwhile, in the little red dot, the job market just recorded the largest decline in job postings since March 2021, according to online job portal Indeed. Although it is worth considering that, at the same time, Singapore workers have been found to be more resilient but disengaged, with some quiet cracking from pressure, job uncertainty, and stalled professional growth. /TISG

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