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Quitting a job I've just started

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by LaEsmeralda, Oct 16, 2016.

  1. LaEsmeralda

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    So I've recently worked two shifts at a part-time job I took alongside my full-time studies. I study Art, and I know some people might scoff, but it is a lot of work. It's not just lectures, tutorials and workshops, it involves a lot of working outside of university too. It's important to keep momentum up when you're working on a creative project. So basically, you have to be thinking about it morning, noon and night.

    Since I've taken the job, I feel like it doesn't really 'fit' me. I'm good with people on the surface, but really I don't enjoy it and I just don't care enough. It's in a coffee shop, relatively relaxed sort of place, but since I've started I feel a bit stressed and a bit down. There's a lot of information to take in and people are very picky about coffee, something I don't really know anything about. Because it's a small team and a 'learn on the job' type role, I'm usually the only person on the floor and have to keep running back and forth to other staff members to ask them questions. I hate doing this and some of my co-workers are more patient than others.

    I failed to complete a project brief for uni last week - which is when I started the job - and I feel really bad about it as I got off to a really good start creatively this year and was putting loads of work in. Last year I did the same thing. I had a job that I was working too many hours in and hated but stuck with it cause I wanted the money. The work I completed in the first semester was really substandard. I reduced my hours and managed to pull something better together for my second semester. The job I did then was a shop job and found it much easier and a lot less 'high maintenance'.

    Does anyone have any experience of quitting a job so soon after accepting it? I have always worked since getting my first job five years ago and feel like it is something I should be doing. Maybe for my CV more than anything else. I live at home with my parents who are retired. My student loan has gone up substantially this year as a result so I don't technically need the money from the job at all. The whole thing is making me feel down and like I should be better at being able to handle it all.

    Any advice or kind/not so kind words would be much appreciated :icon_sad:
     
  2. Gravity

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    Well, if your student loan works the same way as loans in the US, is that money that you'll have to pay back eventually?

    Overall, the big question is probably how much you need/want the money, vs. how long you think the job will impinge on other aspects of your life (creative work, etc.). Essentially, you've taken on a new project this semester, which is this job. If you stick around, you'll learn more about it and get better at it over time, and eventually it probably won't distract you from much because it will be second nature.

    My general suggestion would be to stick with it for a little while to see if you can get the hang of it. You could talk to your supervisor there and ask for some extra training - maybe the "learn on the job" deal isn't cutting it for you, and knowing a bit more about coffee and how to make various drinks would make you feel better on the job. :slight_smile:
     
  3. LaEsmeralda

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    Some of the figure I get is a loan but most of it is a grant based on parental income. Which means I don't have to pay it back, and I'll only have to pay the loan back once I start earning £20,000+. I'm not sure of the exact figure.

    I don't need the money but I do want it. I think I need less hours but as they're training me, they want me in as much as possible. I think its the idea of going to work that is putting me down more than actually being in work. I hate doing something that I'm not good at and it makes me anxious. So I think about it during the week instead of thinking about my university projects.

    But you're right, it is early days. I'll see how I feel in the next two weeks or so.
     
  4. blueberrykisses

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    If you don't need the money, don't waste your time with a mindless job. You could do something useful with that time - working on you art stuff or volunteering for a worthy cause.

    Nobody cares about a coffee shop job on your CV, unless you want to be a coffee shop manager in the future which I am sure you don't want to be.
     
    #4 blueberrykisses, Oct 16, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2016
  5. LaEsmeralda

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    I think there's some truth to that blueberrykisses. I do volunteer every two weeks or so with an arts organisation where I live and would have more time for them and my degree (I often go into uni 6 days a week) if I didn't have the job. When I leave university though I'm beyond certain I'll be working relatively low-skilled jobs pretty much indefinitely. It's something I accepted when I decided to become an artist. Any experience I pick up in these roles is something I can use to keep me afloat after I do leave university.
     
  6. Blinko

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    Hey...If you end up failing in the university and keep the job that makes you miserable you might be miserable for life without a certificate/degree...try to weigh how much psychological drain the job is causing in your life and is it worth it to risk over future creative projects as in the course you do at the university?..the fact that the university studies are going to cost you in future 'through repayment of student loans' should channel you to make the best of your time in completing the school projects and giving them maximum focus rather than sticking to something that is draining your physical strength and your psychological focus...at the end of the day it is your decision to either leave or stay...but according to my perception the coffee shop job is draining you
     
  7. LaEsmeralda

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    Yeah, my degree is definitely more important and I don't see the point of studying in third level education if I don't get top marks.

    I have decided that I will talk to my manager as soon as possible. I'm going to explain that my course is full-time and needs a great deal of dedication and that I overestimated how many hours I could work at the job. I'll offer to do one day per week and I'm pretty sure they'll say this isn't enough flexibility. So I'll probably be resigning tomorrow!

    Thanks for all the advice everyone :slight_smile: