What's the most drastic thing you've done in your career ?

[Thunderplex]

After working in a place for 21 years, and seeing it going from somewhere where we genuinely tried to help people, to a money making scam, and being on the outs with management due to sticking to my principles, I came to a compromise agreement with a minor payoff.

 

My leaving gift was to individually tell each of the management and minions who had caused me so much misery they had made me ill for the first time in my worklife what a diabolicle shower of cunts they were, and telling my line manager that I found it hilarious that they could get a man on the moon, but she couldn't get one on her. I also heavily insinuated that I had pissed in the kettle.

[Surf Digby]

I left a permanent job for a 3 week temp job and people thought I was mad.

 

Because I'd gotten friendly with one of the girls that was privy to the higher end gossip, I had a feeling things were going to go tits up so I got out of there when I could.

 

About 6 weeks later everyone turned up to work on Monday (after there'd been some unpleasantness on Friday due to not getting paid) to find the doors locked, the lights out, and the company being liquidated.

 

My job may have only lasted 3 weeks, but they kept bringing me back for more stints with them where I got paid to over-eat, sit on beaches, and visit strip clubs.

 

Needless to say, I had the last laugh.

 

Well, almost. The director of the liquidated company had the last one because he'd been redirecting "resources" away from the company and into his pockets for months in preparation for this.

 

 

[IANdrewDiceClay]

 

@Ian - fuck her - she sounds like a right cunt. I love the leather jacket bit though - like you were the Fonz or something.

 

 

 

 

I was stoned one afternoon in a friend's house in 2002 watching a Jim Cornette RF shoot interview, and decided to launch a Wrestling Channel.

 

I had no qualifications, no money, no resources, no contacts, and wasn't even in the ideal country. But I thought "fuck it - why not at least look into it? If it doesn't happen, I've lost nothing. But imagine if it did happen? Imagine! That'd be mental!"

Oh so that was you!

You changed/ruined my life you rotter /beautiful man

 

Herbie could make for a good post in the "when have you been tired the most" thread. We used to come in from a night out and just watch whatever was on the Wrestling Channel and then go to college. When you've had a good night out and you're worse for wear, there's nothing quite like a conversation about how Jack Evans is now better than Shawn Michaels.

 

"But Shawn couldnt break dance. This is the game changer."

[Sergio Mendacious]

"But Shawn couldnt break dance. This is the game changer."

And you know this.

[PunkStep]

Thanks Sergio, have that fucking Jack Evans video in my head now. Well, thanks to Herbie technically.

[theironshake]

I quit my full time job last year to become a full time entertainer I had been singing in the clubs and pubs for 15 years on the weekends and finally got to make a living doing what I love. I'll admit it includes a lot of old peoples homes in the week and some gigs that arnt the best but im my own boss so all good

[Stinky Dad]

Interesting question. I took a risk at the end of 2015. Basically, I always wanted to work in radio - went to uni in early 2000's and came out with a HND in Media Production although only around 20% of that equated to radio the rest was TV. I hated the Tv side of things. I ended up in a bit of debt and worked bar jobs and started managing in a busy pub for a few years before moving onto be a postman for 6 months then became a shed salesman. I loved that job. Did it for 7 years - I say sheds it was garden buildings, offices, summerhouses and greenhouses etc. I was comfortable but the job wasnt a challenge; I regularly used to play foootball manager and hit my targets but felt very unfulfilled. Then at the end of 2015 I decided as I was in my mid thirties I had to do something I wanted to do, take some risks. I took a loan off my dad and did a journalism course with Radio City in Liverpool. An intensive law heavy 3 month course that cost over 4 grand! I came out of it and was fortunate to get a job through someone I'd met at footy press conferences. Almost 2 years in and I love my job. It cost alot of money and i'm on less now than I was when I was selling sheds but I actually feel valued. Every day is  a new challenge plus I get to do something I love. Sometimes you've got to follow your dreams as it just might work. I was very fortunate but you've actually got to want to achieve it as otherwise you'll end up back at square one.

[herbie747]

Sometimes you've got to follow your dreams as it just might work. I was very fortunate but you've actually got to want to achieve it as otherwise you'll end up back at square one.

 

100% - you've got nothing to lose, especially if you don't have a wife/kids/mortgage. Take the risk, because who knows!?

[Hugh Thesz]

On June 01st 2007 I left a full time, permanent post within the Civil Service (the MOD in Brown Street; Glasgow) for a nine month contract supporting adults with disabilities in order to get a foothold in Social Care.  Even the boss of the service; who had interviewed me, asked when offering the job "are you sure about this".

 

The nine month contract ended then I had a couple of months off work anyway due to an operation on my shoulder.  Within a week of being signed as being fit to work I attended an open day in a well known Scottish charity.  When asked if I wanted to work with children or adults my response was "I suppose adults as although I want to work with children I don't have the experience or qualifications".  It was explained to me that these two didn't matter and was handed an application form for the children and families service.

 

Started in September 2008 and I am still there.

 

I left a job where I still earn £300 per month less but I don't care.

I left a job where I am pretty sure they would have offered me voluntary redundancy but I don't care.

I left a job with (even by 2007 standards) had high levels of security, employment law rights as well as ample Annual Leave, Public Holidays and the opportunity of thirty flexi days a year not to mention enhanced rates after 18:15 on weekdays or at weekends but ......I don't care.

 

This was a job that I simply didn't want to do anymore and had sickened me enough that I hated going to sleep five nights each week as I had to wake up to something I hated.  Truth e told I should have followed my instinct and joined Social Care some time earlier.

 

You know what I earn fuck all and may have my hours cut in the near future due to cuts in everyone's budget.

 

I am good at my job; have fantastic relationships with the kids/young people and their families.  I even have had parents credit a colleague and I (something I think they slightly exaggerated) for saving their kids life.

 

Sometimes the drastic decisions work.

 

Last week I met a colleague from my last job who I have not seen for nine years.  Neither he or any of the people he named who were still in that department were enjoying it in any way.  When asked how I am I could honestly reply "still in my dream job).

 

I am not often proud of myself but am for taking a huge risk that turned out well.

 

Even if I do have my contract halved I will pick up hours and shifts elsewhere within my profession.

[simonworden]

Between 2010 and end of 2012 I basically ended up taking over a struggling business with a friend of mine who had a lot of contacts, I had a lot of procedures and strategy stuff down and one of the previous owners who was the only one not too dodgy and wealthy enough he could wait out some losses stayed on. Although we had some success it was slow goings and after we did well for a while making some cash shit started to fall apart personally. The rich cunt was so petty, penny pinching and paranoid that he basically fell out with us at various stages. He brought in another friend of his to help expand into a new area as this guy had lots of contact apparently, turned out he was just a privileged old rich boy who nobody fucking liked. Those two bullied my share amount down just before some big revenue came in.

 

Then the old rich boy fell out with our cunty partner and walked away when the big revenue contract dried up as the other side shut down. We carried on but trying to chase the dream let our core revenue business go to slack partly due to me being overworked, my friend being depressed and/or lazy (he did have some home probs at the time) and the cunty partner pulling the sales assistant and IT kid into only doing his own shit while letting us pay the wages. The cunty partner started getting really funny with us regularly almost every week about something to do with money then he basically got upset we were both going to the same concert albeit with different people and he had a massive rant with us. I felt shit that day as he refused to speak and had been very very nasty to me personally, I should've got up and walked out but just sat there and carried on working all day with no lunch or anything scared to rock the boat. After that he made up with us and lightly apologized but that led to the end, especially after he purposely invited on a boat cruise and jolted his boat as my friend was trying to tie the boat to the marina meaning he hit his chest against the jetty as he fell into the water narrowly missing his head.

 

 Around this time the office we rented was in bigger companies building and they were going under so we decided to work remotely, we would work from home and he would keep the skeleton staff in his home office which was fine. We carried on and started to make plans to trade around him and essentially take the business away. Although things were so slow and him pulling us from looking after the core business had made it an admin mess and unsalvageable. After basically running through all my savings not only paying my way but helping out someone else we had brought in I cracked after the cunt phoned me to tell me what I joke I was and the business was because we had decided to take a small amount out the account as wages one as we were desperate. After that I got off the phone I fell into tears for about 30 minutes calmed down then phoned both my friend and him back to say that I was basically at the end and if I did another day like this I would probably kill myself. I explained how it had been absolute mental torture and I had turned into a horrible person because of the people I had associated. I had instigated a fist fight randomly in a small town for no real reason, I was arrogant and generally snappy with my friends and plenty of things I refuse to mention. Physically my hair greyed and my face aged a lot when looking back. I also had put on 3 stone to my already heavy frame this time period essentially cause my recent hernia I think.

 

After my intial quitting I did go back and helped sort out the sale of assets while searching for a new path. I can't explain why it came to me but I remembered someone spoke about teaching abroad. So I looked into it and it was easily something I was qualified to do and possibly could excel at. It thrilled me at the time to have a chance to leave where I was stuck pushing 30, single, no career or anything. I did things properly over a year, I worked my ass off in part time stress free jobs, studied up for the month long intensive course and then came out as one of the top students. Following that I had the best summer in years working part time, doing volunteer teaching I must admit with mostly attractive female foreign students in bournemouth (if you're doing it for free you might as well enjoy it) had some good times with some of them (take that how you want) and then moved to Vietnam in September 2013. What was weird was I felt like 8 months before I had chosen the company and centre I wanted to work in if and when I got here and that was what they offered me. 2 weeks in and I saw my current fiancee for the first time. We got together a few months later and engaged in June last year. I've changed jobs and am about to be promoted. I love the place I work now and generally life overall. Now those times before felt like dark dark days of being stuck in a room of horrible men, horrible attitudes and taking mental abuse while giving myself essentially physical abuse. Could I have turned things around? maybe I think if I had pulled a few grand from somewhere but i'm glad I threw in the towel.

 

in addition we were owed a large amount of money from the company (the cunt also had controls in the accountant) the company was closed and the money taken, at the same time it appears the person we were kind of forced to support with loans is doing nicely now but has never come back to us to offer even a token payment. I don't even want the money I would just like to tell them to keep the money and never contact me again as all the money in the world is worth even 10% of that as far as i'm concerned. 

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Definitely my most drastic career move was moving to the UK to teach in 2014, not even a month after graduating uni. Had no real experience, and didn't do my research. I was just really keen to get out of home ASAP to be honest, that was the real motivation for the move- that, and yay Europe. Super impulsive and stupid, and the results spoke to that. The agency I went with were new and made promises that they could not keep, most notably that if I chose to do supply work, I was guaranteed 5 days a week. As I had next to no savings (barely enough for the flight over and my first lot of rent) the guaranteed work/money was a big factor.

 

However, a school offered me a contract, despite me readily admitting I didn't know the UK curriculum at the time. Little did I know (again, because I was so excited and keen to leave home) that the school was on the verge of being shut down and had OFSTED breathing down their necks. So, everyone was super stressed, and I had no time to transition- in fact, the school went back a good week or so earlier than everyone else to get on track, which meant I was working less than 4 days after landing in London. Very rough area and tough kids, the type that would tell the principal to fuck off, real shits. So, after a few weeks, I decided to move into supply teaching. Nowhere near as stressful and I feel like it was going well, but this was where the agency was cracking on their promise- instead of my guaranteed 5 days a week, they were giving me two days a week, and half days at that.

 

So, after about 2 months, I had to throw it all in and return to Australia. I simply didn't have the money behind me to survive in London. It was get a flight home, or pay the next lot of rent and have only a few dollars left in the bank.

 

Thankfully, things turned around once back in Australia. Spent most of the last 3 years working as a casual/supply teacher in primary schools, gaining the skills, experience and confidence that I didn't have in the UK. At the very end of 2016, I signed a full time contract as a high school maths teacher, in a rural location which is about 2 hours drive from home. It runs through for the next couple of months so I'm splitting it between commuting and staying in town. Another big change and transition, but this time I had savings, and much more support from the faculty- plus, no shit agencies to deal with.

[Slapnut]

I've left two different jobs on two different occasions to try acting. I spent three years in uni to do that and the thought of spending my life in a dead end job really pisses me off.

 

The first time it happened I was working in a gym doing membership sales. It was honestly the bitchiest place I've ever worked and I only really liked two or three people there. It was in one of the poorest towns in Wales, yet the membership was £60 a month, so trying to get people to pay that was a nightmare. When the sales manager got sacked, they brought in an area manager to help us out and she was a massive massive cunt. I thought "fuck this" and basically stopped trying, and eventually they let me go.

 

Afterwards I started working in a bar at nights and did some teaching assistance in the days so that I could go off and audition when required. The problem there is that I wasn't actually getting any auditions so I was working from 9pm until 4am, then getting up at 7am to go to the teaching assistance job. It was fucking killing me so I packed it in.

 

I ended up starting an admin job because I needed money, and the company was brilliant. I got on with everybody, and they treated me far better than they had any right to, but I was bored to death and I left after 18 months because I honestly felt like I was wasting my time.

 

So now I'm jobless - apart from hosting a few pub quizzes which brings in about £300 a month - and it's getting to the point where I'll probably end up taking any old job soon even though I won't be happy there.

 

Serves me fucking right for going into a career where people make very little money and have to pay £150 a year just to apply for jobs in that industry.

[JNLister]

That must've taken a lot of guts to do that Lister, fair play. If you don't mind me asking, are you getting by ok as a freelance writer? I've often wondered/dreamed about working freelance or even starting up my own business, but I don't think I've got the guts to give it a go. I tend to play it safe a bit (lol Wenger) but then again I don't want to take too much of a risk with a mortgage to pay and a wife & two kids to support.

 

I work about 3-4 hours a day and make just enough to get by with a level of comfort. If I needed to support children (or was sensible enough to be saving for retirement) I could probably work full time and make a decent living. However, that would involve either putting in much more effort to find better-paying assignments, or filling the hours with duller pieces that might drive me crazy.

[SpursRiot2012]

Some real inspirational shit in this thread. I may have to take a leaf out of one of you's lots books. I just finished writing out notes on 268 pitches made (or not made) to FMCG companies for a client that absolutely had to have the list back today after telling me yesterday that there was "no rush." I now want to throw myself away.

[Onyx2]

... telling my line manager that I found it hilarious that they could get a man on the moon, but she couldn't get one on her.

Glorious. I'm stealing that.