# Is it OK to quit a minimum wage job that I hate after 4 months due to these reasons? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870 "2013-10-21T21:26:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/41 "2013-10-22T19:23:42Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Guys. This is an 18 year old kid living with his mom looking to quit some crappy minimum wage job, not some vice president of a Fortune 500 company with a 5 year non-compete contract trying to raise a family of four. > > What do you guys think will happen? Word will spread on the street that ManMadeMachine doesn’t want to clean up old-people shit for some asshole who screams at him every day? That ManMadeMachine will end up unemployable in the world of minimum wage service workers? > > ManMadeMachine is a young man and has plenty of time to grow into one of those people who are so terrified of losing a crappy job they hate that they would suck their bosses dick to keep it. > Although my advice to ManMadeMachine is to maybe figure out what you want to do and start preparing for it so you don’t get stuck in these sort of jobs. I was pretty much thinking the same thing. Unless he’s not getting paid, or the job is putting him in some kind of serious danger, he should just start looking for another job. Here’s a thread addressing this very topic, and it’s actually the one that brought me here. I had to do this last year, and it still bothers me and I think about it every day, but I didn’t have a choice. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=656351&highlight=quitting+notice](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=656351&highlight=quitting+notice) As for being unemployable in the world of minimum wage service workers, that does indeed describe me, and I’m unemployable in just about every other field because of the degree that I have, and my experience is not unique. I’m very grateful that I don’t HAVE to work. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/42 "2013-10-22T19:33:50Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > You’re struggling to do the bare minimum they expect of you…what’s to respect about that? Well, to be fair, they’re also paying him the minimum amount they’re legally allowed to. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/43 "2013-10-22T19:40:37Z")
No. What you do is find a better job then leave this crappy job for the better one. Unless there is literally “beatings” and other severe labor code, etc violations, it is never good to quit. You look like….well… a quitter. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/44 "2013-10-22T19:59:23Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Well, to be fair, they’re also paying him the minimum amount they’re legally allowed to. True. And I don’t get that he respects them for it, either. Lots of no respect to go around. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/45 "2013-10-22T21:28:42Z")
The idea that he can’t quit this job, because it will leave a gap in his resume is kind of silly. He’s 18. “Wow, it says here that when you were 18 you were unemployed for two months. Well, I don’t think we need that kind of slacker here at OmniCorp. You can show yourself out, thank you.” Quit your job, don’t quit your job, it doesn’t matter. Except, if you quit your job, where are you gonna get the money you need? This is why people work, because they gots to get paid. I do agree that you should change your attitude. You’re busting your hump and worried that they’re going to yell at you. Forget that. Who cares? The only thing I can say is that at all the crappy poorly paid jobs I ever had, busting your hump and working your ass off is the easiest way to get through the day. Drag your ass and the day lasts forever. Bust your ass and focus on your job and the day goes by in a flash. Don’t do this to impress your boss, who wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire. Do it because it’s easier to work hard than it is to piss and moan and roll your eyes and complain. Don’t listen to your boss’s complaints, measure your performance yourself. Did you do things as quickly and efficiently as possible? Did you avoid major screw ups? Was anyone waiting on you to complete your work before they could do their work? If you did a fair amount of work, then your boss is just a whining bitch who complains for fun and you shouldn’t listen. If she really doesn’t like your work she’s not going to complain, she’s going to fire you. If she wants to suspend you without pay for something that is not your fault, she’s going to have to hire someone else to take your place. Forget about whether it’s fair. Just do your job and collect your paycheck until the job is over. You’re not going to put this job on your resume once you’re over 20 years old, so forget about your record, and your references. You won’t get any references from this place. Focus on yourself. You need money, they’re giving you money. If you find a better place to give you money then go work for them. Or do something else. Your life. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/46 "2013-10-22T22:02:36Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > The idea that he can’t quit this job, because it will leave a gap in his resume is kind of silly. He’s 18. “Wow, it says here that when you were 18 you were unemployed for two months. Well, I don’t think we need that kind of slacker here at OmniCorp. You can show yourself out, thank you.” > > Quit your job, don’t quit your job, it doesn’t matter. Except, if you quit your job, where are you gonna get the money you need? This is why people work, because they gots to get paid. > > I do agree that you should change your attitude. You’re busting your hump and worried that they’re going to yell at you. Forget that. Who cares? The only thing I can say is that at all the crappy poorly paid jobs I ever had, busting your hump and working your ass off is the easiest way to get through the day. Drag your ass and the day lasts forever. Bust your ass and focus on your job and the day goes by in a flash. Don’t do this to impress your boss, who wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire. Do it because it’s easier to work hard than it is to piss and moan and roll your eyes and complain. > > Don’t listen to your boss’s complaints, measure your performance yourself. Did you do things as quickly and efficiently as possible? Did you avoid major screw ups? Was anyone waiting on you to complete your work before they could do their work? If you did a fair amount of work, then your boss is just a whining bitch who complains for fun and you shouldn’t listen. If she really doesn’t like your work she’s not going to complain, she’s going to fire you. If she wants to suspend you without pay for something that is not your fault, she’s going to have to hire someone else to take your place. Forget about whether it’s fair. Just do your job and collect your paycheck until the job is over. > > You’re not going to put this job on your resume once you’re over 20 years old, so forget about your record, and your references. You won’t get any references from this place. Focus on yourself. You need money, they’re giving you money. If you find a better place to give you money then go work for them. Or do something else. Your life. Though I’d argue that he needs to understand what the job is. “be sanitary, wash this, record your temperatures” are sort of minimum requirements when you are cooking in a nursing home. Food poisoning can kill your residents. If his boss is yelling at him not to kill the residents, and the yelling is needed because food isn’t served at temperature and things aren’t washed, then he isn’t even meeting the minimum requirements for a minimum wage job. If he is busting his hump and recording his temperatures, keeping the kitchen sanitary and is still getting yelled at, the boss is not only a jerk, he is wasting his energy and there are probably a ton of better things to yell about. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/47 "2013-10-23T00:55:22Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Though I’d argue that he needs to understand what the job is. “be sanitary, wash this, record your temperatures” are sort of minimum requirements when you are cooking in a nursing home. Food poisoning can kill your residents… That’s true of _all_ food service jobs, right down to putting hot dogs on a roller grill in a convenience store. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/48 "2013-10-23T01:10:45Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > That’s true of _all_ food service jobs, right down to putting hot dogs on a roller grill in a convenience store. Yep, which doesn’t bode well for the upgrade to McDonalds either. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/49 "2013-10-23T01:32:13Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > The military might be a good option. True the OP would need to leave home & have to deal with working conditions a lot more unpleasant & dangerous a nursing home kitchen, but the pay and benefits are a lot better than what an 18 yr old fresh out of HS can get just about anywhere else. Granted you can’t just quite the military if you decide you don’t like it. Plus, if the OP has objections to killing people, the military may not suit. Still, I agree with the general idea that this is not a life or death decision: in 5 years, no-one will care that he left a minimum wage job at age 18 because it was sucking out his soul. And no-one will care about the precise circumstances of his departure either. On the other hand, we do need money. So it’s probably a good idea to line up something else before telling his manager to go fuck him or herself and walking out the door with two extended middle fingers. But when that moment arrives, savour it. ---
**Author:** ![ManMadeMachine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@ManMadeMachine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ManMadeMachine)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/50 "2013-10-23T02:29:35Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > The idea that he can’t quit this job, because it will leave a gap in his resume is kind of silly. He’s 18. “Wow, it says here that when you were 18 you were unemployed for two months. Well, I don’t think we need that kind of slacker here at OmniCorp. You can show yourself out, thank you.” > > Quit your job, don’t quit your job, it doesn’t matter. Except, if you quit your job, where are you gonna get the money you need? This is why people work, because they gots to get paid. > > I do agree that you should change your attitude. You’re busting your hump and worried that they’re going to yell at you. Forget that. Who cares? The only thing I can say is that at all the crappy poorly paid jobs I ever had, busting your hump and working your ass off is the easiest way to get through the day. Drag your ass and the day lasts forever. Bust your ass and focus on your job and the day goes by in a flash. Don’t do this to impress your boss, who wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire. Do it because it’s easier to work hard than it is to piss and moan and roll your eyes and complain. > > Don’t listen to your boss’s complaints, measure your performance yourself. Did you do things as quickly and efficiently as possible? Did you avoid major screw ups? Was anyone waiting on you to complete your work before they could do their work? If you did a fair amount of work, then your boss is just a whining bitch who complains for fun and you shouldn’t listen. If she really doesn’t like your work she’s not going to complain, she’s going to fire you. If she wants to suspend you without pay for something that is not your fault, she’s going to have to hire someone else to take your place. Forget about whether it’s fair. Just do your job and collect your paycheck until the job is over. > > You’re not going to put this job on your resume once you’re over 20 years old, so forget about your record, and your references. You won’t get any references from this place. Focus on yourself. You need money, they’re giving you money. If you find a better place to give you money then go work for them. Or do something else. Your life. The truth and how it should be. However, 50% of hiring managers DGAF about it and just want robots to do their machine work. ---
**Author:** ![ManMadeMachine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@ManMadeMachine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ManMadeMachine)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/51 "2013-10-23T02:36:36Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Though I’d argue that he needs to understand what the job is. “be sanitary, wash this, record your temperatures” are sort of minimum requirements when you are cooking in a nursing home. Food poisoning can kill your residents. > > If his boss is yelling at him not to kill the residents, and the yelling is needed because food isn’t served at temperature and things aren’t washed, then he isn’t even meeting the minimum requirements for a minimum wage job. > > If he is busting his hump and recording his temperatures, keeping the kitchen sanitary and is still getting yelled at, the boss is not only a jerk, he is wasting his energy and there are probably a ton of better things to yell about. Honestly, I wouldn’t give a bouncing barnacle if I could go to work, do what I need to do, then go home. The problem is being understaffed. You are expected to do these things despite only having 3 people in the kitchen - serving 2 meals within a 8 hour period can get rough. I work as smart as I can and as fast as I can and barely make it, being late every day by like 20 minutes. Like I said before, I make 7.50 an hour, no benefits, and am expected to do all these duties like be sanitary, record temps, do your non-redtape job, and it’s an issue of being understaffed. And the district manager gets PO’d and yells at us telling us we’re not being effecient when we are. What we really need is an extra person in the kitchen because some things are unreachable simply because there isn’t enough time, like scrubbing walls (Scrubbing walls is the worst part of the job) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/52 "2013-10-23T02:51:59Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > telling his manager to go fuck him or herself and walking out the door with two extended middle fingers. But when that moment arrives, savour it. I did not do that when I left the job I mentioned earlier in this thread. I gave my non-notice with a very heavy heart; it was just one of those things. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/53 "2013-10-23T03:01:16Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I did not do that when I left the job I mentioned earlier in this thread. I gave my non-notice with a very heavy heart; it was just one of those things. > > ☹ I guess that’s good. And the reality is that when I left a job simply because I could not take it any more, I did much the same thing - I politely shook hands with my manager, handed in my ID card and left discreetly. But I was 40, not 18. If you’re ever going to say “fuck this job and the horse it rode in on”, do it when you’re young. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/54 "2013-10-23T16:28:46Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > I guess that’s good. And the reality is that when I left a job simply because I could not take it any more, I did much the same thing - I politely shook hands with my manager, handed in my ID card and left discreetly. > > But I was 40, not 18. If you’re ever going to say “fuck this job and the horse it rode in on”, do it when you’re young. In my case, I had been in the ER with what I realized later was a panic attack, and lost about 15 pounds in less than a month; do you know how hard it is for a middle-aged woman to do that? In addition, I had worked there for just 6 months and had moved to an area where I knew absolutely nobody for this job - and was starting to make friends and establish connections there. I also worked with some of the nicest people you could ever meet, my boss being one of them. ☹ But I realized that if I worked there just one more day, I would going to be a patient IN the hospital where I worked. No job is worth destroying your health and your life. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/55 "2013-10-23T16:46:12Z")
[ul] [li]You’ve been at this job for four months.[/li][li]You have $700 to your name.[/li][li]You live at home and have no living expenses.[/li][li]You say you need $100 to fix your car.[/li][li]You want to quit the job without notice.[/li][/ul] So fix the damn car, _now_! Start looking for a new job, _now!_ If you decide to just quit, do them the courtesy and give them two weeks notice. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/56 "2013-10-23T17:01:33Z")
“First Law of Wing-Walking (and also Job Searching)” Never let go of what you’ve got until you’ve gotten a hold on something else. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/57 "2013-10-23T17:01:59Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Mostly 19 year-olds , or 18 yr-olds who had dropped out of school. At least that’s how I remember it. > > My point was that, back in the good ol’ days, there were enough jobs for everybody. So , like in post #22, a kid could quit a pizza job and get another job the same day. Even some adults could, too. > The OP has apparently learned that he should not try to do that. > Times have changed. I think there have always been adults working crappy jobs. Teenagers who expect to pass through those jobs on their way to better things tend to be oblivious to those for whom this is the rest of their life. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/58 "2013-10-23T20:58:18Z")
If you’re looking for a customer service job, it seems nowadays that full-sleeve tattoos and extensive body modifications are a REQUIREMENT for these jobs. :rolleyes: I’ve been told, more than once, that I am overqualified by someone like this. I said that enough times on another website that one poster suggested that I put on some temporary tattoos and go apply for a job, just to see what would happen. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/59 "2013-10-23T21:32:28Z")
Tell them you are willing to get several tattoos if it will help you get the job. And as they’re leading you out, start pleading. “Piercings? Do you guys like piercings? I could get one of those bull nose rings? No? Please, I need this job. Horn implants? Facial spikes? C’mon! No, seriously, please! I’ll even pierce my penis if it will help me get this job! Anything to please the customer!!!” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870/60 "2013-10-23T22:05:12Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Tell them you are willing to get several tattoos if it will help you get the job. > > And as they’re leading you out, start pleading. > > “Piercings? Do you guys like piercings? I could get one of those bull nose rings? No? Please, I need this job. Horn implants? Facial spikes? C’mon! No, seriously, please! I’ll even pierce my penis if it will help me get this job! Anything to please the customer!!!” It would be a bit difficult to get my penis pierced, because I just plain old don’t have one. :dubious: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-quit-a-minimum-wage-job-that-i-hate-after-4-months-due-to-these-reasons/671870.md?page=4)