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I got my Master Degree almost one year ago with a good grade and I started to work immediately in a little company owned by an university professor, because it was close to my to my place and because this professor filled my head up with a lot of nice promises about cool project.

Now it's almost one year I'm working there, but I feel frustrated, undervalued and "underused" for the tasks they are making me to do. In addiction I feel frustration also because they just give me tasks without explain (for deadlines reasons) all the system and things upstream of my task. This way, often my tasks become stupid: make things work without understanding. So, after almost one year, I feel I'm not learning anything.

Some moths ago, I left my country for private reasons. I moved to Germany, but I'm still working for my company remotely from my house through VPN.

Without telling my boss, who thinks all is ok, I started to look for a new job here.

While I'm looking for the new job, I'm still keeping my current one because I'm afraid of not being able to find an interesting job immediately, and not because of lack of technical skills, but because interviews are hold in English/German, and I feel still not so good in speaking English/German.

But day by day I feel I'm wasting my time, because, anyway, my current job takes most of the day, and I cannot invest so much time in researches or in improving my language skills. Or maybe invest my time in a private project in order to learn more than I'm currently learning.

Sometime I don't even understand why I'm keeping my job. It's not even a money issue, because anyway the German State would help me if I'll become unemployed. Less money (not such a big problem for now: I don't have a family to take care of), but more time to find a job that really satisfies me.

Sometime I feel I'm keeping it for sense of responsibility (?!?) or something like that. Maybe sometime there is a part of me which says I'd be spoiled if I quit my job...

So, my question is: should I keep my current job or not meanwhile I'm looking for a new one? Should I feel bad staying without a job for sometime?

distributed
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    I would never hire anyone who intentionally went on unemployment. You're young, working remotely, and unchallenged with your job, make time to improve your language skills. Money is not a problem; take an English class at a local university. For your own good, you need a kick in the ass. –  Feb 12 '13 at 12:51
  • @JeffO you're right. Sometime it's hard 'cause frustration takes hold on me. But there is only a way to get things better.. as you said: work harder. – distributed Feb 12 '13 at 14:23
  • @JeffO - although "never" is a bit too absolute, I mostly agree with you - however, I do have a caveat: someone leaving employment to take an officially recognised full-time course to reskill/upskill – HorusKol Jan 29 '17 at 21:58
  • @HorusKol - I was hoping to not be taken literally. Unless you have a full-time course load for an extended period of time, leaving work to improve your skills may be a sign there is a lack of horsepower. Especially in the tech industry, you have to be able to continuously keep up and few jobs offer a sabbatical. –  Jan 31 '17 at 18:14

2 Answers2

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You should not leave your current job until you are certain you have one to go to.

There are several reasons for that, some of which you have touched upon in your question:

  • There is no telling how long the job search will take. Unless you have large reserves that will last you several months, having steady income will keep a roof over your head.
  • When interviewing, you will come from a better position if you do have a job versus not having one. If you do not have a job, you may get desperate and accept a job you are either unsuitable for or that will underpay for your skills (or both). Without a current job, you and the prospective employer can't compare the offer to anything.

In regards to the issues of looking for work whilst employed - I do understand and have maintained that job searches are a full time job in and of themselves, but you can make it work - taking time off in order to go to an interview, scheduling interviews outside office hours etc.

Oded
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Sometime I don't even understand why I'm keeping my job. It's not even a money issue, because anyway the German State would help me if I'll become unemployed. Less money (not such a big problem for now: I don't have a family to take care of), but more time to find a job that really satisfies me.

This could end up pretty controversial, but if you cannot support yourself without help from the state, then it is a money issue and you should keep the job until you find a new one. That kind of attitude really irks me.

Whilst searching for a new job, just try and make your current job interesting. If you're being told to do things you don't understand, ask more question, do more research - force yourself to learn! It won't do you any harm.

Good luck with the job hunt.

Anonymous
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    I wouldn't like live only with help from the state too. Maybe it's the main reason I'm keeping my job even it's frustrating. – distributed Feb 12 '13 at 11:33
  • @distributed - That's okay then. :-) Just got the impression from your question that it was a little on the 'why should I work a crappy job when I can just live off the state' side of things. – Anonymous Feb 12 '13 at 11:36
  • if it was like this I would have quit time ago. My question is more like: Should I quit and invest my time improving my skills (language, technical) to speed up the job hunt? And accept temporally the help from the State because anyway I want to work, I'm not a parasite and I would not like to be one. – distributed Feb 12 '13 at 11:44
  • I would be very careful about relying on "Money from the state" - that typically applies if you were fired/laid off, but not if you voluntarily quit - definately research this in-depth prior to proceeding down that route (not that I would suggest it for the same reasons Anonymous has) – user2813274 Aug 21 '14 at 16:48