So a friend said when I mentioned that I’d left the new job that I started two weeks ago (and only worked four days for). It’s nice that someone feels they’d benefit from this move on my part.
I now owe my friend John a beer because he bet I wouldn’t last three weeks at that new company. My stepfather said on the phone today, “I’m surprised you stayed that long”. Oh ye of completely realistic-sized faith!
Although I wouldn’t presume to call myself the most honest person around, I am not good at make believe. The truth is, I didn’t want the job, and I was applying and interviewing elsewhere while starting this job, and I felt completely shitty the whole time that I was deceiving them. I think the dental pain showed up when it did because I was grinding my teeth at night from the worry, when I managed to sleep at all.
Friends kept saying, it’s just a job, it’s better to have a job while you look for something else, at least it’s a paycheque, etc. whenever I said I should quit. I think I’m going to be judged for turning down any job in this recession; however, for me, the only good thing about it was the paycheque (not to insult the company, they are good people). As for the bad things:
- I’d leave my apartment at quarter to 7 and come home after work at a quarter to 7, having not done anything but work and commute that day.
- The company is not an IT company (but a company with an IT team, which is different).
- I did not feel at one with the IT team.
- I wasn’t going to learn anything new in this position except for things specific to the company itself.
The second point isn’t a biggie, but the rest are, especially the last: I wouldn’t be completely adverse to a junior position if it was something new that would be challenging and give me some new skills, but this wasn’t going to be the case. It seems I set up my workstation so quickly they didn’t have any work for me and were going to have to scramble to find me some; and, I mean, I’m not that awesome. So it didn’t seem fair to them to pay me to twiddle my thumbs for several days while I slyly send out resumes in my off-hours and pray to God to make me a DBA again.
Speaking of which, this was one of the reasons given for why they hired me for a position which I considered too junior for me:
Well, you see, I don’t consider MySQL DBAs to be real DBAs.
Touché!
The last reason on your list would have made me cry.
On that note, I also can’t tell you how many jobs I’ve had where the bulk of my position involved teaching and reteaching someone to use the autoresponder. Not good.
As a friend, I would like to point out that I a) would not ever judge you for turning down a job, recession or not and b)suggested walking out and not going back at lunch on your first day.
Anyone who gives you grief for this need to be told to fuck off. Seriously.
On another note – I’m sure Shebang is happy to have you to herself again.