Who's feeling like rage quitting today Forum

[Anonymous User]

It's been just one of those weeks, one of many in the past months or years even. Wondering if there's anybody else out there tempted to just say "Fuck this" and walk out. And if so, what's stopping you? I just hate working long hours, giving up sleep, family time (I've given up on me-time many moons ago), yet somehow still manage to be behind on deliverables. I also hate working my ass off on deals with emergencies just so that some rich guy can get more money sooner. I just don't care anymore.

I'm thinking I stick it out until end of year bonus and then it is over for me. I would have lasted a full four years by then, so I guess that isn't too bad.

[nealric]

It's been just one of those weeks, one of many in the past months or years even. Wondering if there's anybody else out there tempted to just say "Fuck this" and walk out. And if so, what's stopping you? I just hate working long hours, giving up sleep, family time (I've given up on me-time many moons ago), yet somehow still manage to be behind on deliverables. I also hate working my ass off on deals with emergencies just so that some rich guy can get more money sooner. I just don't care anymore.

I'm thinking I stick it out until end of year bonus and then it is over for me. I would have lasted a full four years by then, so I guess that isn't too bad.

Rather than rage quitting, you might use this as an opportunity to start planning your exit. A planned exit will likely go a lot smoother for you, regardless of where you decide you want to land.

[LockBox]

It's been just one of those weeks, one of many in the past months or years even. Wondering if there's anybody else out there tempted to just say "Fuck this" and walk out. And if so, what's stopping you? I just hate working long hours, giving up sleep, family time (I've given up on me-time many moons ago), yet somehow still manage to be behind on deliverables. I also hate working my ass off on deals with emergencies just so that some rich guy can get more money sooner. I just don't care anymore.

I'm thinking I stick it out until end of year bonus and then it is over for me. I would have lasted a full four years by then, so I guess that isn't too bad.

I've felt like this in the past. My thinking against doing so, however, has always been to play the long game. It's almost never the best approach to do what is impulsive and may feel good at the time. Better yet, take a day or two (or a week), consider your options, don't burn bridges and plan your next move. The downside of this approach is the likelihood that when the smoke clears you fall back into your lethargic pattern of routine and familiarity instead of looking for other options and making a move. I say this because this is where I was.

[Anonymous User]

Same. I’m talking to a recruiter. I cannot stand the information hoarding BS that goes on on a daily basis. If I’m going to work insane hours and live a miserable life, I want to at least have the dignity of being told roughly what the fuck is going on on my matters.

[totesTheGoat]

I'd walk out right now and go start a beet farm or something if I were more impulsive and not 6-figures in student debt. Nothing wrong with this job in particular, but I'm sick of staring at a computer 10 hours a day. Doesn't help that I've been working nights and weekends for a couple weeks in a row now.

[Anonymous User]

It's been just one of those weeks, one of many in the past months or years even. Wondering if there's anybody else out there tempted to just say "Fuck this" and walk out. And if so, what's stopping you? I just hate working long hours, giving up sleep, family time (I've given up on me-time many moons ago), yet somehow still manage to be behind on deliverables. I also hate working my ass off on deals with emergencies just so that some rich guy can get more money sooner. I just don't care anymore.

I'm thinking I stick it out until end of year bonus and then it is over for me. I would have lasted a full four years by then, so I guess that isn't too bad.

How much have you saved? Third-year here, and my philosophy since day 1 has been to treat my paycheck as not really my money. My advice to all biglaw juniors is: only spend your biglaw paycheck if you truly love biglaw.

My exit condition is $350,000 net worth. I started at -$90,000 and I'm now at $150,000. Hopefully I'll be able to bail in early 2020 or sooner.

Each person's goals are different, but I think if you define your own exit condition this way each day becomes more manageable.

[Anonymous User]

When I feel shitty and I'm not super, super busy, I just take a sick day and chill. It really helps to take a mental health day or two every few months and then go back in. And something about pretending its a Saturday while the rest of the world works is sort of empowering.

[Anonymous User]

I feel like rage quitting every day.

And I'm just an SA.

And I'm still praying I get an offer.

I feel broken.

[glitched]

I feel like rage quitting every day.

And I'm just an SA.

And I'm still praying I get an offer.

I feel broken.

How is this possible? Being a summer associate is possibly the best job in the entire world. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that.

Edit: I don't mean to disparage your feelings. I'm sure your experience has been awful if you're feeling that way. I'm only commenting that in general, the summer associate life is the best life.

[Anonymous User]

I feel like rage quitting every day.

And I'm just an SA.

And I'm still praying I get an offer.

I feel broken.

How is this possible? Being a summer associate is possibly the best job in the entire world. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that.

Edit: I don't mean to disparage your feelings. I'm sure your experience has been awful if you're feeling that way. I'm only commenting that in general, the summer associate life is the best life.

Being a SA isn't always so fun. The SA at my firm last year (we only had one) worked every weekend and got in the office at 7am and left at 10pm every night. The SA this year works every weekend and until 2am every night. Some firms (like mine) treat their SA's brutally and push all the work they don't want to bill to the client on the SA.

So I understand your feelings, SA poster.

[Anonymous User]

It's been just one of those weeks, one of many in the past months or years even. Wondering if there's anybody else out there tempted to just say "Fuck this" and walk out. And if so, what's stopping you? I just hate working long hours, giving up sleep, family time (I've given up on me-time many moons ago), yet somehow still manage to be behind on deliverables. I also hate working my ass off on deals with emergencies just so that some rich guy can get more money sooner. I just don't care anymore.

I'm thinking I stick it out until end of year bonus and then it is over for me. I would have lasted a full four years by then, so I guess that isn't too bad.

It sounds like I could have written this. I've felt this many MANY times in the last year and I have also told myself that I'm quitting after I collect bonus. I'm less than 700 hours away, so I'll stick it out until then because 4th year bonus is pretty significant. I have no idea where exactly I'll go or what I'll do but I am SO OVER biglaw that I'm convinced almost anything is better.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I’m the opposite of impulsive and also have a mountain of student loans, a mortgage and a child, so nope, won’t quit without a good landing. The fact that I feel the impulse so often is telling though - I thought I had a pretty high pain tolerance, but maybe I’m getting too old for this shit. Just like the above, I only have 700 hours to go to hit bonus, will likely end up billing 2400 for the year, same as last year and the year before that, so plan to collect a nice above market bonus before making my exit.

One of my few remaining classmates left a few weeks ago - just called it quits before finding another job, saying the job was too unhealthy. I think he’s right.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I’m the opposite of impulsive and also have a mountain of student loans, a mortgage and a child, so nope, won’t quit without a good landing. The fact that I feel the impulse so often is telling though - I thought I had a pretty high pain tolerance, but maybe I’m getting too old for this shit. Just like the above, I only have 700 hours to go to hit bonus, will likely end up billing 2400 for the year, same as last year and the year before that, so plan to collect a nice above market bonus before making my exit.

One of my few remaining classmates left a few weeks ago - just called it quits before finding another job, saying the job was too unhealthy. I think he’s right.

[NoBladesNoBows]

Are you in transactional or litigation?

[Anonymous User]

In the same boat... will be the happiest man on earth on the day i quit

[Anonymous User]

Feel the same way most days now. Focusing on the end game is key. It can be liberating to know that you are in a firm that even if they give you “the talk” you’ll still have 6 months to find a new job. So if you haven’t been given that talk yet they can still be paying you huge $$$ while you actively look for a new job for a year.

Calculating how many months you can live without any income is a good coping mechanism too. I live pretty large and if my fiance and I lost both of our jobs tomorrow (unlikely to happen) could live for five years on our current savings at our current rate of monthly spending without earning a dime. Running the scenarios with different levels of income/lower spending rates, like if she keeps her job and I get a job earning 1/3 of what I do as a biglaw senior associate basically means we can survive indefinitely (albeit with no super extravagent vacations, big purchases, or fancy dinners which both of us are totally fine with since we grew up pretty middle income).

Also, I used to have a crippling fear of flying. One coping mechanism I use is whenever I am going to fly I look up and watch the planes in the sky and think of all the people on those planes and how they are all going to get to their destinations safely and all the people in all of the other planes that day who will do the same thing. With biglaw it is similar, I think of all the people I know in law school and at the firm who flamed out within six months, lasted barely 2 years, got the talk at 6 years, and are now doing fine. Makes it easier to relax and not sweat the small mistakes even when a partner calls you out. I also focus on the junior partners and how their lives look completely fucking miserable and think “do I really want to be these people?” The answer is uniformly no.

[Anonymous User]

Are you in transactional or litigation?

Transactional. I also rather like the people I work with, so that’s been my saving grace. So I don’t have hopes that anywhere in big law would be better.