Mental Health Break

[notoriousrbg]

I am struggling with my mental health at my current job and I am having difficulty getting work done. I am a sixth year call and in litigation. I have an offer for a new job but I do not feel that I am in the best state to start a new job. The offer also does not provide me with any time off between my old job and starting the new job. I am considering quitting my job and taking some time off to recover but I am worried about finding another job. 

Has anyone quit their job without a job lined up? How long did you take off? How did you leave your job without leaving a bad impression for quitting for your mental health? How long did it take for you to find a new job? How did you explain this gap to new potential employers? Any advice would be helpful. 

[JohnnyCochrane68]

Did you ask for a later start date? I had to push a start date by about five months and it wasn't an issue

Quitting cold without a new job lined up is a last resort. If I was at that point I would investigate trying to get some kind of leave from the current job first as a runway to the next thing. 

Unless you are currently shitting the bed at work I don't think you will "leave a bad impression" if you quit. However if you get litigious about work accommodations and time off then I would not expect your bosses to be friendly. 

I have no advice about how to explain the gap. 

I will say that I regret being overly accommodating to an ex-firm, spending extra time transitioning matters, etc. In retrospect it deprived me of a break and I got absolutely nothing out of it. 

[Cool_name]

What is the point of changing firms if you don’t get a break between the jobs? It is one of the very few times you can actually disconnect and is imo one of the best parts of changing jobs. 
 

The firm will understand a request to push back the start date. They may have reasons why they can’t agree, but I’d wager they would be agreeable.

[Dinsdale]

5 hours ago, Cool_name said:

The firm will understand a request to push back the start date. They may have reasons why they can’t agree, but I’d wager they would be agreeable.

Very much depends on why the new firm has hired OP.  Presumably it is because they are very busy and need a new sixth year litigator who can jump right in and take carriage of files.  In fact, they may already have certain files in mind.  So I'm not so sure they will be all that agreeable.  If you do negotiate a break, maybe characterize it in some way other than "mental health break".

[Bob Jones]

On 3/28/2024 at 10:44 PM, notoriousrbg said:

I am struggling with my mental health at my current job and I am having difficulty getting work done. I am a sixth year call and in litigation. I have an offer for a new job but I do not feel that I am in the best state to start a new job. The offer also does not provide me with any time off between my old job and starting the new job. I am considering quitting my job and taking some time off to recover but I am worried about finding another job. 

Has anyone quit their job without a job lined up? How long did you take off? How did you leave your job without leaving a bad impression for quitting for your mental health? How long did it take for you to find a new job? How did you explain this gap to new potential employers? Any advice would be helpful. 

I would consider a move to in house. You can still find quasi litigation or regulatory roles so you will be in an adjacent field, but without having to be in the trenches day to day. It’s much  more 9-5, and you can still get a decent base salary plus bonuses and what not. The total comp will probably come less than a sr associate on bay or income partner, but you’ll keep the lights on.

 

In the interim, your health is top priority so don’t be shy to take a leave if it’s not working out. 
 

Best or luck!