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A 23-year-old engineer recently opened up online about quitting a well-paying job that left him mentally and physically exhausted. Despite earning nearly $100,000 a year, he described the experience as “extremely miserable” and said he resigned without any next plan, but felt immediate relief after doing so. He shared that he received almost no training or support when he joined. His manager worked remotely, and he went months without essential tools, forcing him to figure everything out on his own. The lack of guidance, teamwork, and basic resources, he said, made the job overwhelming and unsustainable. The workload kept increasing while the team remained small, and strained relationships with coworkers only added to the stress. He described one colleague, Tom, who frequently mocked him, spread gossip, and contributed to a toxic atmosphere in the office. Even though his boss assured him that he was performing well, he constantly felt overwhelmed, behind, and burned out. After more than a year of enduring the pressure, he chose to walk away for the sake of his well-being. Having saved $70,000, he finally resigned, saying that, for now, all he wants is time to rest, reset, and recover. Engineer Felt Stuck Despite High Pay Taking to Reddit, he wrote, “I (23M) posted here about a year ago when I was just a few months into my current engineering job. Back then, I was already unhappy with the onboarding and lack of training — and things never really improved. We’re a very small engineering team and my manager works remotely from another state. During my first few weeks, I didn’t get much guidance, just reading materials, no project shadowing or mentorship. I didn’t even receive my laptop with the necessary software and CAD programs until a month and a half in.” “I try to ask questions and learn from my coworkers, but there’s a big experience gap. The next person above me has 13 years in the company. Most of what I’ve learned has come from trial and error or calls with my boss. My boss and project manager say I’m performing as expected, but I still struggle to deliver assignments on time. Work keeps piling up and my coworkers are frustrated because they think I should be reducing their workload, even though projects have increased by 50% every year and only recently did they hire one more engineer,” the user added. Toxic Behaviour From Coworkers The engineer explained that even though the work environment was unhealthy, he stayed for over a year in hopes of gaining experience. However, the stress took a toll on his health, causing significant weight loss. He shared how a coworker, referred to as Tom, regularly mocked him, created a hostile atmosphere, and spread negativity in the workplace. Tom joked that the new employee was hired to replace him, made fun of how slowly he worked, and even accused him of reporting issues to HR. He also gossiped about others and laughed at their mistakes, adding to the toxic environment. Despite the challenges, the engineer tried to focus on learning and improving his skills, but most of his tasks were basic and did not allow him to grow. While one colleague was openly rude, he did have a senior engineer who supported him and believed in his potential, something he considered one of the few positive parts of the job. The Redditor added, “I told my boss and project manager that I’ve failed to meet my own standards and project deadlines. They said my decision was sudden and rash. I gave three weeks’ notice two weeks ago. Since then, our new hire has become quieter. I’m doing my best to teach him what I know. For context on the work culture, Tom even showed him a gore video of a political assassination during his second week here. At this point, I’ve saved about $70k (not counting my 401k), live with family, and don’t have another job lined up. But honestly, I don’t care, I just want to rest.” Resigned from 100k job, extremely miserable, nothing lined up. Am I shooting myself in the foot? byu/Majestic_Option_9956 incareerguidance Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “You should have applied while you had the job to move to another then negotiated start time so you can have some time off.” Another shared, “Sounds like a toxic workplace, but DAMN, you’re 23 on a 100k salary? Maybe my expectations are different over in the UK, but that sounds like a dream salary for your age? Quitting with nothing lined up is also quite dangerous because this early in to your career, recruiters will be suspicious of gaps in your CV – especially considering you don’t know how long your new job search will take.” “You are lucky you are young and still live at home. It was a mistake not to have something else lined up first in this job market. Strap in and prepare to be unemployed for a good while,” a comment read. An individual stated, “Don’t leave your job without anything lined up in this market. You could get lucky, but right now a lot of people are struggling for jobs, especially in tech, prices are only going up, health insurance will be through the roof and you don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Find a way to make it work for now, while you apply elsewhere, you can go a long way with the right mindset, even though it’s not without pain.” One more added, “I have worked for 4 companies, in 6 different positions, under 10 different bosses since I graduated college. Every company exists to make money, sure, but just know that there are better employers and better bosses to work for out there. I’d hate for you to feel like what you went through is the norm for engineers; it certainly hasn’t been for me.” The 23-year-old later explained that he had spoken to his boss a few months after joining about the poor onboarding process and how Tom was behaving. He suggested that project shadowing might help him learn better, and both his boss and the project manager liked the idea. For a short time, Tom stopped bothering him, and he tried to ignore the negativity at work. But even then, he wasn’t actually given proper guidance. Instead of learning through observation, another engineer had him do their own work while they handled other urgent tasks. He decided not to complain further because he didn’t want to create problems or seem like he couldn’t handle the job. He also wanted to maintain a good relationship with his team. When he tried to talk about how his workload was increasing and deadlines were missing, his boss brushed it off, saying it was a normal part of the company’s growth.
