Hey all 

Struggling to sleep over my current situation  if you have been in my shoes then advice would be muchly appreciated.

The scenario is that my company wants to send me on a windows 7 course, the course is at college and will cost £1400 and must be sat at college, its not one that the boss would be happy me doing off my own back, as its a pass fast course, something like 3 days and WHAM I have another badge 

Now to remove too much bloat and to cut to the chase, frankly I want to hand my notice in as I am not happy with the direction my careers taking me.  To me happiness is more important than a pay check, dont get my wrong I am very career focused and would regret it if this had a direct impact in the future, if I was to be frowned upon, plz keep that in mind.

If asked as I vague thought I will go along with the lines of making my future employee clear I was not happy travelling along the road my previous career was going, hence throwing in the white towl, again vague thought.

I have until Sunday night to mule this one over.

I have also been mulling over going to uni, which some of you may of read in a previous post.  My application has been deferred for a year due to money.

So with all this in mind has anyone felt stuck in a job they are unhappy to be in, politely laid the white town down and come out smiling OR is this a dumb dumb move? Thoughts plz guys, look forward to hearing your voice on this one! 

Bosses are not mind readers. I think sitting down and talking over the fact you want your career to go in a different way might be a good idea.

Don't try to be negative, but tell him what you'd be more interested in doing and seeing if 1, that is what the company needs, and 2 if he has any advice.

When you look for another job, tell them you want a new challenge and the direction you want to go wasn't aligned with the current company.

I hate my job, but I'm sticking it out until I have an offer in hand from another one. In the mean time, I'm trying to pay off my debt, start a savings buffer, and try to scratch money together to start doing certifications I want.

Hello delusion,

Chrisj offers a very sensible approach to your issue. I'll add that talking to your boss is a good way to go, but go in with a thought out plan first.

If you walk in without a plan or with a negative attitude, then you've leave the meeting unhappy and the boss will start to worry about you.

I've had people walking in a tell me their jobs stinks and they hate what they do and so on. I then ask what do they want to do and how they see this working for the company in the role they are in. The people with reasonable solutions on how to change things tend to be the ones that actually make changes happen. The people with no clue just get more unhappy and angry.

Write down 3-5 points on what your issues are and how they could be addressed. These have to fit in with your current job and what the company is willing to pay you for. Talk through your points with a friend or someone who's been a manager to get their view on your request, as that can help you think through what you are asking.

Sit down with the boss and be polite, answer his questions and if he blows you off, you'll know where you stand. Never get angry, rude or dismissive about your current role - just point out it's not where you'll like to see yourself in the next few years.  

As an example, suggest that you'll self study the Windows 7 course from books and then take the exam. Ask if you study and get the Ms cert, can the training funds be used for another course. That's when you present your prefer training and what it will do for the IT team/company.
They must think the Win7 training is important, so learn and pass it. Hopefully both sides win.

If they do just blow you off, remember it's easy getting another job while employed. Make sure you have a job before throwing any towels around :-)

I've been in such a situation just3 months ago really.
Had a good job, paid good, good collegue's, .. But the job itself just made me depressed, it wasn't getting me at all in the direction I was going for.

So I quitted that job, and haven't regretted it ever since. But one big sidenote: I went looking for another job first. Loyalty is important, but being able to pay the bills even more so.

Ofcourse, if you got a place to go, or a few probable options, you can quit, save your company money and get into the career path that makes you happy.

Hey guys 

Thanks for all your feedback, its been really helpful 

I've given it much consideration and really going to stay positive on this one, keep my cool and put all my energy and focus into getting a new job and brushing up on my interview skills.  I have set my heart on working for an outsourced company as from experience and from a recent interview this is the kind of company I want to grow in, unfortunetly I didnt get that interview, but I will see this as a learning experience and something I need to work on.

Again, really helpful guys 

Nice decision, feel free to keep us informed!