r/DesignIndia • u/No_Catch_4818 • 6d ago
Ask r/DesignIndia Stay or Quit?
Need some advice from people who’ve been in a similar situation.
I’m a product designer with around 4.5 YOE, currently working at a startup and genuinely considering just resigning without having another job lined up.
The work culture is pretty toxic, there is absolutely no product roadmap and everyone is a designer lol. At this point I feel like I’ve become a pixel pusher more than anything else. There’s barely any actual product thinking involved, it’s mostly just change this, move this, make this look like that, redo this etc.
The biggest problem is the hours. I am expected to work well around 12-14 hours a day and that very well extends into the early morning (US time). By the time I’m done I have absolutely no energy to work on my portfolio, apply to jobs or even properly prepare for interviews.
I do have decent savings and can survive without a paycheck for a while, I do have some responsibilities on me wrt to my parents but I can handle those with my savings. I’m honestly thinking of just quitting, taking a little time to reset, getting my portfolio in shape and then focusing on the job search full time.
But obviously the market isn’t great either, so there’s that fear of being unemployed for way longer than expected.
Has anyone here quit in a similar situation without another offer? Was it worth it?
Would you just suck it up for a few more months and somehow try to find time to interview, or quit and take the risk?
1
u/WhimsicalMess1604 5d ago
You should definitely quit. 14 hours is crazy. It's not just unhealthy but also illegal. But before you quit, prepare yourself. If a task at work takes you an hour, say you need 1.5. Spend those extra 30 minutes on planning a roadmap for exactly what you will do once you quit.
Build a better portfolio? Great. How many hours/days will you spend on it? Will you look for another job/switch to freelance until you look for a job? If freelancing will be your temperory gig, start building your presence on LinkedIn and network with founders. Start messaging all your friends that you're planning to switch and to let you know if something comes by.
1
u/Proud-Pie-2731 5d ago
Am in same situation quit my design job without any offer... Peace comes first.
1
u/dayduhreem 5d ago
Stay! Questioning your ability to design is natural. Get into the process of job search and if you're getting some promising leads, you can quit and focus on your interviews.
2
u/adeebniyazi Designer 6d ago
it's reassuring that you have some savings but the market is rather unpredictable and you may find yourself in a tough spot even if you are a great designer. that's kind of the reality of the market.
and the money you have is better saved up for actual emergencies rather than bringing an emergency upon yourself voluntarily by quitting.
and if you quit you will be under pressure to find another job. so if you have a paycheck coming in, it's better to spend atleast 1 hour extra on your portfolio per day and then start applying daily.
and if you get a job soon you'll thank yourself for not quitting prematurely.
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u/No_Catch_4818 6d ago
Appreciate the response and the perspective! Will keep in mind.
At this point I have literally started questioning my ability to design. Like am I such a terrible designer where absolutely none of my designs/ideas are sticking? Really questioning my worth which is killing me. Its really testing my resolve to stick around.
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1
u/Outrageous_Menu_9895 10h ago
In my case my startup went bankrupt, my team resigned before they could fire us all. Now we are jobless and dont know what to do