HACKER Q&A
📣 drowningbad

Has anyone quit a job after the first week? Feeling like a total failure


I recently joined a later stage company amidst a major shakeup as the only IC PM. I have had no ramp up time. Now 1 week in I’m being blamed for not adequately taking ownership of my new role, not being assertive enough with key stakeholders and lacking the political savvy to drive product. It feels like I was hired to be scapegoated.

I have never felt like such a failure. I hardly sleep. I have no time to think before I’m bombarded with another litany of demands and questions over why something hasn’t been finished.

I have over 5 years of experience and it has never been this stressful and demeaning.

  👤 SlightlyLeftPad Accepted Answer ✓
I’m sorry you’re going through this, these statements are completely unreasonable after 1 week on the job. You likely encountered the reason the role was open in the first place.
👤 JohnFen
Yes, I have quit a couple of jobs very quickly like that. In my view, if you know that the job is going to make you miserable and/or set you up for failure, the sooner you quit the better for your mental health and for your career. Being able to cut loose early is a strength, not a weakness.

You're not a failure. You've been failed by the company.

👤 mixmastamyk
Sadly not as uncommon as it should be.

The story you've told is that they are totally unreasonable. I'd accept that this position is a failure. Get a good night sleep—you can't fix it.

What to do? Well, I'd probably tell people to "back off," see if I(you) can help, and if not cruise through a paycheck or two before leaving. Depends on your situation of course.