Is it better to leave my job?

Question

hello everyone!

I am soo upset with my score. I got a 360 which makes me feel completely dumb. but, i'm not quitting at all and I know I can do it. When I got this score, i honestly didn't prepare well. I ONLY studied the princeton review and that was it!!! Now I have bought 8 other different books such as kaplain, OG, allt eh manhattan GMAT prep books. Plus I will also use gmat club which I only discovered it about a week ago. but now I have an iissue, i would like to take another test by December, so I am thinking of resigning from work so that I can dedicate all my time and effort into the GMAT starting from the end of august (because i will have a 1 month notice). 

my question is that, is it a normal thing for someone to resign from work so that he or she can have the time to prepare for the test? i'm now working for a 5 star hotel chain where i work from 9:00 am and I'm done at least by 8:00 pm and so i would feel sooo exhausted. and until i come back home, its usually about 8:30 pm or even sometimes 9:00 pm!!

what do you suggest? is it a normal thing to do? i have no problems financially, I just need to know if thats what many people had to do in order to obtain a great score.

thanks

sperumba · Answer

Hi Tarek,

A bird in hand is worth 2 in a bush.
Do not quit your job. 
Just get up early at 4:00 am every day and study till 7:00 for the next three months. 

A gap in your resume for three months will show badly. Also you will have to get reco letters from your managers at work. So my advice is to continue working and try really hard to squeeze time and study.

Make the GMAT your top priority.

-Sperumba

alimad · Answer

Yes, don't quit your job, the balancing act is a challenge but i'm quite certain you'd be able to manage. Be an active member of the gmatclub and keep a watchful eye on everyone's experience , that a keep your spirits high.

Don't quit your day job. GMAT is a not an aptitute test , it's a attitute test.

ps_dahiya · Answer

NEVER EVER THINK OF QUITTING JOB. If quitting a job can get you a good score then most successful people on GMAT would be people straight out of college and all business schools would be filled with people without experience. Don't underestimate the importance of work experience to get into program of your choice. GMAT is just one aspect of that whole process. Try to steal time from your busy schedule. Make a habit of studying atleast 2 hours on a weekday and 5-6 hours on weekends. You may have to restrict your other ventures such as boozing, loitering, watching TV etc. Prepare a study plan and STICK TO IT. Need any help? Ask anybody here;there are so many smart people here. You are also smart but you just need to discover yourself.

celiaXDN · Answer

I think you should take advantage of both the verbal and math sections of this forum and try to do some problems there every day. Also try to manage your time more efficiently, use evenings and weekends. Probably there's no need to quit your job. I believe if you find the correct way of studying, you can get a decent score. Good luck!

rchawla80 · Answer

All is well said above, but I will add, i quit my job to prepare for GMAT, but that wasn't the only region. If your job is making you unhappy and its not what you want to do it will have a negative effect on your work. I know I didnt' see a huge improvement in my score but suffice to say, it would have never gotten there, if I hadn't! Just my two cents.

R

GMATT73 · Answer

I would disrecommend quitting your job for multiple reasons:

1. You need the stable income to sustain yourself now and as much savings as possible for b-school over the next two years when you DEFINATELY will not be able to work. Work has to be your first priority at the moment, without it you won`t be able to survive.

2. GMAT can be surmounted with dedicated perserverance. Meticulously scrutinize your schedule, negotiate with your superior, use your sick days and vacation time, your lunch break, etc instead to find a way to squeeze out extra study time. I also have a hectic schedule like you (if not more so) but somehow, someway, I manage to eek out 10-15 hours of quality study time a week. You might want to even try text messaging yourself SC and CR problems so that you can study between guests, during coffee breaks, or whenever you have a spare 5-10 minutes. The key is to be the master of time management.

3. Quitting work means losing contacts and letters of recommendation from managers or coworkers who will inevitably have to support you in phase #2 of the application process. Maintain those ties and even start to think about who you will be approaching this fall.

4. If all else fails and you happen to already have a nice nest egg saved, then put in a request for a temporary semi-full time schedule change (35-40 hours a week) so that you can invest more energy into your prep. Honestly though, this should only be a contingency option if you feel yourself getting stressed out.

We are all in the same boat here, so remember to keep your head high and be the master of your time. You will prevail.

8-)

HongHu · Answer

From what you said it seems to me that your job is rather exaughsting. I do feel that you would not give a proper preparation if you are tired all the time. I agree that you need to think about how you like your job, whether it is what you love, or if it has become a burden. It's a good thing that you are ok financially. This gives you more choices than some of us. If you like your job, perhaps you could find a way to shorten your working hours temporarily? I would recommend you take at least a week off from work before the test.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

tehcalvin · Answer

Agree completely with that. I followed the same routine (I had long working hours at work many times) to get up early and study before I got to office. The key is to be consistent with your schedule. No matter how busy/tired you are - devote at least 1 hour everyday.

rhyme · Answer

This is an old thread.... but I thought I'd pop in here and mention that I quit my last job for the GMAT. I felt I had no choice though, I usually got up at 5.30 or so, and was in the car by 6.30, home around 10 to 11pm. I really had no time.

We shall see how it plays out on my apps. There was a 3 week gap between jobs.

NerminSahman · Answer

Hi Tareek !
I recomend you to take Kaplan' nine weeks course. I am a little further than the midpoint at the moment, and I am finding kaplan very helpful. They offer classes once a week, for 3 hours a class, but their program is unbelievably helpful. You are required to take 1 practice CAT exam every week, and by doing that you can see where you stand at the time, and what you need to do to fill in your gaps.
 On my diagnostic test I got 350. My first practice exam, that is 4 weeks after the beggining of the course I got 490. Second I got 440. The third I got 540, and hopefuly on the next one I will do even better than this.
 I am putting a lot of time for GMAT. I sacrifized many things but I don't mind it when I see my score improving. You have to have strong will, put time to study and don't worry.
 It's the truth I don't work as much since I started going to school for GMAT. I work about 32 hours a week as opposed to 45 what I' ve done before the exam.
Good luck and for any questions contact me.
Nermin

ArvGMAT · Answer

I would suggest not to quit your job. It is best that you keep specific hours for doing your GMAT say 7-9 pm every day and then a few on weekends. That will be the ideal mix.

Iawfy · Answer

I say, it all depends on your situation and your future plan.
see, I'm a student taking 18 credits, preparing for GMAT, and working as well. I found that I really can't take three things together at one time, so I have to give up my job.
just remember, whatever you are doing, trust your heart. Your heart will tell you which one is more important for you, and for which you will give up^^
good luck!

gauravgoyal_g · Answer

I don't know your exact circumstances but will ask you to carefully evaluate all of your options. Quitting your job is a big and risky decision:

1) Would it be easy for you to get a job after giving GMAT?
2) Have you absolutely tried your best to squeeze as much time as possible within your day? As much as 2 hours a day of regular studying for a period of few months will be able to provide your good prep time. Can you not find an hour before work and an hour after work each day?
3) Will you be able to do justice with the time available if you do quit your job? It may actually be easier to study while you work because work would provide you some diversion from studies. Studying the whole day would actually not be that easy..

knsingh · Answer

I have been watching the happenings from a distance for quite some time.

My sincere advice would be to switch to a less demanding job or even a part time job.

This will avoid having a break in the service and give ample time to concentrate on the job at hand.

Good luck!

windofchange · Answer

I really admire people who can work full-time while preparing for the GMAT and still getting high score. Honestly, I am only average and I decided to make a trade-off between my job and the GMAT. But it doesn't mean I quit my job, I only take 3-month unpaid leave :D. I have read in somewhere that You might have to make sacrifices to study for the GMAT, but it will pay off.

mohater · Answer

This thread is old. Locking it since most of the people who are part of the conversation are long gone.

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Is it better to leave my job?

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