When the job conflicts with your values? UPDATE

[Jenny in Florida]

I've shared a bit of this already in other posts about my employment situation, but it just got real this morning, and I'm trying to decide what to do.

I started a new job about two months ago, worrying even as I did that it wasn't going to be a good fit for me, for a variety of reasons. However, I forged ahead, trying to keep an open mind and make the best of it. One of the issues was that I didn't know until after I had accepted the job that one of the company's clients is a large and well-known business that I had made a decision not to work for. Although this company posts a lot of jobs in my field, I never apply. And when two different headhunters reached out to me about contract positions with the company, I turned them down flat. 

I don't want to get into a debate about the specifics of which company it is or why I don't want to work for them. I hope everyone can be content just stipulating that one of their major lines of business contributes to an industry that conflicts with my personal value system.

For the record, I am already searching for a different job and have gently let my boss know that I don't expect to stay with the company for the long term. (He has never acknowledged or responded to that notice, but that's a whole different story.) Although I have had some interest in the form of telephone and in-person interviews, I don't yet have an offer from another employer.

I have so far managed to just avoid direct involvement with this client by volunteering for other projects, and I had hoped to find something else and resign from the current job before things came to a head.

However, just this morning, my boss assigned me to work directly on developing materials for this client. I'm supposed to start on the project tomorrow morning.

I'm so frustrated and conflicted that I just want to cry. I don't want to cause a scene. The client is perfectly respectable, well known and well thought of. Especially since I haven't discussed this with my boss before -- and because I'm in a weird place with my not-exactly-quitting status -- it feels like a terrible time to say, "Sorry, but I can't do that." And, under other circumstances, the actual work would be right in my wheelhouse. 

But not for this client. Not in support of this industry.

What would you do?

 

UPDATE:

I resigned. I did it politely and apologetically, but firmly. 

Edited June 27, 2019 by Jenny in Florida

[DawnM]

That is a tough one.  I know I responded in that thread that there are things I have to do in my job that don't align with my value system, but I have to either do them or go to a private school and lose my state retirement, which I am not willing to do.  Now, I do have a line in the sand but I dont' think my job will ever get to that point.

Is this a line in the sand for you?  I guess ultimately that is what you have to decide.  Is the personal gain worth more than the conflict of values or are the values on this particular issue so strong that you simply cannot do it.

Hugs.

[Random]

12 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

I'm so frustrated and conflicted that I just want to cry. I don't want to cause a scene. The client is perfectly respectable, well known and well thought of. Especially since I haven't discussed this with my boss before -- and because I'm in a weird place with my not-exactly-quitting status -- it feels like a terrible time to say, "Sorry, but I can't do that." And, under other circumstances, the actual work would be right in my wheelhouse. 

But not for this client. Not in support of this industry.

What would you do?

If I'm understanding correctly and the client is not doing something immoral or illegal, I'd probably do the job to the best of my abilities.

That is such a hard place to be in.

[Jenny in Florida]

Just now, Random said:

If I'm understanding correctly and the client is not doing something immoral or illegal, I'd probably do the job to the best of my abilities.

That is such a hard place to be in.

 

Well, the problem is that it depends on your definition of "immoral." One of their primary lines of business directly conflicts with my own morals.

[Tanaqui]

It depends on how strongly you feel about it. If you think this is a very immoral thing that no civil society should allow then you should live that as much as you can. If you can afford to quit over this, and that's how you feel, then yeah - explain it to your boss and quit if this job isn't reassigned (which it probably won't be - you haven't worked there that long and, as you said, they're an important client). If you just think it's a bad thing, maybe it's okay to hold your nose and do the job and donate some money/time to some anti-evil not-for-profit later to offset this.

Only you know how important this issue is to your values.

[Random]

2 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

Well, the problem is that it depends on your definition of "immoral." One of their primary lines of business directly conflicts with my own morals.

But it's perfectly respectable? 

It's so hard to say.  Such a sticky situation.  I haven't been faced with anything like that.  If I was asked to do something that is clearly immoral/illegal, I hope I'd have the awkward conversation and not do the job.  It would be exceptionally difficult for me.  I would be anxious about what it might cost me professionally.  It might work out; it might not work out.

[Jenny in Florida]

17 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Is this a line in the sand for you?  I guess ultimately that is what you have to decide.  Is the personal gain worth more than the conflict of values or are the values on this particular issue so strong that you simply cannot do it.

Hugs.

 

I don't know if it's a line in the sand. It feels like one right this moment. But I am also have a pretty bad couple of weeks, emotionally, and I can't tell how much of my "Oh, hell no" feeling is "real" and how much is just the over all sense that this is just too much on top of everything I'm already feeling.

Honestly, I want to just go ahead and quit. This feels like a perfectly good reason to pull the plug on this job. However, I don't feel right doing that without consulting with my husband, who has been out of town all week and is due to arrive home tonight exhausted and sore and probably far too worn out for me to feel good about dumping this on him.

[Jenny in Florida]

4 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

It depends on how strongly you feel about it. If you think this is a very immoral thing that no civil society should allow then you should live that as much as you can. If you can afford to quit over this, and that's how you feel, then yeah - explain it to your boss and quit if this job isn't reassigned (which it probably won't be - you haven't worked there that long and, as you said, they're an important client). If you just think it's a bad thing, maybe it's okay to hold your nose and do the job and donate some money/time to some anti-evil not-for-profit later to offset this.

Only you know how important this issue is to your values.

 

Having the job reassigned is not a realistic possibility. The entire company I work for consists of three employees: the owner and two of us who do the same job. Both of us are new-ish hires; she started working for him about three weeks before I did. 

One of the things I did when I left my previous job working for the non-profit whose mission I whole-heartedly supported was to set aside a certain percentage of the increased salary I am now earning for donation to various organizations doing the work I would no longer be doing. I have now spent or committed (in the form of automatic monthly contributions) that budget. So I'm not sure I can scrape up another donation to do that offset.

[Jenny in Florida]

7 minutes ago, Random said:

But it's perfectly respectable? 

It's so hard to say.  Such a sticky situation.  I haven't been faced with anything like that.  If I was asked to do something that is clearly immoral/illegal, I hope I'd have the awkward conversation and not do the job.  It would be exceptionally difficult for me.  I would be anxious about what it might cost me professionally.  It might work out; it might not work out.

 

By "respectable," I mean long-established, doing work that many people here would support and most people in the country would probably not think twice about and/or would assume is a good thing.

[DawnM]

2 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

By "respectable," I mean long-established, doing work that many people here would support and most people in the country would probably not think twice about and/or would assume is a good thing.

 

Is this going to be a problem in your line of work overall?  I guess I am thinking of something like creating advertising for a company you feel hires overseas sweat shop workers or something.  Something that may crop up in other ways in a new job down the road, posing a problem no matter where you go?  Or am I way off base?  Could you leave this job, and truly find one that wouldn't compromise your values?

[Catwoman]

3 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

By "respectable," I mean long-established, doing work that many people here would support and most people in the country would probably not think twice about and/or would assume is a good thing.

 

But it’s immoral?

I’m confused. 

Can you at least give us a hint about what the company is doing that you find so objectionable?

 

[Jenny in Florida]

1 minute ago, DawnM said:

 

Is this going to be a problem in your line of work overall?  I guess I am thinking of something like creating advertising for a company you feel hires overseas sweat shop workers or something.  Something that may crop up in other ways in a new job down the road, posing a problem no matter where you go?  Or am I way off base?  Could you leave this job, and truly find one that wouldn't compromise your values?

 

The hiring sweat shop workers is not the issue, but it's a decent stand-in. It's not illegal, and lots of companies that most of us patronize (or wouldn't think twice about patronizing) do it, but some of us would definitely consider it immoral.

This is one of the reasons I really wanted to stick with education-focused non-profits. I was just so desperate to get out of my previous job that I jumped at this one, assuming it would be at worst ethics-neutral. Ideally, I would still strongly prefer to get back to a non-profit, but, in theory, if I could find a job working for a company whose line of business wasn't problematic and in which I would be doing only internal-facing projects, I should be okay. 

[DawnM]

1 minute ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

The hiring sweat shop workers is not the issue, but it's a decent stand-in. It's not illegal, and lots of companies that most of us patronize (or wouldn't think twice about patronizing) do it, but some of us would definitely consider it immoral.

This is one of the reasons I really wanted to stick with education-focused non-profits. I was just so desperate to get out of my previous job that I jumped at this one, assuming it would be at worst ethics-neutral. Ideally, I would still strongly prefer to get back to a non-profit, but, in theory, if I could find a job working for a company whose line of business wasn't problematic and in which I would be doing only internal-facing projects, I should be okay. 

 

Right, I understood that it wasn't illegal or immoral to everyone.....just wasn't sure if this would be something inherently a problem in your line of work.

I hope you can find a job you love and allows you to stick to your convictions.

[Jenny in Florida]

7 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

 

But it’s immoral?

I’m confused. 

Can you at least give us a hint about what the company is doing that you find so objectionable?

 

 

I really, really don't want to get specific, because I do not want this to turn into a more general discussion of whether this particular company or industry is something to which I should have such an objection. That's why I asked everyone to accept the stipulation that it just is a problem for me.

If you need something to wrap your brain around, although this isn't the issue, you can plug in Dawn's analogy of a clothing company that outsources work to sweat shop workers. It's not illegal, and many, many respected and well-known companies do it, but some people find it immoral.

[Catwoman]

7 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

The hiring sweat shop workers is not the issue, but it's a decent stand-in. It's not illegal, and lots of companies that most of us patronize (or wouldn't think twice about patronizing) do it, but some of us would definitely consider it immoral.

This is one of the reasons I really wanted to stick with education-focused non-profits. I was just so desperate to get out of my previous job that I jumped at this one, assuming it would be at worst ethics-neutral. Ideally, I would still strongly prefer to get back to a non-profit, but, in theory, if I could find a job working for a company whose line of business wasn't problematic and in which I would be doing only internal-facing projects, I should be okay. 

 

It sounds like quitting is your only option unless you are able to suck it up and deal with working on that project. It’s not fair to your boss to refuse to do the job, and unless he wants to go out of his way to be nice and find something else for you to do, he wouldn’t be wrong to be angry that you don’t want to work with one of his biggest clients.

I’m sorry to sound heartless, but if this is part of your job, you have to do it or you have to hope your boss is sympathetic. Otherwise, you will have to quit.

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by Catwoman

[Catwoman]

5 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

I really, really don't want to get specific, because I do not want this to turn into a more general discussion of whether this particular company or industry is something to which I should have such an objection. That's why I asked everyone to accept the stipulation that it just is a problem for me.

If you need something to wrap your brain around, although this isn't the issue, you can plug in Dawn's analogy of a clothing company that outsources work to sweat shop workers. It's not illegal, and many, many respected and well-known companies do it, but some people find it immoral.

 

But then I guess you have to ask yourself if this will be an issue no matter where you work. If you don’t own the company, chances are pretty good that you will run into a similar situation again in the future. 

I guess I don’t understand why this is such a big deal to you. It’s not like the work you do for that company is so important that it’s going to make or break them. Why does this upset you so much? 

[Jenny in Florida]

5 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

 

It sounds like quitting is your only option unless you are able to suck it up and deal with working on that project. It’s not fair to your boss to refuse to do the job, and unless he wants to go out of his way to be nice and find something else for you to do, he wouldn’t be wrong to be angry that you don’t want to work with one of his biggest clients.

I’m sorry to sound heartless, but if this is part of your job, you have to do it or you have to hope your boss is sympathetic. Otherwise, you will have to quit.

 

 

No, I get it. As I said, it has already become painfully clear to me that this job is not a good fit, and I am actively looking for other opportunities. Had I known this company was one of his clients, I would not have accepted the job at all. I had just hoped to stay put until I could get out gracefully. 

Since I have already told him that I am looking elsewhere, it won't be a surprise when I do resign. Again, I had just hoped I could engineer a more gentle transition, for both of us.

[Jenny in Florida]

4 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

I guess I don’t understand why this is such a big deal to you. It’s not like the work you do for that company is so important that it’s going to make or break them. Why does this upset you so much? 

 

Because I am me, and it does.

It's the same personality trait that makes me check the HRC shopping guide before I head to the mall and that has made me stick with vegetarianism/veganism for 30+ years. I make mistakes and miss things sometimes, of course. But I can't live with myself if I don't do my best to live out my values.

[Selkie]

If you refuse to do work for this client, I would imagine there's a good chance that your boss may fire you. That would look bad on your resume and you run the risk of your current boss giving you a poor reference. If the issue is that important to you, I think it would be more prudent and less damaging to your future job prospects to quit.

[almondbutterandjelly]

51 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

I don't know if it's a line in the sand. It feels like one right this moment. But I am also have a pretty bad couple of weeks, emotionally, and I can't tell how much of my "Oh, hell no" feeling is "real" and how much is just the over all sense that this is just too much on top of everything I'm already feeling.

Honestly, I want to just go ahead and quit. This feels like a perfectly good reason to pull the plug on this job. However, I don't feel right doing that without consulting with my husband, who has been out of town all week and is due to arrive home tonight exhausted and sore and probably far too worn out for me to feel good about dumping this on him.

Talk to your husband and then quit.  You've been wanting to anyway.  This is your loudest alarm bell yet.  Quit.  Think of how relieved you will feel.

[Valley Girl]

26 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

 

It sounds like quitting is your only option unless you are able to suck it up and deal with working on that project. It’s not fair to your boss to refuse to do the job, and unless he wants to go out of his way to be nice and find something else for you to do, he wouldn’t be wrong to be angry that you don’t want to work with one of his biggest clients.

I’m sorry to sound heartless, but if this is part of your job, you have to do it or you have to hope your boss is sympathetic. Otherwise, you will have to quit.

 

I agree with Catwoman. Your boss has every right to expect the needed work to be completed by whomever is assigned to it. If that person is you and you can afford to quit without having another job in place AND you're certain a conversation with your boss won't fix things, then you really don't have much choice if you really can't do the work in good conscience. Better to quit than have to explain why you were let go. I say this with sympathy. You're in a tough spot.

[Pawz4me]

Only you can decide if your moral stance is worth the job. In your shoes (and I have kinda sorta been there, but it was a very long time ago) I wouldn't expect the company to accommodate my feelings. 'Cause almost everybody's got things they feel strongly about and it would be chaos if we all expected that our moral stances should be accommodated at our places of employment. So . . . give notice or suck it up and do the job to the best of your ability while you continue to job hunt. Only you can decide which one is right for you.

Edited June 27, 2019 by Pawz4me

[Catwoman]

56 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

No, I get it. As I said, it has already become painfully clear to me that this job is not a good fit, and I am actively looking for other opportunities. Had I known this company was one of his clients, I would not have accepted the job at all. I had just hoped to stay put until I could get out gracefully. 

Since I have already told him that I am looking elsewhere, it won't be a surprise when I do resign. Again, I had just hoped I could engineer a more gentle transition, for both of us.

 

52 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

Because I am me, and it does.

It's the same personality trait that makes me check the HRC shopping guide before I head to the mall and that has made me stick with vegetarianism/veganism for 30+ years. I make mistakes and miss things sometimes, of course. But I can't live with myself if I don't do my best to live out my values.

 

Hopefully, you will be able to resign in such a way that your boss will still give you a good reference if you need one.

Or maybe when you talk to him about resigning, he will want you to stay, and he will offer you a different project to work on.

[JustEm]

I had this issue at a previous job and I decided to tell my boss that I could do everything else in regard to what they asked of me that day but I could not in good conscience do something in regards to a certain company they worked with.  I respectfully told her that I understood it put work back onto her or someone else's plate but I couldn't do it and would have to quit if that was unacceptable.  She respected my position and did not ask me to quit.  Instead, she took on responsibility of that particular thing.

So, if you don't want to quit until you have something else then just talk to your boss and let him decide how he feels.  

[MEmama]

1 hour ago, Arctic Mama said:

In situations like these I pretend I’m a man, and ask myself how your typical, self assured office worker would handle leaving a bad fit company.  Surely with less deference and fear than whatever I’m defaulting to, generally 😆

I remind myself I am a strong woman whose boundaries and judgements deserve to be respected.

Eons ago I had a situation at work  I just couldn't be part of. I talked privately with my manager and he took it on himself. I was just 19 and needed the job, but compromising myself just wasn't going to happen.

Now, I've learned how to suck up the parts of life I'd rather not, speak up when silence won't do, or walk away with (mostly) grace when I need to.

This sounds like a situation when only leaving will do. I'm in the camp of give your 2 weeks notice and leave gracefully. You don't need to give a reason or bring up your personal issue at all. 

[G5052]

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

This sounds like a situation when only leaving will do. I'm in the camp of give your 2 weeks notice and leave gracefully. You don't need to give a reason or bring up your personal issue at all. 

 

That's what I'd do. It hasn't been a good fit all along, and then this.

[ktgrok]

My first question is, you say that one of the companies lines of business is unethical in your opinion. Is the work you have been assigned going to be for that line of their business, or for some other aspect of the corporation. So, in other words if say Nestle was a company that you didn't want to work for because of their ethics regarding marketing baby formula to impoverished nations, but the work you were assigned was for their candy bar line, not their baby formula line, than I think you could make a reasonable argument that you are not contributing to formula pushing in developed nations, and do the work with a clear conscience. If, however, you have been assigned to work on the equivalent of the baby formula line, it gets stickier. Especially if you are going to be working on their "marketing to impoverished nations" stuff. So that's my question. If this company has multiple lines of business, is the work you are assigned in the line that you disagree with, or just for the larger corporation but not that line?

If it is that line, and you cannot do it without sacrificing your ethics and mental health, then you can either 1. tell boss that you cannot work for that account, as explained before, and you realize this is going to be an ongoing issue so you are tendering your resignation. or 2. Call in sick with the flu. 

[Another Lynn]

I can imagine one issue/organization that would bring me to the point of resigning (maybe there are others I haven't thought of), but otherwise I would continue to work while I looked for another job.  

[Jenny in Florida]

2 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

My first question is, you say that one of the companies lines of business is unethical in your opinion. Is the work you have been assigned going to be for that line of their business, or for some other aspect of the corporation. So, in other words if say Nestle was a company that you didn't want to work for because of their ethics regarding marketing baby formula to impoverished nations, but the work you were assigned was for their candy bar line, not their baby formula line, than I think you could make a reasonable argument that you are not contributing to formula pushing in developed nations, and do the work with a clear conscience. If, however, you have been assigned to work on the equivalent of the baby formula line, it gets stickier. Especially if you are going to be working on their "marketing to impoverished nations" stuff. So that's my question. If this company has multiple lines of business, is the work you are assigned in the line that you disagree with, or just for the larger corporation but not that line?

If it is that line, and you cannot do it without sacrificing your ethics and mental health, then you can either 1. tell boss that you cannot work for that account, as explained before, and you realize this is going to be an ongoing issue so you are tendering your resignation. or 2. Call in sick with the flu. 

 

I would be working on materials that directly support employees in the line of business I find problematic. 

By the way, I just have to say that I appreciate your example! That's another ethical issue that isn't the one I'm facing, but is of the same type.

[Jenny in Florida]

I talked with my poor, exhausted husband, who waived his hand and said the equivalent of, "Oh, just quit. You know you're going to as soon as you find something else, anyway. Just quit now."

So I did. I already sent the email.

I made sure to say that I am leaving with no ill will and to remind him that this isn't the only issue, but that I really can't support that client. I offered to stay on for two weeks working on other projects I was already doing or to make it effective immediately if he would prefer.

Honestly, I kind of hope he goes for the immediate thing, so I can move directly to full-time looking for another job.

[WendyLady]

I’d just quit. And do it ASAP. If not for yourself and your standards about this job, then for the sake of your coworkers and boss. It sounds like a bad fit for you, and I know that working in a small office with someone who can’t or won’t pull their share of the weight is misery. The ethical thing to do is leave a job if you cannot do the work, or can’t do it well, especially in such a small non profit organization.

I'm sure the right opportunity will come your way as you stick to your heart.

eta - just saw your post above. Way to go!

Edited June 27, 2019 by WendyLady

[Catwoman]

38 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

I talked with my poor, exhausted husband, who waived his hand and said the equivalent of, "Oh, just quit. You know you're going to as soon as you find something else, anyway. Just quit now."

So I did. I already sent the email.

I made sure to say that I am leaving with no ill will and to remind him that this isn't the only issue, but that I really can't support that client. I offered to stay on for two weeks working on other projects I was already doing or to make it effective immediately if he would prefer.

Honestly, I kind of hope he goes for the immediate thing, so I can move directly to full-time looking for another job.

 

I’m glad your dh was so supportive and that you took immediate action instead of stressing over whether or not to quit. 

You must have been so relieved when you clicked Send.

[TheReader]

Can I just say, I really admire that you stand so firmly for your values, in such tangible ways?  I do. 

[kiwik]

Ultimate whether you work for the candy or formula part of Nestle you are still contributing to pushing formula in poor nations.  My Christian pacifist relations consider being a stretcher bearer no different to being a soldier for example.  If the OP doesn't work on projects for the problematic company directly she is still doing so indirectly when working on other projects as she is freeing the boss and other staff member up to do the work.  It is a no win situation.  I would quit too unless I was the only earner (as I am) when I would grit my teeth and stay until another job came up.  

[ktgrok]

42 minutes ago, kiwik said:

Ultimate whether you work for the candy or formula part of Nestle you are still contributing to pushing formula in poor nations.  My Christian pacifist relations consider being a stretcher bearer no different to being a soldier for example.  If the OP doesn't work on projects for the problematic company directly she is still doing so indirectly when working on other projects as she is freeing the boss and other staff member up to do the work.  It is a no win situation.  I would quit too unless I was the only earner (as I am) when I would grit my teeth and stay until another job came up.  

Well, that's something that good meaning people can and have disagreed with over the ages. plenty of pacifist are okay with being a stretcher bearer for example, and would say that by caring for and saving lives they are doing good in a bad situation. Others would say that yes, they are freeing up others to do the bad thing. It's complicated, as ethics often are, with many good people seeing things different ways. 

For me, if her work would be helping the employees doing the unethical thing have better healtcare, than even though she is working for the company and those doing the bad thing, I could consider what she was doing to be within her ethics, especially if her family needed the income. If on the other hand her work would help them do the unethical thing in a faster, more efficient way, then that would be definitely cooperating with evil and over the line for me. But again, others will have other "lines" as it were. 

[katilac]

It always feels good to make a decision! 

Can you share (broadly) what it is that you do?  I just keep thinking that you are going to run into the same problem, because companies are always seeking new clients. 

[Jenny in Florida]

11 hours ago, katilac said:

It always feels good to make a decision! 

Can you share (broadly) what it is that you do?  I just keep thinking that you are going to run into the same problem, because companies are always seeking new clients. 

 

My most recent title was "training and development specialist." I've worked kind of all around the field of training and instructional design.

As I said in another post, I tend to be "safe" as long as I am hired to develop materials and/or do training for that specific organization, rather than one that hires out its services to external clients.

For example, I recently didn't get a job working for a major cruise line in which I would have been developing and packaging training materials for employees of their shoreside affiliates. No problem there, because, although I have quibbles with some of the parent company's business practices, I don't personally feel anything they do is in serious conflict with my personal morals or ethics. And since I would not be hired out to external clients, I should not run into the same kind of issue.

Many years ago, I worked for a large company that handles payroll processing. It's not saving the world, but it's a necessary service. (People do like to get their paychecks on time and in the correct amounts.) I worked exclusively on internal training materials. 

I also worked as an editor and technical writer for a variety of financial firms that provided market data to stock brokers or reference guides to tax accountants and such. 

My very first "real" job after college was editing study guides in the distance education department of a big state university. 

My most recent job before the one I just quit was teaching and helping to develop classes in the county library system. That would have been the absolute perfect place for me to stay forever if there had been any room for me to grow professionally. Unfortunately, that job was such a niche within the organization that one of six or seven people throughout the entire system essentially would have had to die before an opportunity would have opened up for me.

My strong preference would be to get back to some kind of education-focused non-profit organization (where I would get paid less but would feel like I was contributing more), but I would be content to do something more like the payroll processor job (where I would not be personally contributing in a hands-on way either positively or negatively, but would make enough money to be able to contribute financially to organizations I believe in).

 

Edited June 28, 2019 by Jenny in Florida

[katilac]

8 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

My most recent title was "training and development specialist." I've worked kind of all around the field of training and instructional design.

Training was a big part of my job many moons ago! Both developing materials and leading trainings. For a nonprofit, which definitely does cut down on potential conflicts. 

I kept thinking along the lines of advertising/marketing jobs, and could not imagine how you would avoid conflicts in the future no matter where you worked. This makes much more sense, lol.

Nonprofits will probably be more understanding of why you chose to leave (although short employment stints don't have the stigma they used to anyway). You can actually make quite decent pay at many national nonprofits, so maybe have that goal in the game plan. Local groups generally pay a lot less and don't have good benefits (not universally true, but generally true). 

[ktgrok]

I can see how that would be a big ethical issue if you were having to develop training ..... you'd be writing materials to help teach people how to do something you don't think they should do. In that situation, I 100 percent see why you would quit.