How to Survive a Toxic Job When You Can't Afford to Quit

You're Not Too Much · Sep 16, 2026 · 25m

It was like a switch flipped.

I had a job. Jobs are good. We like jobs. It paid my bills, it sucked, it was awful, and it was crushing my soul — and I had decided that's just what being an adult is. My whole life was operating in shades of gray. Not the interesting kind. Nothing was exciting, and it didn't even occur to me that things were supposed to be.

Then one insidious thought got into my brain: if the alternative to this sucks and this already sucks, why not try the new suck?

Thirty seconds later I was done. My CEO sent me a Slack at 8:30 one morning — not the worst thing he'd ever…