r/Accounting • u/Public_Industry4391 • 20h ago
Advice Extensively burntout
Long-time lurker, first-time poster...
I recently left my previous accounting job after reaching a breaking point with severe burnout. That department was pure chaos, poor leadership, gatekept systems, and when team turnover hit, an extra workload was dumped on top of my existing responsibilities with minimal training.
Fast forward to recently, I started a new job thinking it would be a fresh start. Unfortunately, I’m already hitting a wall. The manager is night and day from how they presented in interviews. There’s no grace period for onboarding, and because their financial records are a total mess, it feels like they were looking for a miracle worker to fix everything overnight. The pressure has me second-guessing every move and making lots of small errors, which is just fueling my anxiety.
Financially, I’m fortunate to have a solid emergency fund with about a year's worth of living expenses covered. Mentally, though, I’m struggling hard with imposter syndrome, depression, and sheer exhaustion.
I'm trying to figure out if I should just cut my losses now to protect my sanity, try to stick it out while secretly applying elsewhere, or maybe pivot to temp/contract work for a bit to decompress. If I do walk away, I'm also wondering about the best way to handle wiping this stint off my resume and explaining a small gap later on.
3
u/banana-pan-quirks Human Verified 20h ago
I think this is your best bet. You have every right to apply for as many jobs as you want whenever you want! Even better that you currently have a job that serves as back-up, however miserable it is. I wouldn't recommend the temp/contract work unless you're desperate and you're incredibly financially secure.
I personally wouldn't worry about a gap at all. I have a three-month gap on my resume from a job that I hated so much that I chose to leave within three months, and not a single employer/interviewer has ever questioned it or even noticed it.
Best of luck!