In last week's sermonette, we discussed when it's time to quit your job. This week, we will discuss when it's time to not quit your job.

Confused? Good! I'm doing my job.

Also doing her job is Alison Doyle, who covered the matter of "to quit or not to quit" in a matched pair of articles on the job site The Balance Careers.

As is apparent in the "don't you dare quit" article, Doyle has a lot more faith in your maturity than I do. "Even if you hate your job," she writes, "it's better to make an informed decision and leave when the timing is right. Don't decide in haste and quit in the heat of the moment."

Good advice. Quitting in a red-hot, hotheaded burst of rage could indeed "cost you money and negatively affect your future career prospects." On the other hand, going out by flaming out could make you a hero to your co-workers and an inspiration to the Cautious Clarence types who cling to their horrible jobs because they're afraid to let go.

Certainly, there could be catastrophic financial consequences from your actions, but I wouldn't worry about it. Eating is overrated.

One very good reason to not quit your job is that you are about to be fired. Be careful making this judgement; you probably thought you were going to be fired on Day One. Still, if you are certain that the ax is about to fall, keep doing what you're not doing. By being fired, you could be in a better position to collect unemployment insurance. You may also put yourself in line to get a sweet severance package.

This won't be the kind of package incompetent CEOs get when they take off the golden handcuffs, but you could be in line for a gift certificate to the 99-cent store and a set of Ginsu knives. And believe me, you deserve it.

Another reason to stay on at a job that is well past it's sell-by date is that "you haven't really decided on a career yet." This is asking a big ask. The time to decide on a career is when you're ready to retire. That's the point when you look in the mirror, slap your forehead, and say, "Holy smokes, I should have been a forest ranger!" (If you are forest ranger, you say, "Holy smokes, I should have been an investment banker.")

Until that point, you shouldn't quit. Or you should. It doesn't really matter.

You definitely don't want to quit if there is "a promotion on the horizon" or "you're about to get a bonus." Or do you? Thinking that you will get a bonus or be promoted are serious delusions, and you'll want to cling to your job, especially if your company's health insurance covers extensive and expensive psychotherapy. You'll need it.

Doyle also advises that you don't want to quit if you don't have an emergency fund. This makes sense. You can build up your emergency fund by cutting back on your spending while you are employed. Scrimping, squeezing and saving every penny is not easy, and — let's face it — it doesn't seem like a lot of fun to be miserable both on and off the job. A better strategy is to spend like crazy while you are employed, buying sharp new clothes and going out to expensive restaurants. You might meet some really rich person who will be so charmed by you they will offer you a big job at a gigantic salary just because they like your style. Or, you'll be arrested for credit card fraud and sent to prison.

Either way, it's better than staying on at your miserable job.

The final reason not to quit is because your company has a "use it or lose it" vacation policy and you still have vacation time you haven't taken. Frankly, I don't have much sympathy for someone who would let this happen. It means you decided that instead of lying on the talcum-powder beaches of Bongo-Bongo, you decided to work.

Well, your dumb decision has come back to haunt you. Better to use up all your vacation time right now, and, while you're at it, ask for a "vacation days" advance on the next year and the year after that. When you come back, golden tan and stupid happy, you can feel really good about quitting.

Your boss will hate you. Your co-workers will resent you. But you'll be a hero to me.

Bob Goldman was an advertising executive at a Fortune 500 company. He offers a virtual shoulder to cry on at bob@bgplanning.com. To find out more about Bob Goldman and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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