Should You Quit Your Job?

What's the most acceptable way to share critique? Has Adam Savage ever become aware of a flaw of his due to someone else pointing it out? How do you choose the right time to leave a job? Adam answers these questions from Tested members Heracles, Silver Defender, oldbutnotdead1 and Boofaca. Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam questions:

Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman

Thanks for watching!

[QS-sicq]

I've been trying to find a job for 9 months.

Thank you for being so transparent with the admission that you had a safety nets via your parents. Many people tell their stories and leave those things out, which is a very big difference.

[made]

"If you are imparting shame on someone else, you are wasting everyone's time". Adam you are a legend!

[JoyTuub]

I start my new job Monday. Quitting my last job was the biggest feeling of relief. 13 years in an increasingly toxic environment. New job doesn't pay half what the old one did, but will have a huge amount of freedom. Just working by myself to get my job done. I cannot express how much better my mental state has been since I left.

[GameFrank]

I appreciate that Adam is slowly turning into Dr. Emmett Brown.

[LordTrousers]

I think the major difference between critique and criticism is not just "be nice about it" but also "make sure you're suggesting solutions, being as descriptive as possible, and working towards that solution together, not just pointing out problems and pointing fingers for blame".

[canadiancombatwombattherd]

Signs you should quit your job? You're here watching this video.

[realSethMeyers]

11:09 Adam, I want to thank you for acknowledging this privilege, I really respect your honesty. Many successful people choose to ignore that part of reality, and it can be very discouraging for those trying to climb up, if we're all suffering under the illusion that everyone who's successful got there alone via their own bootstraps.

[lollipopmissfit]

I recently quit my job on my birthday 😂. My soul needed it. Sometimes you gotta quit to grow as a person. After almost 5 years of being with the company. Didn't leave because of the company but because of the management and how they manipulate the system.

[timothyhoff]

I love the "tile" analogy. Having just one extra tile (parent's bank account, a partner with a really solid job, etc) makes it so much easier to maneuver the rest.

[BooN]

When I left my job, I was no longer angry as I had been for too long. I had this calming confidence that it was the right move. It was my fear that I'd leave and immediately regret it, but it's been 3 years, and I don't even think about it. I never wasted a thought, even wondering what happened after I left.

[jaredrivera]

What has been really helpful for me a supervisor over the years is to be completely transparent in the errors and then be supportive when they get upset.

I will often get asked why didn't you punish me for this mistake?

You know you messed up and are upset about it, why would I pile on when you're clearly punishing yourself about it.

People that care already beat themselves up over things they did wrong. Those are the ones you need to fight super hard to keep and defend from shit rolling downhill.

[chickenspy]

A lot of people argue that college was not as useful as we all hoped, but if there’s one thing I took away from college that has helped me immensely throughout my career, it was how to take brutal critique. You take critique from your mentors, your colleagues, and most surprisingly your friends. Differentiating between personal attacks and critique becomes real easy when one minute your closest friend is tearing your work apart in front of 30 people and the next you both are enjoying lunch together as if nothing ever happened.

[chelseawhite]

I love how respectful Adam is towards everyone. He’s always very respectful and admiring when talking about his wife, which a lot of people don’t do that, but also he never even shit-talks either his ex wife even though there were custody battles; or Jamie, and we all know that they were never personal friends. He still exudes respect. Even this bad supervisor under Bicentennial Man, he only points out what the person did wrong; he doesn’t get personal or vitriolic about it. I just love his example.

[SuperAlex]

You acknowledged your parent’s money as a fall back was so impressive. Most successful people pretend they did it alone but your saying specifically that it was an advantage gave me that much more respect for you. Adam for PRESIDENT!

[Felice_Enellen]

Adam, for what it's worth, some of us who are the common denominator in all of the interpersonal problems _do_ eventually have the epiphany that yes, indeed, _we_ are the problem. It was painful and shameful and I carry a lot of guilt and still make a lot of apologies to people who probably haven't thought of me in a decade or more, but it changed my life and the lives of people around me for the best and I am always so happy to hear someone like you, who is deeply respected for their wisdom while also being a relatable person, trying to point it out for others like me to at least _start_ letting the idea sink in. Keep doing your good works. ❤️

[chevystuffs]

It’s really nice to hear successful people acknowledge they have a backstop. Good on you for mentioning it Adam.

[danielland]

Adam I'm not sure if you see this but most of your maker advice (98%) applies to every industry (military, manufacturing, gig work [rideshare etc], CSR) that I've been in.

Some of the best critiques I've gotten & given are from a place of "I see your effort and ability but you can do this better" and it 98% yields the best responses from my subordinates then and as a team member now.

P.S. I'm also super inspired to build things with old household items (old juice containers, lids for wheels, etc), gule gun, excato knife and unused hair beads to make anything with my kids, it feels good to get back to basics of building something with leftovers

[nocobirds]

I love when you “get into the weeds”. This video touched on some very good points about critique vs. criticism. Anyone who has had music lessons (raises hand for 15 years worth) has been subject to critiques. I believe that musical training (or sports, etc.) teaches us to accept and learn from constructive critique. It is not supposed to be criticism, and it helps us in our future work lives.

[Suspense]

When I think about constructive critique I always think about how some people aren’t looking for or aren’t ready for it like you’ve said and I have found that it not only needs to be constructive but also kind. Your tone, choice of words, approach to how you present your critique matters a lot too. Approaching every situation with a little empathy works wonders.

[pugthemaster]

I left the navy with no job outlook and no idea what I was going to do. My wife backed me the entire way and now my job is literally what I dreamed of as a kid, but was always told it would never happen