I need to leave my job - What now?

This book helped me quite a bit: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071464042/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/. The title is pretty tacky, but the advice is good. There three principles you are missing at the moment. 1. You need to choose some career direction to target first. You can always change your mind later, or attack multiple directions at once. But know that Honestly do not care what I do next never flies in an interview. Companies will always judge your application based on whether you would be a good fit for the position, and a good fit for the group. If you come out of the gate saying "I could do anything," you sound like a listless bore who has no particular strength, and no specific interest for this particular position or the company. Not good. 2. Emailing people asking for a job is not a "jerk" move. Not at all. Imagine a boss who has been trying to hire someone for months, but just cannot find a good fit. The last three people they hired for the position flaked out or had to be fired, and they are getting desperate. Then they read your email, and you are the perfect person. Oh joy! You just made their day. So, when email people, be proud of your qualifications, and write like you are the living solution their burning staffing problem. 3. When you email people, in addition to asking whether they have a need for someone like you, also ask if they know of some other company who does. This way if they don't need you, you have left space open for a conversation to emerge, which leaves everyone with a good feeling, and you are likely to get a few good leads.

It's part B that trips me up, jchaw! When I e-mail those folks, what should I say in my e-mail? How can I not just be a jerk e-mailing them out of the blue?

Location information would be helpful here. I've had to post a few jobs/read resumes as part of my job, and in my part of the country, bookkeepers are going for as little as $35,000. Competition for work is fierce, so salary expectations are ridiculously low. It sounds like you're a jack of all trades at work, which is great - but you need to focus on a specific group of skill sets. What part of your job do you enjoy the most? Take that apply for jobs that encompass those tasks, tailoring your resume accordingly.

I'm in New Mexico. $35K would be fine, as long as it wasn't contract work.

Really, I'm not that picky about what I do next. Would it work to have a stack of resumes tailored to different skill sets and applying to jobs in different areas? I assume the different sets are writing/editing, IT, HR and sales/SEO. How would I break down those sets? Is there something I'm missing from that list? Also, my degree is in English, how do I sell my IT skills strongly enough? I'm dealing with a server, 10 networked computers and half a dozen remote desktops. Plus the web stuff.

Just leave. You will find something else. If you keep the job while searching, there is a possibility you may not leave because of something as small as "cupcake day next tuesday" or "the boss was actually nice to me once". Just leave. Take up a full time job looking for employment. Its amazing what people can do with 40 hours in a week dedicated to looking for employment. Good luck. PS. Make sure you don't say anything at the quitting that could have legal repercussions for you later. Also, look into unemployment insurance.

That is amazing advice, thank you so much gmarceau! I'll pick up the book, too.

Whoops, hit post too soon! It's been recommended before, but http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580089305/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/ is a classic for a reason. Getting some direction will probably help a lot here.