<prompt> Human: Hey guys, hoping for some good advice on what to do. Sorry about the long post, its a doozy. I appreciate any opinions you can share. Hopefully this is an appropriate topic here.Im 25 years old and just graduated with a bachelors less than a year ago. Im working an extremely tough job at the moment. Its VERY physically demanding I wake up sore everyday, and by the end of my work week I can barely stand and lift the things I need to. My two off days are barely enough to recuperate. I wake up at 4am every morning for work, and have a required ten hour work day. However, mandatory breaks are not built into this 10 hour day, so if i need to eat or take a break, that time is just added on. I get paid a daily rate, with no overtime over 40 hours, because the company claims its built into our paychecks. This is a job as a beer merchandiser, and I have 6 stores i am required to visit daily. However the expectations of my managers do not mesh with the expectations of the store managers quality wise. So nearly everyday of the week Im working 11 to 12 hour days with no overtime, no breaks, and a lengthy commute. I feel like a 50 year old because my body is constantly sore and in pain, even though before this job ive always been physically fit.The grocery store managers I work with are the epitome of stereotypical retail managers. They are rude, uncaring, and fly off the handle at the slightest problem. Im basically a grunt to them, and they dont have any respect for me as a person. Every single one of them complains daily about my company. They demean me in tones that make want to walk out of a store. The other night one noticed that I missed filling a product fully 3 in the case instead of 4 and the store manager called all three of my managers to say i never came in theres a sign in sheet I sign every dayand for the rest of the night I got calls and texts from my managers disciplining me. And when I convey my concerns to my managers I have 3 different ones they all say, yeah well look into it, but nothing ever gets done. Ive been working this job almost a year and the same problems I noticed and reported my first week are still going on. Basically, there are no good selling points to this job, besides a paycheck. Its a toxic environment.So obviously I need to find a new job. Im starting grad school in August, so ive already informed the conpany Ill be leaving by then. Ive tried to apply to a few jobs but no luck so far. My biggest inner battle which is where you guys come in is the state Im in right now. Ive struggled with major depressive disorder in the past no therapy anymore but still on meds. I was at a place when i started this job where i was happily improving myself and felt good about where I was at.Because of this job I no longer do.I barely sleep because of the stress, Ive been drinking more than I probably should, because having a beer or two each night is quick and effective at releasing the stress i carry in my body. I have no time to practice my hobbies or honing my more Zen habits to help with depression meditation, tai chi and exercise is impossible because of how physically drained I am. I leave for work at 415, get home past five, and by the time I shower, make and eat dinner, and take care of random chores, I get about an hour of free time before I have to try to sleep which is around 8, but i can never fall asleep until 9 or 10. Because i have so little time, and no motivation to do anything that can actually help me, Im definitely not pursuing my job search as seriously as I should. I feel pretty hopeless right now. I dont believe ill be able to find a job more compatible with school if this pattern continues.My heart is saying quit the job and take some time to work on yourself again and find a new one. Im currently been living at home since I left college, and pay a small rent to my parents300 per month. But ive saved up over 12 grand from working the past year, plus savings from jobs before that, so finances arent a problem for a few months here. But it was drilled into me by my parents to never, ever quit a job without another one lined up. I dont want to be irresponsible, but I feel like Im literally breaking down at this job and Im not sure what to do. Any advice would be helpful. Ill be prompt with any questions in the responses. Thank you.Assistant: You cant buy back your health. If its between your mentalphysical well-being and a paycheck, the former always wins in my book. Human: Im worried about it impacting my future as well though. After I get my masters, I dont want a company seeing a work gap Assistant: Is your masters in beer distribution, or the beer distro industry where this job would be considered key experience?I am going to guess not. Lots of folks have job gaps due to medicalfamilycareer change, etc. Or folks have a gap where they worked a job for a while not in their preferred industry. The way this job is going it sounds like it has the potential to derail your future prospects in whatever schoolingindustry you plan to go.Fuck the job. You dont have a family to support, you have finances saved up and you are still young where any potential gap is not a big deal. If you keep with this job it will either kill you or you will wake up at 30 with the same dilemma, and fewer options.Edit to add - if it makes you feel better and without knowing what your school plans are after you quit the job, take a week or two to refresh and get your body and mind right. Then if you need to work, find something else that can get you income without making your life hell. Again, without knowing exactly what your plans are for school and whatnot, its hard to say what would be best, however getting out of this job sounds like the right move.Also, the general advice of dont quit unless you have something lined up is good. Especially when you start to get more established in whatever career you get into, or when you have responsibilities like kids and shit. However, as a young person with limited responsibility, I dont think you have to make yourself hate your life just to follow a platitude.Human: Wow thank you so much for this well thought out response. Everything you said is how I feel, that i need time to recharge my batteries and realign my priorities before school. However I wanted more feedback to that because after discussing it with my parents they are adamant and angry that Im willing to do this. They give me no other other answers than this isnt what adults do and you have to make moneyI guess this is one of those times when our priorities dont match up and theyll have to understand its my desicionEdit: a large portion of my fears also stem from research on the internet. Most places seem to think this is a horrible move. But that may simply apply to more solid careers later in life  <response>: I have had several employment gaps over the years, and Ive been on the other side of the hiring table as well.If you are about to start grad school, your employment gap is less of a big deal. You can also find other ways to occupy your time that dont involve work. If you are doing volunteer hours, or if you do something wacky like a cross country road trip or publishing a novel, then thats your gap explanation. I took a break from work to do X awesome thing because I knew it might be my only opportunity is totally fine as an explanation for a resume gap.What prospective employers dont want to hear is 1. How terrible your last job was, especially the personnel involved and 2. That if you quit a job that wasnt a good fit for you, you then sat around on the couch and played WoW for six months instead of doing something productive with your newfound free time.Anyway, drop that job like a hot potato, take a break, and go do something interesting instead. Whether thats a new part time job or something completely wacky will be up to you. 