What's Worse: A Bad Job or No Job?

I just read a study that confirms what I've long suspected: Having a really, really bad job is often worse than having no job at all.

The study shows that people who went from being unemployed to having a "poor quality" job (one that's overly demanding with a lack of job security) suffered from even worse mental health consequences than those who remained out of work, WebMD reports.

In the last few years, I have witnessed this to be true not only in my own life, but in the lives of my friends and colleagues.

Two jobs ago, I had a great job at a great company where me and most of my colleagues were very happy for many years. Then a new boss came in with some sort of mood swing disorder: He would cycle from liking you to ignoring you to hating you in a matter of weeks, then start the cycle all over again. We decided to treat this boss as if he were our "alcoholic uncle."

During this time, I realized I was actually muttering curse words to myself -- OUT LOUD -- on my lunch break, and it wasn't unusual for women to gather in the bathroom for a good cry (sounds pathetic, I know).

Needless to say, most (if not all) of the original team eventually quit, but the "alcoholic uncle" is still there torturing people.

But I soon realized that the alcoholic uncle wasn't nearly as bad as the downright abusive uncle at my next job. I often had the song "Welcome to the Jungle" running through my head at this subsequent job, as paranoia was rampant and a "kill or be killed" culture was encouraged. I was alarmed but not altogether shocked to learn that a seemingly normal colleague was popping downers in the bathroom just to get through the day. This was a very bad sign.

I do think the recession caused a rise in these types of situations, as people felt obligated to hang onto jobs that they otherwise would have ditched in a heartbeat. But now that the economy is better and I am once again happily employed, I did come away from these experiences with a couple of life lessons:

No 1. Life is too short to let someone treat you badly, for any amount of time.

No 2. Life isn't free, which is why you should always have a few months' worth of living expenses in the bank to escape in the event of No. 1.

--Melinda Miles is a freelance writer.