Impossible jobs and moving on

[geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA]

 Moshe Koenig described an impossible situation that
 combined unreasonable (albeit relatively pleasant) bosses
 and an unbearable level of stress.

 Moshe, you have my sincerest condolences. The job and your
 personal situation would have been intolerable alone, but
 put them together... Ugh. In one sense, the answer to your
 questions is easy: keep working as long as the client keeps
 paying. But there's far more to it than that. My philosophy
 is that, much though I love my work, I work to support my
 life, not vice versa. It's one reason I'm full-time rather
 than freelance: so long as the kids still want me around, I
 want to be with them. You mentioned burnout: if you do burn
 out, you'll be no good to yourself, your family or the
 client. The occasional all-nighter is part of life, but if
 it becomes a regular occurrence, it's time to leave. You
 didn't mention whether the client had considered hiring
 more staff. Have they? If not...

 Advice? That's always dangerous. Personally, I'd go with
 the full-time job and get my life back together. If you can
 help your freelance client by referring them to another
 freelancer, you can leave with a clean conscience, provided
 you warn the freelancer what to expect. You've noted that
 you've left jobs before because clients were intolerable;
 here, the same principle applies, but since you seem to
 like the client enough to have stayed, make it clear what
 you're doing and what they must do to survive. If they
 won't accept your sensible advice, then the problem and the
 guilt are theirs, not yours.

 --Geoff Hart     @8^{)}     geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
 Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.