Has anyone ever left a job without having any other work lined up?

I left my soul sucking job about 3 months ago. I wanted to get something else going before leaving but i realised that i needed the time to clear my head and consider what i really wanted to do as a career. I went to Africa to volunteer for 3 weeks since leaving so i haven't been twiddling my thumbs. But now that i'm back i'm starting to get a little nervous about the fact i have no job and not much more clarity about what i want to do. Although i couldn't stand my last job for any longer i've wondered whether my actions have been a little rash.I don't feel good about myself because i'm not 'doing' anything. And i absolutely hate it when people ask 'so what are you going to do?' There's not much work this time of the year either. I don't want to take on any old thing because that would defeat the purpose of finding a career, not just a job.
Has anyone done this before? Was it beneficial to you? Do you have any advice about making the most of this in between jobs time?
thanks

I resigned before I had another job but I did schedule interviews right away.

If the job is soul sucking then I think it is beneficial not to be there. Depending upon your financial responsibilities leaving without another job lined up has its obvious issues.

As to what to do with the time between jobs...check into local area training for the job you do want to do. Maybe the last job was soul sucking because, like the now graphic designer above, you were in the wrong field.

There are ways to check the best career for you. There is an interesting test on http://www.testing-direct.com/ where you can do a quick "taster" to get an idea of what direction to go with your career.

Good luck and don't be too down on yourself...attitude is an important part of any search.

wow, i been askin questions about this very thing. i been at my job since i was like 18, and i thought after being miserable and wanting to shoot myself, that i should find what i really want to do be4 its too late. i was thinking that i could do this and that, and now that i have no job i have no motivation. its like i feel really stupid for quitting, and now i feel lost. i dont even know what i wanna do and i thought the time off would "clear my head" too. but it has confused me more....... i figure time will tell me what im supposed to be doing, but i sure aint anymore happy than i was at that crappy (but good paying) job

Yes, I've walked off a job I hated. The money was okay but Jesus, anymore and I probably would have put a bullet in my head. Don't get me wrong, it was an okay job and it paid the bills, but I needed a change.

I worked some other crappy jobs afterwards...

Now I'm a graphic designer and I love it. What I needed was a job that was creative, I just didn't realize it at the time.

I understand your frustration. I simply walked out on a job about four years ago. I have had enough. I did not give them two weeks notice or anything. I packed up my belongings, put them in my car and drove off. It was not the smartest thing to do; however, I am glad I did it. I panicked for about five minutes, but me being the stubborn person I am...I refused to let them see me sweat. I went back to school. To give you a little background. At that time, I was going through a divorce and had a two year old daughter, a car note, child care expenses and my reoccurring monthly bills. Leaving that position was the best thing I have ever done. At that time I did not know my worth...monetarily. I was not being compensated for my level of experience. I did not work for about a year after that, I went to school full-time and I was in the Air National Guard as well. After that year, I jumped back into the job market and am doing better than I have ever done before. Sometimes we must go backwards to move forward. Everything will work out. It always does in the end.

It will always come back and bite you in the rear. Always have a contingency plan in place no matter what you do. I did it when I was young and ended up on food stamps with no unemployment. Starting back up was difficult.

Yeah. Click on my answer for Amisha to see how it works out.

wow thats a tough one.
since you are free at the moment, have you considered looking at some jobs that are totally different from what you were doing?
it seems that you are a little lost and dont have any direction.
perhaps by trying something different you will discover that it really is the thing for you?
don't be scared to start from the bottom... if it is your true calling you will be up the ladder in no time. good luck!