I have contract that says I must give a 45 day notice, however the workplace is a terrible place to be and I do not wish to work the 45 days?

Your inquiry raises a number of questions that can only be answered by looking at the contract document.  However, in general, the non-breaching party cannot impose a "penalty" for the other party's breach of a contract.  It can recover its actual damages, but not a penalty.  There are some qualifications to that statement, but they don't appear applicable here. So, it is possible your employer could sue you for damages for its cost of finding a replacement, but that doesn't mean that amount is automatically $10,000.00.  It is probably far far less.  Also, if the employer has itself breached the contract in some other way, you may not have an obligation to honor your promise of giving 45 days' notice.  An hour-long visit to a reputable lawyer should cost you between $250 and $350.  If your working conditions are so bad that staying another 45 days is unacceptable, you should consider spending that amount to see if there is an "out" for you.  Talking to a lawyer who has read the contract is the only way to know with any certainty.  You might also contact the local bar association in your county or an nearby large county.  These associations usually have lawyer referral services that provide low-cost initial consultations.  Good Luck.

Those are unusual contract terms and are likely not enforceable. You could make a strong argument that the contract terms are unconscionable, meaning they are so unfair that a court would not enforce the terms.