I Quit my Job today

[DangerMouse]

I'm not sure if this means I am done or not, we were planning to go thru to June 2008 but I decided that I had finally had enough and gave my 2 weeks notice today. My resignation was met with a look of horror and lots of questions.

I have been asked to reconsider and they have given me until Wednesday to think it over before they let Corporate know the news and start the hunt for my replacement. Of course the first question out of most mouths "was what will you do all day if you aren't working - won't you bored?" I couldn't stop laughing each time the question came my way.

I doubt that I will change my mind, I feel quite relieved that I am done so to speak. So it is good news for me, not so good news for DH who had his first day back on the job after a month off, which sucked immensely. He is firmly in the camp that he is also done, but will try to keep going thru the end of the year.

[mountaintosea]

Hey! Congratulations! I can't wait until I type those words one of these days, probably sometime next year. It's always encouraging to see others step up to the plate! Congrats again!

[SteveR]

Congratulations!!!!!!! Welcome to the ER Club.

Like most of us in the ER Club, you won't have time to be bored and a few weeks or months into ER you won't even remember what it was like to work all day. I am still in the transition phase into ER but each day past my ER date makes it harder to remember the agony of working 12 hours a day for someone else and not having a life beyond work.

I am in a campground in Northern Georgia with an adult beverage by the PC and the dogs curled up by my feet. DW is sleeping and the campground is mostly asleep. Tomorrow I know I will get up with the dogs and not with an alarm clock. I will do what I want and not what the "man" wants me to do. I am finally a free man and am loving it.

Enjoy these last days with the knowledge that you are soon to start a new life.

Bored No Way!!

[ladelfina]

Best wishes, DangerMouse! I'm sure the few months' difference won't hamper you if you are committed and have your ducks in a row.

"Reaction: horror".. that's a laugh and a half! :-)

[chinaco]

Yippee! Good for you.

My DW will be done in two weeks also. Her last day is Oct 5.

[donheff]

Good for you. It is nice to go when they are still horrified. If you stayed after you reached the "I have to get out of this place" phase they would probably push you out the door.

[W2R]

Congratulations!! I'll bet it was FUN to see those horrified looks and startled faces, too!

As for second thoughts - - I have noticed on the board that a lot of people seem to say they wish they had pulled the plug earlier than they did. On this board that seems to be a more common sentiment than people wishing that they had worked just a little longer to build that nestegg.

[tightasadrum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse I'm not sure if this means I am done or not, we were planning to go thru to June 2008 but I decided that I had finally had enough and gave my 2 weeks notice today. My resignation was met with a look of horror and lots of questions. .

DangerMouse,

Because I am watching the clock calendar myself toward a similar end, I have to ask what it was that pushed you to blurt out announce your decision to leave in two weeks?

[TexasGal]

Congrats!

There comes a time when no amount of money or benefits will keep you there. Each of us reaches that point at different times. Some make it all the way to a well-planned and long-discussed exit, but when the day comes for some of us, saying "I'm outta here" feels more wonderful than anything you can imagine.

I, too, experienced what you did. Leadership wouldn't actually accept my retirement for about a month. They did everything they could to entice me to remain even if I had to take an extended LOA, or work parttime, 100% remotely. I just couldn't do it. I had the added factor of eldercare to deal with and that was the primary excuse reason I told them I needed to quit. Also I am 60 so it was more plausible for me than if I had been 45 to 55. However, the reality was that I knew I was DONE! I could not do one more day! I left on good terms, and no one ever suspected how I felt because that was my choice. No bridges were burned which was important to me. If I had stayed longer, I fear I would have burned lots of things!

I believe you will be glad you pulled the plug now! Enjoy! Free, Free, Free at last!

TG

[DangerMouse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tightasadrum DangerMouse, Because I am watching the clock calendar myself toward a similar end, I have to ask what it was that pushed you to blurt out announce your decision to leave in two weeks?

The BS was piling too high on a daily basis. My direct boss is a fantastic person, I love him to death. However, there were others in the senior management team who would continually come and tell me how I should be doing my job. The end of the financial year is coming up and I seemed to be the only one that cares about getting things right. I was working hard to make us as profitable as I could while everyone else was focused on their personal goals. I decided if they didn't care why should I waste my efforts getting up each day for such self centered jerks.

Maybe foolishly I did tell the President why I was really leaving, and shortly thereafter there was a meeting held with the 2 main offenders who must have gotten a bit of a slap down as they avoided me all day.

You know it really does not seem real at all. I expected it would feel different, such a momentous moment in my life.

[citrine]

Congratulations Dangermouse!!!! That is awesome that you told the President how it is!!! I wish megacorp was more down to earth than the ass kissing hell hole that it is.
Don't worry.....I think the momentous part will be when you wake up in the morning and not have to go to work!!!!!

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse You know it really does not seem real at all. I expected it would feel different, such a momentous moment in my life.

In my case, it didn't seem real for a while; took several weeks for it to sink in.

[Jake46]

I've been ERd since 6/1 -- as REWahoo predicted, I can't wipe the smile off my face.

[yakers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse You know it really does not seem real at all. I expected it would feel different, such a momentous moment in my life.

First, Congradulations!

I am following a similar pattern, my personal target date for retirement is March 2008, but as I get closer I am wondering if I will go sooner. I do like what I do and there is not a lot of pressure, its just that the anticipation is getting to me.
So its interesting to hear that things may not be all that different after retirement.

[CuppaJoe]

Best wishes, DangerMouse! Let us know all the details, especially how it goes a few weeks after your first day of (what to call it) your new life.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse Maybe foolishly I did tell the President why I was really leaving, and shortly thereafter there was a meeting held with the 2 main offenders who must have gotten a bit of a slap down as they avoided me all day. You know it really does not seem real at all. I expected it would feel different, such a momentous moment in my life.

I'm sure those two will spend the rest of your working days making it feel a lot different!

And congratulations. Your BS bucket was probably overflowing because it was shrinking, not just because some people were shoveling it in as fast as they could.

In my months of ER reflection upon all the jerks I've had the opportunity to work with, I've realized that many of them had severe problems which caused them to act out. Today my main emotion is no longer anger or frustration-- but rather pity.

Of course the best vengeance is living well. And when those two see that your main reaction to their behavior is sympathy & pity, it'll drive them nuts...

[Fred333]

congrats... I am nearing the end of my time too. I can't wait for that day when I put the two weeks in.

[Achiever51]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse You know it really does not seem real at all. I expected it would feel different, such a momentous moment in my life.

Oh, just wait. There will come a time -- everyone's is different -- when the joyful reality of your personal freedom will hit you. You will find a lightness in your step, a smile on your face and a level of contentment that you cannot even imagine. Things that you think are so important now will become little more than a memory as you find new, interesting and exciting pursuits to follow. Really.

You're about to enter a wonderful new stage of your life -- embrace it and enjoy it! Welcome!

[SteveR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse ... You know it really does not seem real at all. I expected it would feel different, such a momentous moment in my life.

It time you WILL feel different..it takes time for the brain to adjust to being retired after decades of working in a corporate (or other similar organization).

The straw that finally pushed me over the edge was the utter incompetence in my management. I was doing two major critical jobs at the same time with the assurance that one would be filled in a couple of months. After several months of no activity and catching my new boss in a lie I dropped the bomb that they would now have two jobs to fill. I stayed a month to give them time to find someone but they had not even approved my job for replacement until a month after I left. It has been 4 months and my job is still open and the other job was filled by a corporate yes man who has no clue how to run a complex organization. I am so happy to be out of that environment but I still feel sorry for those left behind.

You have to move on and leave the job in your wake.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveR You have to move on and leave the job in your wake.

... decks awash, listing to port, and still smoldering...