Quitting your "job" job?

[ol'spice]

I've been agonizing over having to tell my two jobs (one contract and one part-time) that I'll be leaving both and will be diving into a new adventure, pursuing my MFA.

Is anyone else here in the same boat?

One of my jobs (the part-time) is a teaching position in a local community college, and I was hired under their "Equivalency" (since I didn't have the regular qualifications). It's been a great experience and It's the harder one to walk away from.

I've just given notice to my department chair that I won't be able to teach my classes this Fall.

[ten-of-swords]

I was upfront with my job that I would be applying to schools and hopefully attending college in the fall. My job is retail though, so it is not hard to walk away from!

[psychgurl]

I let my boss know in October that I would possibly be leaving in August...it takes a lot of planning on her part to phase me out of the big projects...but I am going to tell her as soon as I officially accept an offer my approximate end date. She's an academic herself, so I feel really lucky with how supported I am at work for going to grad school!

[stars_pluto]

I have been working with a software firm from last 4.5 years and it will be an emotional meltdown to leave frds and colleagues who have become a part of daily life now. But I am sure they alll will und. as m finally doing what I really love and where my heart is. Though I am yet to disclose about my new venture to my boss, as I am waiting to hear back about funding from one of the school.

[lfwd]

Well, I essentially just got fired. So, there's that! No job, and lots of loans in my future.

(Fired because I had applied to grad school. Note that it's not because I was accepted, but simply because I had applied. He made that very clear.)

[psychgurl]

Well, I essentially just got fired. So, there's that! No job, and lots of loans in my future.

(Fired because I had applied to grad school. Note that it's not because I was accepted, but simply because I had applied. He made that very clear.)

Can you go to HR? That sounds ridiculous. Congrats on your acceptance, though! I hope that one day you can rub that in your boss' face!

[Yankease]

I'm in the same boat, except it's my SO that's going to grad school and not me! I'd like to throw out a question since I've already read one instance of someone being fired because of the circumstances: Even though I'm a part time employee, I am "one half of the department" at my company. Obviously I have to give two weeks' notice minimum, but I was thinking about giving three so I'm not completely pulling the rug out from underneath my bosses. BUT -- is it technically possible to be fired on the spot so they don't have to keep paying me while they hire a replacement?

I would've worked there for approximately 11 months, and there would've been a decent chance that part time turned into full time. However, this is not at all my field! I was never planning to work at this company for the long haul, so that makes me feel better in a way.

Edited March 16, 2012 by Yankease

[lfwd]

Can you go to HR? That sounds ridiculous. Congrats on your acceptance, though! I hope that one day you can rub that in your boss' face!

Unfortunately this is a very small business (I was one of 3 employees) so there is no HR department. It is ridiculous. But yes, on the day that I have my first solo show at the MOMA, I'll send a show card their way.

I'm in the same boat, except it's my SO that's going to grad school and not me! I'd like to throw out a question since I've already read one instance of someone being fired because of the circumstances: Even though I'm a part time employee, I am "one half of the department" at my company. Obviously I have to give two weeks' notice minimum, but I was thinking about giving three so I'm not completely pulling the rug out from underneath my bosses. BUT -- is it technically possible to be fired on the spot so they don't have to keep paying me while they hire a replacement?

Yes, it is completely possible to be fired on the spot. I gave 6 months' notice of the *possibility* of leaving, and he fired me on the spot.

[Yankease]

Yikes! Thanks for the heads up. I guess I won't give more than 3 weeks notice. I just hope they don't ask me about transitioning to full time before then...

[bwatkins]

it depends on your boss and your work completely. i gave a 6 month notice to my job and they are very supportive and are letting me work until the day i need to leave. it seems they were happy they got my notice so far in advance. so that they are able to hire ans train someone before I am gone. Giving your notice is a tricky situation for sure!

[psychgurl]

I'm in the same boat, except it's my SO that's going to grad school and not me! I'd like to throw out a question since I've already read one instance of someone being fired because of the circumstances: Even though I'm a part time employee, I am "one half of the department" at my company. Obviously I have to give two weeks' notice minimum, but I was thinking about giving three so I'm not completely pulling the rug out from underneath my bosses. BUT -- is it technically possible to be fired on the spot so they don't have to keep paying me while they hire a replacement?

I would've worked there for approximately 11 months, and there would've been a decent chance that part time turned into full time. However, this is not at all my field! I was never planning to work at this company for the long haul, so that makes me feel better in a way.

As bwatkins said, decide carefully depending on what kind of person your boss is. Have other people left for grad school at your company? If so, how did they handle the news then? Some bosses are extremely flexible (e.g., my boss said if I wanted to take the summer off to "explore Europe" that's fine [ahem, with what money?!?!]...but it's also fine to stay up until classes start). Others...maybe not so much. I feel like 3 weeks is sufficient notice, depending on the nature of your work. Maybe you could do some behind-the-scenes prep to get your work in order so that it could easily be given to someone else?

[Yankease]

The big boss is unpredictable and she definitely blows hot and cold, lol. Well...for what it's worth, I'd be leaving the company because I'm relocating, not because of work related problems or another offer.

I started this job knowing next to nothing (it was a "no experience necessary" corporate job -- rare, I know), so obviously someone else could too. The thing they might be pissed about is actually having to seek out a replacement, but ultimately that's not my worry, especially since this isn't my field. I certainly didn't expect to work here forever... I just hope my immediate supervisor will be a reference if necessary.

[ol'spice]

Is there a board of Labour in your state that you could talk to to see if your employer has followed the rules....I would think there would have to be "just cause" for firing someone and giving 6 months notice unofficially does not sound like it fits that. You haven't failed to perform your job or anything. I'm no expert in this and I'm not from the US. I don't know what the rules for "at will" employment are at all.

To others I would keep your intentions about Grad school or leaving to yourself.

In my opinion you do not "owe" your boss anything other than to show up and perform your assigned job to the very best of your abilities and to give the legal required notice whether it be 2 weeks or a month...you should find out from the labour board if there is anything you can do and what the rules are. It is your bosses responsibility to find someone else, not yours.

Believe me, if a boss decides he/she wants to lay a person off for whatever reason they may well do so with very short notice no matter how "loyal" you have been. I have learned this myself!!

You have to look out for yourself first while of course following the rules. Put everything in writing.

However nice they may have been, they are your employer not your friend.

I hope you will be able to get some answers...could you get a quick free consult from a lawyer?

Where I am you would have to get at least two weeks severance pay but I have no idea what the laws are there.

Find out if you are eligible for unemployment. If you've signed a contract find out what it says.

Anyway I have great sympathy for you and wish for the best. A hard lesson to learn indeed.

Ultimately each person/job situation may require a different, specific approach:

I have a contract with a school district that allows me to take a long leave of absence (up to 18 months) and still come back to my job. I will be invoking that clause as a safety plan, in case grad school ends up not working out, therefore I feel it's only fair to let my employer know as early as I can. Once I send the acceptance form to the school I'll be choosing to attend, I'll submit my absence request to my employer. Regardless if we like our jobs or not, we should make an effort to leave on a good note. It's always better to "maintain bridges", than to "burn them".

[TheStranger]

If you work for a big cooperation type place, NEVER tell them you are thinking about leaving or plan to. You're basically telling them "Don't take me seriously. Give me low pay raises in the meantime since I am not an investment to your business." You are expendable in large cooperations in which you are low on the totem pole. I choose a job that has nothing to do with art and something I knew next to nothing about and knew I'd dislike fundamentally so I would not stay or get trapped in it (a devious masochistic plan I devised). It does pay well...better than all the coffee shop art students I see relishing in the romantic notion that they have to be starving and poor. For my job, I like to think it's awesome that I'm going with the saying: keep your friends close but your enemies closer I am also making & creating art concepts for my portfolio because of working here. I just tell my manager that I want to keep my options open because everyone had been wanting to promote me after being there a year. I wanted to keep a foot in a financially stable door while trying my best to find the door to an MFA and art career. By saying you want to keep your options open, it tells your manager they may win you over or you may decide to stay. I would never tell him I see this job as temporary...I would never have gotten my full time higher position promotion three months ago if I did (or be initially working here for that matter). By the time I hopefully leave my job here in 2013 I would have amassed over $12,000 in my savings account to move, collect probably $500 in retirement funds I never funded myself and learned a lot in another business field which is helpful for life in general. I decided to get the promotion because I wanted to be able to afford expensive art supplies and start a savings account. So far it's been working great. I just showed my art professor (I am currently taking one class) a piece I did which ended up costing $1000 and he really liked it. I mainly spent this much for the affect of irony and critiquing today's art scene. Just certain things that would be impossible to do otherwise. People come and go all the time at the cooperation I'm at so I won't feel bad at all when I leave. I even plan on giving the bare minimum 2 weeks notice when the time is right. Businesses generally think for themselves. You should too if you know any better.

[ol'spice]

Of course you are right that each situation requires a different approach. My initial response was to Lfwd.

And yes one should never burn bridges and should always attempt to leave on a good note.

There are employers though that will be upset that one is leaving at all as happened to lfwd and will terminate them instantly.

I say follow your legal obligations at the very least.

I had a job where I gave the employer a full year of notice....after that I was assigned to many less desirable tasks for the remaining year as they knew I was leaving!

In your case Ol Spice, I would do the same as it is not as easy to replace a teacher as quickly as it might be a person in an entry level job for example.

yes,'olderdog' I didn't intend to quote your post (sorry) I meant it as a general comment to the topic