How do you quit a job...

[C.E.]

... that you basically just started. And please don't try and convince me otherwise, my mind is already made up. Just trying to find the most mature way to do it. I can't take it anymore (for many reasons). I admit, I made a mistake. I thought it would be a great place (which it really is, but I have many reasons to not want to be here) and everybody is giving me the "welcome to the real world" speal about having a "real job". I would be fine if I just bumped up my freelancing (I kind of slack off on that because I had another FT job before this one) but nobody wants to give me credit for that (friends, family). So, what's the best way to approach my boss?

[Satchel]

Just be honest.

[CkretAjint]

Just be honest.

Exactly, plain and simple.

I once took a job and after a month of training and working realized that it wasn't what I was looking for. So I tried to blame it on the money the offered me. By the time I was done explaining myself to them they had almost doubled my salary, and I still didn't want to work there...

Worse comes to worse, fake your own death and move! :D

[captain spanky]

with one finger?
lol
sorry.

[WannaBrie]

I agree with Satchel, just be sure not to burn any bridges on the way out...you never know how that might come back to haunt you. Good Luck!

[SpugNothuson]

Satchel's got it in one.

Your boss will either be decent about it or not. Either way you've still handed in your notice and you'll be leaving as soon as that time is up (usually 4 weeks, can depend on contract).

If you're worried about friends and family then don't. Being friends and family they'll stick by you no matter what, they may give you some grief about it but when the chips are truly down they'll support you.

Hope things look up for you soon C.E.

["Technical" Terry]

So....you think that you are surrounded by stupid people? EVERYONE is telling you not to quit and yet you still are going to do so. Somehow this doesn't make sense to me. I try to associate with people that love and care about me. Sure maybe one or two of my friends might have some bad advise, but if it is more than that....I need to rethink my situation.

I'm not trying to change your mind about this particular job, I have no idea of your situation. I quit a job just three weeks into it. I was very upfront with the owner and we talked about it. It went well and they even still use me occassionally for freelance. However, that doesn't justify ignoring all the advise from friends and family.

[John G]

"F@%( You"
"F@%( You"
"F@%( You"
"You're Cool"
"F@%( You"

"I'm Out"

[mac.FINN]

Do you own a hockey mask and a chainsaw?

[Typically]

"F@%( You"
"F@%( You"
"F@%( You"
"You're Cool"
"F@%( You"

"I'm Out"

beat me to it!

[Patrick Shannon]

I was in a similar situation a month ago. Was only at the job a week before I quit, I was just depressed all of those mornings and on the job, butting heads with the director...who said, and I quote..."Netscape is one of the most widely used Netscape browsers" (???)...and realized I made a mistake. This was through a temp agency (direct to hire) and they tried to convince me that I wasn't giving it enough time, but I knew that if I was having problems now so soon, they'd only be amplified later. Besides, I still had an opportunity at another place where friends worked in which I had a hunch that I'd be happier. It was a freelance position, but still...

Pretty much everyone told me to quit with one saying "Don't walk, run" after hearing some scenarios. One person did give me a variation on the "real world" speech ("There are people starving somewhere in the world...") but my designer friend quickly countered that people like me and him have far more options in getting work and aren't limited. Which is true, if you have two opportunities, one bad and one good, are you going to pass up the good one just because others in the world have it rough?

Well, anyway, I simply handled it like a professional, thanked them, and gave them two weeks notice, in which they chose not to take, but appreciated it all the same. A few days later I was at the other job. And it is much better. Trust me when I say that in a lot of cases, the big wig design "dream" jobs aren't what they're cracked up to be. It's no use working anywhere if you're not happy.

On another note, the temp agency refuses to pay me for the time I worked there ("since they couldn't bill the client in good conscious"). I reported them to the Department of Labor. Hopefully it won't require me going to small claims court, I don't have time for that.

[MikeTheVike]

I'm curious and a little nosy, whats wrong with the job?

[ZippyTheWonderMonkey]

. Just trying to find the most mature way to do it.

hand your boss a roll of toilet paper and a box of Ex-Lax and say politely "I thought you might need this", then walk out.

or

hand your supervisor a jar of petroleum jelly, rubber gloves, and a fly-swatter and say "that bug lodged up there must be terrible, here's some help in getting it out" and just walk out.

What?, are the ideas too mature?

[LeftBrain Artist]

The most mature way to quit your job is to get yourself a sack full of pig guts and a wig that looks like your hair, fashion the pig parts and wig into a dummy of yourself that gets planted on the roof of the building the night before the day you plan on quitting. On the next day, go into work, and when enough people are in front of windows to notice something, excuse yourself to get some "fresh air", if your a girl, it should be easy to write it off as "the vapors". Ninja your ass up to the roof, let out a blood curdling scream and toss the "dummy" you off the side of the roof. Not only do you avoid the akward "I'm quitting" speeches and such - you're also "dead" now, which totally has its advantages, believe you me!

[C.E.]

OMG you guys are killin me (tryin to keep quiet on my half of the CUBE here) .... Anyhow, Patrick, thanks again for your words of wisdom (and everyone else too that didn't offer me a variation of how to "kill" myself [tho I'll keep that one in mind HAHA for the next job])... I just went to the boss and told him I didn't think this would work out anymore, and he said "alrighty. just email me your end date" and was really cool about it. I went to lunch with my Cube buddy and our Cube neighbor (all "co-op" designers like me) and told them earlier that I was done and the one guy said they have a turnover rate here like you wouldn't believe. So I went the classy route. Who knows when I might need them as a reference. (shrug). And Mike, I do "design" (I use the term lightly) for a high-end legal corp. that caters to legal research and higher ed research and stuff like that. I've never seen more FRAMES and TABLES in this stuff than in my entire *LIFE* (and I started out in 98 designing with frames and tables, shoot I'll admit)... and I spend most of my time working on going thru thousands of web pages to make sure the L is capitalized in the name and the Registered Trademark or the Trademark or the italics or the approved what nots are all done properly. There's a 47 page word doc with all the "approved branding guidelines". Everybody here uses IE6 and Outlook (I still don't know how to check my email here). Everything has to be approved and checked by 6 different managers or reviewers or testers or whatever you want to call them. Its the epitome of all things "corporate" and I'm just a lil gal in cowboy boots and jeans (thank GOD there's no dress code-- one of the good points about working here) who hates driving to the city. I'm so much happier and stress free when freelancing. Sure I have client issues every now and then but I actually enjoy those kinds of stressors.

[Patrick Shannon]

I've never seen more FRAMES and TABLES in this stuff than in my entire *LIFE* (and I started out in 98 designing with frames and tables, shoot I'll admit)... and I spend most of my time working on going thru thousands of web pages to make sure the L is capitalized in the name and the Registered Trademark or the Trademark or the italics or the approved what nots are all done properly. There's a 47 page word doc with all the "approved branding guidelines". Everybody here uses IE6 and Outlook (I still don't know how to check my email here). Everything has to be approved and checked by 6 different managers or reviewers or testers or whatever you want to call them. Its the epitome of all things "corporate" and I'm just a lil gal in cowboy boots and jeans (thank GOD there's no dress code-- one of the good points about working here) who hates driving to the city. I'm so much happier and stress free when freelancing. Sure I have client issues every now and then but I actually enjoy those kinds of stressors.

Ho ho ho, that nearly mirrors the situation I was in (crap code and all). Except for the corporate stuff, although for what it's worth, I got laid off my last job due to corporate culture infecting what used to be a nice laid-back family place.

It's a case where you're taught (correctly) that 2+2=4, and you get to a place and no matter how much you argue, they claim it's 5. I quickly learned that a lot of the BIG design firms are enchanted with people with stellar design skills (and rightfully so), however those designers have a huge flaw when it comes to the behind-the-scenes code. It's like hiring a print designer without press/printing knowledge.

As for me, I may not work at that "dream" job anymore that designers in school would kill for, but amen. At least in my freelance (hopefully permanent at some point) gig here, I may have to draw the number in a different color, but the answer the above equation is still 4.

[LeftBrain Artist]

Does everyone there talk like Ben Stein? I bet they do, or they wind up talking that way eventually.

[Patrick Shannon]

I bet their employee orientation video wasn't as cool as this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYUq7hf_zxY

[Two-Toe Tom]

ahhhhahahah i would love to work at dundler mifflin!

[CkretAjint]

ahhhhahahah i would love to work at dundler mifflin!

Wouldn't we all? :rolleyes: Season 3 comes out on DVD on September 22.... Everyone write it on your calanders!!! :D

[Patrick Shannon]

Actually, that fat guy transferred to the office in that very episode quit right after a single week, too ;)

[Two-Toe Tom]

he didn't quit, michael fired him :p

[Jackimalyn]

Wouldn't we all? :rolleyes: Season 3 comes out on DVD on September 22.... Everyone write it on your calanders!!! :D

Actually its been out as a torrent for months... so I heard...

[budafist]

Be honest and firm. I know myself and if I tried to do it I can easily be convinced by others to stay. Have the reasons in your head that you are willing to tell your boss and also reasons in your head that you really will not tell your boss. Don't burn bridges! Good luck.

[Drazan]

There's the thing with family and friends. They usually don't "get it".

I'm a natrually born artist. I've drawn and won awards since I was 8. However, any time I so much as mentioned "designer" in any field (fashion, interior, graphic) my family and friends didn't think that it was a "real job".

I even divorced my ex for comments like "your writing and drawing are a waste of time and money" --- funny considering I was making my income from painting the murals at the highschool.

The internet let me go underground. Finding clients and freelancing for extra income and occasionally for all my income. On the "real world" I worked up from line leads in factories to office management. Hello -- boring! !

So I took the leap with my current job as a graphics and web designer. So far I'm top producer at the company. And I make more than any one else in the family by "drawing pictures".

So my point in all my rambling, go after what "you" want. Not what your friends and family think you want. Life may not be any rosier leaving, but if you know you're going to be misserable at where you are - change it. If it goes worse, keep changing up until it becomes better.

And yes, talking straight to the boss is definitely the way to go.

Jade

[CkretAjint]

Actually its been out as a torrent for months...

I heard this too. But this is one show that I will gladly spend my money on. Gotta support the cause! :D

Plus I don't really care for torrents... *shrugs* Personal preference i suppose.