While in college,  I was blessed enough to pick up a job with a consultant firm, as a 20-40 hour a week technical writer. This was the perfect college job. I could work from anywhere with an internet connection, my employer was very understanding of my need to put school first, and it paid far better than anything else I could find. After graduating with a degree in Secondary Education with an English  focus (read: high school English Teacher) I decided to take a full time job with my current employer. As a result, I have been working for my current employer for about 4 years.

For the most part, I like my job. It is flexible, challenging, and profitable. My job provides Natalie and I with medical benefits, vacation pay, and….did I mention it was flexible? Be that as it may, continuing to work, and traveling the world for a  year are mutually exclusive goals. So I needed to quit my job.

I do not like to quit things. Even when it is the right thing, it just never sits well with me. My current job was/is very good to me and I may want a chance to get it back some day. After all, it is not about about how you start – it is about how you finish.

Steps to Quitting Your Job with Something Closely Resembling Class:

1. Two week notices are for schmucks: If you know you are going to be quitting your job and your boss is a reasonable human being instead of freakish sub-human without feelings, than show your employer a little bit of respect and give them at least a 1 month notice. Your boss will remember that you gave him/her plenty of time to find a replacement and they will probably return the favor in the future your next employer calls looking to find out if you steal paper from the copy machine.
2. Bosses are like Girlfriends: Once again, this only applies if your boss is a reasonable person. Quitting your job to go travel the world is, although odd to your employer, a worthy reason to leave a job. In many ways, quitting a job is like breaking up with your girlfriend. If you decided to break it off with girlfriend and tell them that you want to become a monk who lives in solitude and silence, they will probably be upset. But, if they take you seriously, they are not going to think it is there fault and feel bad about themselves (even if they drove you to it as a last ditch effort to reclaim your sanity). However, if you tell your significant other that you are leaving and don’t explain why, they are bound to think it is their fault. Your boss is the same way. You are going out to see the world, not going to work for the competitor.
3. Don’t Be Illiterate. Put It In Writing: Whether you tell your boss in writing first and then discuss it with him/her in a meeting, or provide your boss with written notification at the meeting, disclosing your intentions in writing is professional. Remember, you want your boss to remember you as respectful employee not a selfish bastard. Clearly, putting your intentions in writing will not assure you of a positive exit review, but it will help your boss to remember the necessary information and it cannot hurt.

I quit my job about 2 weeks ago. I used the above methodology and I think that, despite my nervousness, the meeting with my boss was satisfactory. Obviously I have not returned from my world travels and I do not know how well this will all work out. I am not sure I will want my job back and I am not sure my current employer would give it back to me. But no matter what the outcome, I feel good about not being a selfish jerk in regards to quitting my job.

Tags | budget travel, money, work