I am about to resign from my well-paying, cushy job.

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I just typed up my resignation letter. I suppose I shouldn't be doing that in my 'work time', but then again, I shouldn't be posting to this damn place either, should I? I was going to have my little 'chat' with the boss today, but it seems he is out at a conference, so I'll have to wait until Thursday.

In reality, the job is OK - I get paid quite well considering the mediocre effort I put in, I am given a fair amount of freedom, and the people I work with are OK too, but I just can't take it anymore - it's just "not me", ya know? So I'm packing it in and going back to Canada for December and then travelling as much as I can afford in the new year.

Another part of this story is that I might not be around ILX much after I leave the job, but I’ll save my ‘goodbyes’ for another time…

So, I'm a fool for willingly plunging myself into unemployment and inevitable poverty, right?

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Whatever decision you make is the right one.

G'luck.

― Penelope_111 (Penelope_111), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Dude, I think what you are about to do is very brave. I am in a cushy/ok paid job & i'm gonna sit it out, so well done you for actually doing something about it. I will miss you though!

― PinXorchiXoR (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:37 (twenty-one years ago)

wow. will be sorry to see you go Rob but at the same time i applaud/admire your boldness and i hope it turns out to be the right move.

― Freelance Hiveminder (blueski), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Thanks. Even though my future is now more abstract than ever, I think it was a decision that needed to be made. Plus, living in London can be a real pain in the ass, and I needed to shake up the routine a little...

I do worry about my patchy (one to two years at a job max), employment history, though. Doesn't exactly display a lot of 'stick-to-it-iveness' when looking at the ol' CV. However it has started to become clear that I should really just work for myself somehow.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Your doing what i've been wanting to do for the past year. Good luck Rob! I ain't got the stones to do it.

― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:44 (twenty-one years ago)

And hey, I'm not gone yet! I'll still be around London to FAP with y'all and will likely wind up back here next spring, so you can't get rid of me THAT easy...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Dude, you'll be missed - its been great hanging out with you this year. But I'm oddly envious - I've been considering jacking it all and seeing a bit of the world for a few months now but financial constraints and cowardice have kind of seen to that for now.

Good luck with it all - we'll have to have some kind of farewell FAP for you, won't we. Oh, and come back for Glastonbury 2005!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:45 (twenty-one years ago)

(xpost there)

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Good luck. Tell everyone to stick their/your employment history up your/their arse (I can't quite work it out).

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, I've still got financial constraints, and I don't think I'm particularly brave by doing this - there's a lot of advantages in keeping a job to build experience and save money and all that. I just have a crap attention span and need to get out of this 'corporate' world ASAP. Although to be honest, I don't mind having an office-type job, as long as it was in an industry and role that actually meant something to me.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I wonder how the boss with take it - I actually think he's considered sacking me anyway, so I doubt there will be any drama. But I'll be sure to post any good stories!

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 10:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I am in a similar position, see you in phuket in febuary

― lukey (Lukey G), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 11:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Rob, this sounds like exactly what I just did (the quitting-the-cushy-job part, anyway)! Good luck, I still don't regret it.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 11:06 (twenty-one years ago)

yeh that sole photo of you walking on the beach in SF alone made it seem very worth it indeed

― Freelance Hiveminder (blueski), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 11:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Rob, you're living our dream.

― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 11:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm doing this at some point next year. Best of luck!

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 11:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Good luck, Rob.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 11:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Yowsa! Sounds like a fun plan tho Rob so GO FOR IT and tell us all about it soon in the pub!!

― Starry (hello chickens), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 11:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't afford to quit my well-paid, cushy job. Even if I could, there wouldn't be any point in my going anywhere. I'd still have to drag around the same pathetic bag of bones which constitutes me. It wouldn't change anything.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 19 October 2004 11:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I kinda felt that way too when I was back in Toronto, but then I just made the decision to quit and move, and did it. This wasn't easy, since it sharply defied my conservative, logic-driven lifestyle, but I'll never regred the decision. You never know unless you try.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 12:03 (twenty-one years ago)

"regret" obv. Alhtough I'm thinking "regred" is a great would-be word...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 12:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Keyboard skills gone today, apparently...

Marcello you are right in a certain sense - moving or changing your lifestyle in a major way often doesn't change fundamental things about you as a person, but at the very least it offers a nice distraction through new experiences, whether they be good or bad.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Dunno, Rob. I get the feeling that wherever I went it would just be another city where I didn't know anyone and I stayed under the covers (metaphorically) all the time. It's me I need to change, really, rather than my surroundings as such.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 19 October 2004 12:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Good luck, let us know when your back in The Big Smoke if you want.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 12:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, keep an eye out for a T-dot FAP thread from me - it would be cool to see you folks back in hogtown...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 12:34 (twenty-one years ago)

have fun rob. having one-two year jobs are the norm these days anyway - it shows that you like to progress from your job or something, or expand your horizons.. rather than sticking at the same job for years and years.

and you can always turn pro at tennis...

(p.s. can i have your job?)

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, thanks dude.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:36 (twenty-one years ago)

on the other hand, sticking to the same job for years and years shows loyalty and commitment to your employment. it's all good.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Good luck, Rob. If the job is making you feel frustrated and unhappy then you're making the right decision.

― Leon Czolgosz in NYC (Nicole), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Leon is quite right. And has apparently moved. ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:43 (twenty-one years ago)

on the other hand, maybe it's good to feel frustrated and unhappy about your job. it keeps you hungry, productive, awake and alert and stops you from becoming complacent.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Onward, vespa child.

― Je4nne ƒury (Jeanne Fury), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

You're right Nicole - it's taken me a while to realise that when you're not happy with your situation, you can change it. It really is that simple. Life's too short, yadda yadda...

Marcello - I completely agree, although I think this is only relevant when you are in your chosen/preferred field of work. In my case I have absoultely no passion for the industry I am in (I took the job because I was getting a bit desperate and the pay was spiffy), so therefore I have no "hunger" to push onwards.

And thanks for the kind words folks!

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

You're right Nicole - it's taken me a while to realise that when you're not happy with your situation, you can change it. It really is that simple. Life's too short, yadda yadda...

This was exactly why I left grad school -- and why I don't mind having had the same job since I left, because frankly I enjoy it a lot more. Good luck indeed!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 13:59 (twenty-one years ago)

You're an astronaut, right, Ned?

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 14:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Good luck Rob. Tell The Man where to shove his well-paying, cushy job (ie. at me).

― robster (robster), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

http://store.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/drc600/c655/c65594600h7.jpg

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm gonna wear that hat when I have my 'chat' on Thursday...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

You're an astronaut, right, Ned?

But of course.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 14:15 (twenty-one years ago)

"In a way, little dude, in a way."

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 14:17 (twenty-one years ago)

hey rob, when you come back to toronto you'll have to throw one of your oh-so-fun parties...i'll come to the t-dot just for the occasion...honest!

― cybele (cybele), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 14:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, the December party planning has already begun! I was just in Toronto on the weekend for a friend's wedding (essentially the whole crew from a certain magazine we know well, cybele), and we have some ideas up our sleeves...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

the t-dot

― adam. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 14:52 (twenty-one years ago)

hogtown

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

good luck - I envy you the courage.

― luna (luna.c), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

congratulations. don't be afraid to pick up and go. in my experience, the only thing that has produced good results has been slightly insane risk.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Good luck. May you have many amusing adventures!

― jel -- (jel), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 15:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw a young man leaning on his wooden crutch
He cried out to me, don't ask for so much.
And a young woman, leaning in her darkened door
She called out to me, why not ask for more?

― 57 7th (calstars), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

This situation reminds of "Mountain High", the John Denver song as covered by Engine Kid.

― jel -- (jel), Tuesday, 19 October 2004 15:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 34 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

If anything, he's more of the Costanza type, not me.

I'm not chickening out, it just can't be done now. He's in all morning tomorrow, and we're usually the first two people in the office, so I have now decided that will be THE TIME.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Thursday, 21 October 2004 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I quit a job four weeks ago and simply e-mailed my boss asking her when I could speak with her as I had something important to discuss... of course by the time I walked in she already knew what I was going to do so it took all the mystery out and saved her and I a teary scene.

― battlin' green eyeshades (Homosexual II), Thursday, 21 October 2004 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually I have no idea what Rob's job is! It's the suspense, Mark! xposts.

― sgs (sgs), Thursday, 21 October 2004 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha! Rob, this is also what just happened to me! My boss kept leaving in a hurry and I was all "b-b-but WAIT!".

― adam. (nordicskilla), Thursday, 21 October 2004 15:55 (twenty-one years ago)

"Okay, but I'm still taking my four weeks notice from today."

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 21 October 2004 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I know for sure that he has no idea I'm going to do this, so he's not avoiding me - he's just a busy man...

I'm actually giving him five weeks notice, even though I only need to give four according to my contract. I figure, why wait? I just can't stand pretending to be all gung-ho about 'the future' when I know I'm about to quit.

A question: can he force me to go after the four weeks instead? Or sooner? What is the company's obligation when it comes to pay? If I quit on the date of my choosing, is he obligated to pay me up until that date? I should have looked into this stuff - I don't know the legality of final pay issues when you resign...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, he can force you to go after 4 weeks. He can ask you to go earlier but he has to pay you the full 4 weeks.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

How can he force you to go after four weeks? Then you just say, "well, I'll just resign next week intead". Notice periods are minimums.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 21 October 2004 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, we'll see what happens. I'm going into his office now...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Friday, 22 October 2004 08:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, that was pretty easy! I was really nervous when I went in there, and I just came out and said it right away: "I'm leaving the company".

We had a very pleasant conversation - he was shocked, but genuninely excited for me since I plan on doing a lot of travelling to far-away lands and taking time to really find out what's important to me, etc. He was very laid-back about it, and he agreed to my chosen 'end date' - the timing actually works out OK given some of the projects we're doing. Oddly, we're having a drinks 'do' tonight for a new employee, and he's going to announce it tonight so everything is out in the open, and we can all chat about it socially.

I'M FREE... TO DO WHAT I WANT... ANY OLD TIIIIME...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Friday, 22 October 2004 08:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Come to think of it, he was a little TOO laid back about it all. I suspect he's been wondering about my productivity in the last few months, and may even be relieved that I've done this.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Friday, 22 October 2004 08:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh dear. Ah well, it doesn't really matter so long as it's friendly all round. Don't get neurotic about it, just ENJOY THE FREEDOM, MAN!!!

― Kissing Time At The Pleasure Unit (kate), Friday, 22 October 2004 08:46 (twenty-one years ago)

unless it involves disposable income

but congrats

xxpost

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Friday, 22 October 2004 08:48 (twenty-one years ago)

disposable income?!? has anyone here ever had income that they considered 'disposable'? ;)

anyway, i've saved up some cash, and the mighty english pound does go a long way abroad...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Friday, 22 October 2004 08:51 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

WOW. My last week of work. It's hard to motivate myself, that's for sure. I probably have about 4 hours of actual work to do, but of course I'll be stretching out over my remaining 4 days...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 11:46 (twenty-one years ago)

any tips for things to do on your last week of work?

i might pop out to the pub in a bit and have a few pints.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 11:46 (twenty-one years ago)

any tips for things to do on your last week of work?

Grin. A lot.

― robster (robster), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

streak!!!!

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 11:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I was thinking about turning up not wearing any pants, but that sounds like fun too!

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 11:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Break stuff.

― robster (robster), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 11:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Steal stuff.

― sgs (sgs), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 11:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Fill your desk with booze and spend the rest of the week drinking your way through it.

― robster (robster), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 11:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Enjoy the day, for a change. I have all this ahead of me next month. Everything sorted, just need to speak up to my boss here in a week's time - can't do your technique, as I should really be put on garden leave anyway (I won't be due to the fact the team will be in serious trouble as a result).

I plan to enjoy the following four weeks to the full. Visit the pub, strict 9-5, blatant looking for houses, stuff like that.

― 3underscore (___), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 12:10 (twenty-one years ago)

upper-deck all the toilet

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 12:12 (twenty-one years ago)

ken that is gross!

i don't dislike my co-workers or my company, so no need to do anything nasty. i am doing a lot more web surfing lately...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

ha! I'm getting more hassle now for net use than ever before :o(

it's also mad busy and other things have de-motivated me considerably.

roll on the 24th of dec

― Porkpie (porkpie), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 12:37 (twenty-one years ago)

OH BABY! LAST DAY OF WORK FOR ME FOR A LONG TIME!

i had a 3 hour lunch at borough marked capped off by a big hot cider and i'm feeling a little drunk. i might have a nap at my desk now.

only a couple more hours to go, then SO LONG, SUCKAS!!!

there has been no breaking or stealing of stuff, although i might nick a bunch of CD-Rs because i'm too lazy to go to the shops to get them...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Friday, 26 November 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

i went out on wednesday with the people from work and they got me a really cool going away present: a hammock! a cool one that bunches up into an attachment for a backpack! i'm very impressed - a smart gift that i will actually use and enjoy...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Friday, 26 November 2004 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

i might have a nap at my desk now.

they got me a really cool going away present: a hammock!

i think you know what you need to do, rob.

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 November 2004 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Aw, what a nice pressie.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Friday, 26 November 2004 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

I get to do this, I have never resigned from anything before. I shall enjoy this.

― Christopher Blix Hammer (Ed), Tuesday, 30 September 2008 09:20 (seventeen years ago)

I miss Rob, where he at these days?

The last time I tried to resign from a job (a miserable horrible one where I'd got corralled into an on-call based double shift I'd not been hired for, that was killing me) they relented at the last minute and offered me a different job in the company.

And then I got shat on about 12 months later and asked to leave anyway so there it is. I'm glad really. I was in denial about how awful that place was.

― Trayce, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 09:29 (seventeen years ago)

I suppose that it depends on whether or not the job you're quitting sucks. Last time I resigned, it was from the job from hell. It was such a relief to leave that it was like being stoned for the three days after. People were asking me "You seem really, er, happy... Are you drunk, or high?", and I'd say "No man, I've just quit my job!" while grinning like a maniac.

― snoball, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 09:34 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah that always rules.

― Trayce, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 09:37 (seventeen years ago)

Rob did appear on one of the Canadian politics threads recently.

Although this industry has been good to me I am really looking forward to not having any solo long term working away especially with ungrateful xtian TV stations.

― Christopher Blix Hammer (Ed), Tuesday, 30 September 2008 09:39 (seventeen years ago)

i hate quitting jobs, i always feel really guilty!

much better than being fired tho. i did that a couple times--took awhile to realize that my lifelong dreams of being a strong, silent landscaper weren't realistic.

― pterodactyl, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 12:16 (seventeen years ago)

Make sure you letter is no longer than two sentences.

― caek, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 12:17 (seventeen years ago)

am thinking of leaving my public sector job to go back to college next september. it's cushy, pay is ok, work is meh but training etc is great. seriously conflicted in current economic climate.

― darraghmac, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 12:18 (seventeen years ago)

if you get funding for college than you don't have to worry too much about the economic crisis, right?

also i have this vague sense that education/research funding is not really dependent on the economy--which might be totally off. are university endowments generally invested in the market?

― pterodactyl, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 12:21 (seventeen years ago)

in ireland, the cost of attending college is pretty negligible if you can live cheaply. i'll probably get a state grant to pay fees and tuition at least. i'm probably as well to be studying as anything else though.

― darraghmac, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 12:39 (seventeen years ago)

my contract in my most recent job ran out a few weeks ago, and I think it was a good way of forcing me to look at other things. I wasn't enjoying it but the company has a cult-like reputation that makes you think it could be better down the line.

I can still possibly go and work in another office for them but I have other things on the table too now, and overall I'm glad. There's something about quitting that's so hard, I feel really good about it all cos I didn't quit, it was forced on me, but I wasn't fired either really. It was just a trainee contract and there never was a guarantee of being kept on in my intial position.

plus screwing around waiting for a job is FUN. as long as your financial situation is okay and you can do some little bits of work to keep you ticking over.

― Local Garda, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 12:49 (seventeen years ago)

I miss Rob, where he at these days?

I'm still around Trayce! I check/post to ILX every now and then... I forgot about this thread! It's a good thing I didn't do anything nasty/silly when leaving that job - I needed their help with tons of UK Inland Revenue crap that built up during my time in the UK.

So Ed, how are you going to resign? Submit a letter, or do it verbally in person?

― Rob Bolton, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 12:56 (seventeen years ago)

By letter and then in person. I need to lock down my (late) bonus and backdated pay rise first as I think they are going to be unhappy.

― Christopher Blix Hammer (Ed), Tuesday, 30 September 2008 13:00 (seventeen years ago)

wish i could resign but can't without something else lined up. i'd take a 6 month contract at this point and then try and do some travelling tho.

― They're a '90s odd couple. And an odds-on choice for laughs. (blueski), Tuesday, 30 September 2008 13:01 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah, clearing up any outstanding bonus/pay issues first is wise, Ed. Not that they would necessarily hold it back from you, but it avoids any potential awkwardness about it...

― Rob Bolton, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 13:06 (seventeen years ago)

So are you going to come visit Toronto sometime? Do it!

― Rob Bolton, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 13:06 (seventeen years ago)

I was almost there this week, but yes, I just might.

― Christopher Blix Hammer (Ed), Tuesday, 30 September 2008 13:19 (seventeen years ago)

OK, so pittsburgh and toronto are, in US terms, pretty close.

― Christopher Blix Hammer (Ed), Tuesday, 30 September 2008 13:24 (seventeen years ago)

Not super-close, but I have driven a motorcar to Pittsburgh before... Is that where you are (will be) living Ed?

― Rob Bolton, Tuesday, 30 September 2008 13:28 (seventeen years ago)

i think it's like 4ish hours from pitt to buffalo, then maybe another 1-1.5 to toronto? definitely doable.

― highly theoretical, of course. (tehresa), Tuesday, 30 September 2008 13:32 (seventeen years ago)

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