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Ryan Paugh graduated from Penn State in 2006 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business. After working in corporate communications, freelance writing and reporting, he co-founded 
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New here? Employee Evolution is dedicated to helping the Millennial generation answer the hard-hitting questions that come with the biggest transition of our lives. Be sure to visit our about section for the full story. Since you're here, check out our best articles in the archives. We've also put together a list of some Millennial-friendly employers on our jobs page. Any questions? Feel free to contact us.
The first time I quit a job, I was 18 years old. I was a cook and a baker at a bagel shop in Jersey, but it was time to leave for college. I didn’t think twice about leaving.
As you can imagine, roughly six years later, with a respectable corporate job and a decent starting salary, “I quit” didn’t seem to cut it anymore.
“So…,” I’d say, “I decided to move to Madison, WI, and pursue my passion for entrepreneurship. I’ll be making no money, living on bread crumbs and braving the grueling winters of ‘lake country.’ Thanks for having me.”
I could only imagine her response: “Hmmm…I hear they have good cheese there.” I wasn’t too far off
After all was said and done, I realized quitting a “real job” is not as hard as it seems – depending on the manager of course. After I left the hot seat I knew I approached things the right way.
Timing is Everything
We all know that “giving your two weeks” is pretty standard, right? Well I decided to give my “three and a half.” I should’ve given my “four,” but I spent one-too-many days pacing around thinking things through to make that happen.
My point is, there really is no standard. If you have enough leeway, you should weigh the timetable of your current short-term projects then decide how many weeks your boss needs.
But be prepared to work your ass off. Believe me, if you’re an asset to your team, they’ll wear you down before they let you go.
Know Your Leader
Everyone has a point in their day where you just want people to back off, especially your boss. Choose a time to talk when you know they’re going to be calm, cool and collected because you’re about to drop a bomb.
I chose to have my “talk” at the end of the day, when most of the workforce had already left. It guaranteed an uninterrupted meeting. There’s nothing worse than delivering bad news when the recipient is already in the midst of chaos.
I’m convinced. My experience went so well mostly because I knew WHEN to “let the cat out of the bag.”
Be Humble
I couldn’t be happier with the opportunities my manager gave me. I worked on projects most entry-levels never get a taste of. I was grateful, and I showed it.
But maybe you’re not so grateful…
Maybe your job sucked and your manager rode you like a mechanical bull. That’s fine – just don’t leave on a sour note.
The past can haunt you. If you’re boss is as big of a jackass as you think, they wouldn’t think twice about ripping you a new one when a recruiter calls for references.
Plus, you should try to leave with at least one good recommendation letter. I hear employers sometimes read those.
The Climax
So there I was – heart pounding, palms sweating, ready to give my leave. I knocked on the door, asked to talk, came in and sat down.
“Okay, here it goes…”
I told her about my plans from A to Z – from Madison to Penelope to the really tasty cheese. And you know what? She was thrilled.
As it turns out, a really great manager recognizes that each person’s career path is their own.
“You gotta do, what you gotta do,” she said.
We sat and talked for at least 45 minutes. Not only did I break the news in the right way, but I got my managers blessing. Go figure.
Weeks later, just before I was about to leave, the team took me out for some beers at the local pub. They were all proud of my decision to take a risk so early in my life.
“Now or never,” one of my co-workers said.
It was a great evening. They even chipped in and got me a little something – a fabulous new cheese cutter for enjoying Wisconsin’s finest delectable.
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Leave your thoughts here. (13 responses)
- 1 Pingback on Sep 21st, 2007 at 2:43 am
- 2 Pingback on Jan 17th, 2008 at 5:03 am
Good advice! Ryan is absolutely right that a good manager is going to support his/her employees’ career paths. If you run into a manager who reacts badly when you give notice, the problem is with the manager, not with you.
By the way, I wouldn’t worry much about trying to get a recommendation letter. When I’m considering a prospective employee, I don’t pay much attention to letters (which are written with the knowledge the employee will see them) and am much more interested in getting on the phone with the reference so I can ask questions. A letter won’t hurt, of course, but it doesn’t count for much (at least for me).
Good luck with your move! I have lived in Madison for almost 7 years now and I adore the city. Looking forward to seeing the new site take off.
Nice post, Ryan. I had a similar experience several weeks ago when I quit my job to attend grad school. Since I had only been in my job for about 7 months, I thought my boss would be really upset, but it turned out she was excited for me and offered to help in any way she could.
The only caveat I could offer is carefully considering when you should put in your notice. I gave the standard two weeks, but had worked my tail off in the weeks prior to make sure I was leaving my team in a good place.
I probably could have given a longer notice, but the guy who left the office before me gave a whole month and, to be honest, it really affected productivity to have him around so long. Whether you want to admit it or not, you sort of mentally check out when you know you’re leaving, and people are trying to adjust to working without you, but it’s hard when you’re still in the way. My suggestion is to do your leg work in advance, then to keep the good-bye time short and sweet.
@ Ask a Manager: You’re right about recommendation letters. I keep hearing that they’re not that important. I knew a guy who went to every person he worked with and asked for one. I kept wondering whether he expected employers to read through the whole stack or just be impressed by the amount of paper he placed in front of them. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to get one or two. You never know.
@ Sarita: Thanks for your best wishes. If Madison is half as fabulous as everyone keeps telling me, I’m sure I’ll love it.
@ Jacqui: I think you’re example is correct in certain instances. You definitely mentally check out and that’s no good for everybody else. But in my situation, shifting the responsibility was not an easy task. 2 weeks definitely wouldn’t suffice and the only way to do what was best for my team was to give an earlier notice. It’s really just about knowing your job. If 2 weeks is enough, perfect, but sometimes it isn’t. I gave my boss 3 1/2, turns out she actually wished I gave her more.
I definitely have to agree with Ryan here on the good bye time. It is absolutely job dependant. I had a coworker that recently left, and while he gave about 3 weeks official time, my managers wished it could have been longer. We deal with projects that range from 1 week to 8 weeks, and so obviously 2 weeks can potentially leave those who take over in a bad spot.
My boss actually came to me with the coworker and broke the news to me first (though I already knew from coworker). He wanted to start shifting responsibility to me as I’d be taking over all his outstandings, but didn’t want to hamper what was currently in progress. This allowed us to buy a few weeks, announced to the team with about 2 weeks before he left, but I was already up to speed, and then we were able to fully transition. Definitely the ideal solution for my particular role, and I hope I can do something similar when I choose to move on.
I also disagree about checking out, not everyone does. I think as a sign of gratitude to the managers if they’ve given significant opportunities, there are definitely people who can continue producing quality work without getting in the way of progress. Again, this is one of those situational things, and definitely dependent on the role and responsibilities of the individual leaving. But I disagree with the notion that it’s inevitable to mentally check out and become a burden to your team.
@ Nathan: You’re right about checking out. I can honestly say that I did a little, but not until I was satisfied that I was leaving my boss and my team in a good place. I worked my ass off my last few days and it wasn’t until the last two when I started to lag. But of course, this made sense because nobody was going to hand someone leaving a new project.
It is cold here. Very cold. You know that cute quote from Mark Twain how the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco? Well, I’ve lived in SF and believe me this is “one step away from Siberia” kind of cold.
We do have good cheese here. The fried cheese curds are really great. We fry them since cheese by itself does not have anywhere near the fat content to see us through the winter.
Congrats on your big decision. Good luck!
@ J.J.: Thanks for your comment. You’re freaking me out a little about the cold. I think that’s my biggest qualm with the move. I’m not big on winter unless I can snowboard. And I didn’t see any mountains out there on my last visit.
Anyway, I met a girl from Alaska the other day. She said that it so cold up there that your nose hairs freeze and it really hurts. I’m sure Wisconsin isn’t that bad so I’m sure I’ll deal.
Thanks for the well wishes.
Ryan,
I wouldn’t worry that much about the cold. I live just outside of Cleveland, Ohio and there are times when it is cold - sometimes a high of 0 but that is pretty rare, and you do get used to it. I think the worst weather is when it is in the 40’s and damp- that will get to you more than the 20 and 30 degree temps! It gets to the point, where 30 degrees feels warm because your body will adjust to the weather. You’ll be fine in Madison!!!
Congrats! I know how hard it is to tell your boss you’re leaving - I had the sweaty palms, heart racing, rehearsing the words in my head going on - and I was just switching positions in the company! Luckily, though, my boss was like most decent bosses and was happy for me. He actually told me that he was bummed, but that he was glad that I was following my career path. Although, he did say, “are you sure?” causing me a moment of doubt and suspicion, but at that point I was definitely sure. I had been thinking through my decision for some weeks and knew what I wanted.
It’s inspiring to hear your story and as a young careerist myself I hope that I, too, don’t pass up any great opportunities for my career! Good luck!
I’m so proud of you! Congrats on the move…. but I’m wishing that you picked a sunny sandy place to move to so that it would be more enticing to come and visit you! Ah well, I”ll visit ya in Madison anyways. GOOD LUCK!!! xoxo