Friday was the last day at my old job. It is funny the plethora of emotions I had about leaving that job. It started two weeks ago when I accepted the new job and I had to turn in my notice. It was easy to write my letter of resignation but it wasn't so easy to give it to my boss. I had it sitting on my desk staring at me and I just couldn't make myself get up and give it to my boss. I was overwrought. My brother called me and told me to just do it! It was easy enough to ignore him. Ems kept writing me texts to do it. They started out encouraging and then they began to get stern. She even tried to bribe me to no avail. She then must of told Z that her tactics were not working because he began to send me some encouraging emails. I tried to suck it up but I was paralyzed in fear. Finally, about 11:30 I worked up the courage to walk into my bosses office but he had already left for lunch. Damn!
I hate disappointing people and I think that was why I was afraid. I knew by leaving it would royally screw my boss as he recently had two other key people leave in his small department of 6. I also knew he wouldn't say anything horrible to me as he is a good person but I was still afraid. Finally at 2pm I walked into his office and handed over my letter. All I said was, "You are not going to like this.". He read over the letter and my fears came to fruition. His face said it all. He was terribly upset and shocked. It made me feel horrible and sad. I spent nine hours a day for the last four years at that job and it was coming to a close.
As the days came and went the sadness lifted and it was replaced by excitement. A new chapter in my life was about to begin. I am going to go to a new job tomorrow and know nothing. It is a scary prospect. I don't know what it will be like and I will have no routine. I am used to my morning routine. I arrive to work at 8:30ish and prepare my morning Cherry Coke Zero and eat my breakfast. I would then read my email and checked my bank balance. This will not happen tomorrow morning.
The good news is that I am not nervous. I know this will be a time where I will need to expect the unexpected. I am looking forward to this new adventure. I hope I will meet some great new people and make some new friends.
5 comments:
Nine hours a day?
:-P
8.5???
I think it will be helpful if you practice detachment. This is not our grandparents' generation: employers do not keep people on for life and employees do not stick with a company for life. Virtually all employers will expect you to continue to add value to the company while you are there, and if you do not, they will slowly move you out the door. You don't owe them loyalty any more than they owe you a job.
If your old boss really wanted you to stay, he would have paid you accordingly. The fact that he (and the chain of command) chose not to, and that he didn't seem to change pretty much anything, even while other people in the department were leaving, suggests that the company didn't value you at all.
Too many people these days feel just as you do, that somehow they owe something to an employer that has shorted them time and again. Chances are, if you're in a situation like that, you're better off somewhere else anyway. You can tell the difference between an employer who cares and an employer who doesn't; give your loyalty to the one that deserves it.
You have started a new chapter and have a clean slate. No one has any notions of who you are, or what you like or don't like. Take advantage of that to put forth the image and work style for which you want to be known. Create the best possible brand of you. Good Luck!
@Moore...I will take your advice and make this new job a clean slate. No words about religion or politics;) Plus I will try and keep my bad habits hidden away from work. Perhaps I will even revert back to my "good" employee behavior. Ha.
@Z...Logically I understand you. I get that my employer has no loyalty to me and they showed it often...my brain agrees completely with you. However, somewhere in there my heart and emotions think something different. I will endeavor to toughen up a bit.
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