Does anyone have any experiences to share?

In the past jobs were always part time or only for the summer and only on the periphery of my life experience, and my full time school has always had pre-designated ends.

But now finishing the first year at my full time job it feels strange to think about leaving it. The new position that I’m applying for has better pay, better hours, closer to home, more time w/ sig other, and more room for advancement. My current job has a few downsides, as do all jobs, but I really like the people and enjoy the work.

So when you left your first full timer, was it on good terms or bad terms, was it b/c other factors caused you to change job/locations or b/c you wanted to, did it take a while to adjust, how were you sure it was the right decision?

8/23/2007 9:45:09 PM

I'm 24 and have gone through two changes in full-time jobs. The first time, I was working at my old high-school job fulltime. I had a pretty sweet position, but the pay was mediocre and the hours were long. My boss was really cool about it and had an idea that I would switch, so that was fine.

The job I switched into, I really didn't like but the pay was significantly better with great hours. They wanted me for the long haul, but I decided to move to another country and work there and I did. Thankfully, my big boss was really cool with it, but the company itself is a big bag of dicks, I can't get a letter of reference from them because it's against company policy.

Overall, I'm happy with the choices I made. My job now is pretty good, though, it did take a long time to get adjusted and comfortable in the job and in the country. But now that I am, I'm quite happy. I've just gotten a promotion after one year with the company with a raise as well as more vacation time. Plus, I'm going to have a reduction in my working hours, which is sweet.

8/23/2007 9:57:48 PM

I did this and it was hard even though they were paying me shit. I asked for a raise and pretty much told them I had to have one for my wife to be a stay at home mom. They gave me 12%, but I really needed 15%. I wasn't planning on leaving but a great opportunity presented itself that allowed me to have plenty more room for advancement, better pay, benefits and work 4 10's. When I told them I was leaving they then offered another 30% raise on top of the 12% they gave me a few months prior. Knowing that I'd wouldn't get a raise for several more years with that offer and among other reasons I decided to take the other job and worked out a month before I left.

Ended up being really good because they got bought out a couple months later, plus my job security is much better.

8/23/2007 10:00:24 PM

i am leaving my first full time job tomorrow actually, after 6 years. i took a traveling position with them in may but found out my wife is pregnant in july, so i stayed with them to get through the busiest time of the year for us, and now i'm going to find something local. i should be able to make more money this way too, but that wasn't really the point

about a week ago they had a position come up that would allow me to stay home, but the scale and scope of the position would leave me terribly bored and i'd already given my notice. i don't think i would have been viewed the same from management after that.

[Edited on August 23, 2007 at 11:26 PM. Reason : i might return to them years down the road, but for now i am 100% confident in my decision]

8/23/2007 11:24:11 PM

I have already been through 2 jobs. I am leaving my second today and will start full-time at my 3rd in Mid September. I got big pay raises each time I jumped ship. I would absolutely never settle in a job these days. And when you do start looking, make sure your boss knows!

8/24/2007 7:41:15 AM

My current job is with a small business with about 20 employees total… about half of which are there any given day. The potential new job is larger, much larger, and has a faster turn around on employees. The department I’d be in is alone larger than my old job.

I really like all the people I currently work with, & I’m really good at my job. With the new place I’d have to learn a new job which is fairly different from my current work. It seems like if I get the new job it’s probably the right thing to do, but I don’t have the “100% confidence” others seem to have about job changes.

I've already told my boss that I'm looking at this other job. I'm not really looking for another job, but this seems like one of the few positions I'm qualified for at this point that could draw me away.

8/24/2007 4:47:06 PM

my first full time job lasted 6, I hated it, was hoping would last a year, but thank GOD it didnt...or I wouldnt have my current job(2 years and 8 months). It was a great decision, because I landed the job I have now which wouldnt of happened if I had stayed there even a month longer. I wasnt really even looking for the job I have currently, kinda just fell in my lap. I was planning on taking a break between jobs but I applied just for the hell of it and got it.


[Edited on August 24, 2007 at 8:14 PM. Reason : w]

8/24/2007 8:12:39 PM

so how did you guys break the news when you quit your job for another? how did you boss take it...how did he react? how long of a notice were you giving? did you use COBRA coverage and if so how did that go?

8/24/2007 10:00:40 PM

I was waiting for my boss to come down and visit me like he was supposed to do every so often, but he didn't come for about a month, so I sent him an email. I know NOT the best way but it sure made it easier. A letter of resignation is the way to go.

Don't jump ship just because the grass may seem greener because once you get there you may find that it was just shit that actually made it greener to begin with.

I did not need cobra, my new job covered me from day 1.
Old boss wasn't happy and did not want to lose me obviously but knew I was making the right decision. I gave 1 months notice

8/25/2007 12:06:10 AM

"so how did you guys break the news when you quit your job for another?"

I don't know if I'll get this new job, but I have a pretty good chance, so I went ahead and told my boss that I had applied and that she could possibly expect a letter of resignation in not too long. I gave her the whole spiel about:

“The new position that I’m applying for has better pay, better hours, closer to home, more time w/ sig other, and more room for advancement”

and asked about what would be the best way to go about resigning. She pointed out that the employee manual that I signed said they require 4 weeks written notice, but then said if 2 weeks or any other amount really is what it takes to make it happen for me that she understands, then gave me a hug and said I’d go far.

8/25/2007 9:25:10 AM

i called my boss and told her i was leaving the company and emailed her the letter of resignation after the phone call. i didn't want to call cus it was hard for me to do, but i did it cus it felt more professional. the team i was working with was only about 8 people and another person quit the week before so i knew she wasn't going to be thrilled. when i told her, she kinda sighed and didn't say anything for a few seconds, but she understood my reasons. i gave them 2.5 weeks notice which was long enough to get them through the busiest week of the year. in my last 11 days on the job i worked 135 hours my last day was yesterday. i don't have a new job lined up but pretty hopeful about an interview i have on monday. if i get the job, i might not have to use cobra, but i probably will bite the bullet since my wife has to have health insurance (pregnancy and diabetes)

8/25/2007 11:30:30 AM

did any of you quit in person? letter? call? email?

seems like quitting is something that should be done in person. should i take the easy way out?

8/25/2007 4:12:17 PM

i didn't quit in person b/c my team and my boss travel, so we never see each other except a couple times a year

8/25/2007 6:08:43 PM

so how did you guys break the news when you quit your job for another?

-I had a meeting with my boss and handed him my letter of resignation. I specifically stated that I had already accepted a position elsewhere, so I wouldn't have to deal with a counteroffer.

how did you boss take it...how did he react?

-I was a contractor at the time, so obviously he understood me wanting to leave for a full time position. He wasn't thrilled with it, but I had been with the company a little less than a year, so it wasn't like I was that big of an asset.

how long of a notice were you giving?

-two weeks

did you use COBRA coverage and if so how did that go?

-I already had BCBS since I wasn't covered as a contractor. I dropped that after I filled out the paperwork for my new full time job.

8/25/2007 6:15:23 PM

i resigned my first job of 5 years in person. i walked into my boss's office, closed the door and presented him with my letter of resignation. i explained that i was underpaid and underemployed, the position i was moving to offered better salary with work i was more interested in. he agreed with and understood. he offered a significant raise to stay, but i declined. i offered a 2weeks notice, during which i posted a job listing for my replacement on the usual websites and helped screen resumes. i left on good terms with my previous employer.

i may be resigning from my present company soon, if it doesn't close the doors first. this is a much smaller company, struggling to stay afloat. yay for getting paid in stock options.

8/25/2007 6:58:18 PM

I used BCBSNC, it isnt that expensive, it is actually 5 dollars more than my health insurance I have now, i had BCBSNC for almost 2 years, the position I had was perm until the beginning of this year.

qntmfred, i would check into BCBSNC, you can get short term while it is being processed...dont want to get out of the window for pre existing conditions....make sure you have proof of past coverage.....

why oh why did you leave your job without another lined up, especially with the wifey preggers? Even if that job required travel, you should of had something lined up....hopefully you will not be umemployed long...




[Edited on August 25, 2007 at 8:35 PM. Reason : w]

8/25/2007 8:22:21 PM

yeah, i would have preferred to have another job lined up already, but most of my good references work for the company i just left, so i had to tell them i was leaving before i gave their names out.

i'm not worried though. i'm a smart guy, somebody will recognized that and hire me. i've got an interview on monday that i'm pretty excited about. plus i've got about 6 weeks of vacation pay coming my way with some more money saved away, so we'll be fine. not looking forward to paying for COBRA, but oh well. not worried at all though.

8/25/2007 10:06:08 PM

Quote :

"i resigned my first job of 5 years in person. i walked into my boss's office, closed the door and presented him with my letter of resignation. i explained that i was underpaid and underemployed, the position i was moving to offered better salary with work i was more interested in. he agreed with and understood. he offered a significant raise to stay, but i declined. i offered a 2weeks notice, during which i posted a job listing for my replacement on the usual websites and helped screen resumes. i left on good terms with my previous employer. i may be resigning from my present company soon, if it doesn't close the doors first. this is a much smaller company, struggling to stay afloat. yay for getting paid in stock options. "

You should have took the significant pay raise and stayed at the job you have been with for 5 years. That would have been the smartest thing to do.

8/26/2007 12:16:50 AM

i applied for a "new" postion(more pay) and got that one, but they kept me in my "old/current" one with the pay raise....took that to get a pay raise.

8/26/2007 10:10:12 AM

^^ i left out the part about the previous 15% pay cut, stolen insurance and 401K money, and general lack of benefits at the original job. it was in the local greensboro news a couple of years ago. moving to a new job was certainly the right decision, albeit it could have been with a more stable company. the company i'm working for now certainly still has potential, but there's IP issues with a supplier that we'd licensed patent usage from and we're probably about to be the little guy in a case of big company sues little guy out of business. its complicated. none the less, i've gained a lot of experience in an industry i'm really interested in, and i feel like i can get another job without a whole lot of hassle. i just don't want to deal with moving and all that.

8/26/2007 1:01:37 PM

I have a few beliefs when it comes to leaving a job after having witnessed a lot of both good and bad experiences.

When you realize that you should be looking for a new job and start landing interviews, you should always tell your manager that you are seeking a new position and explain why. Being on the other side of this situation... the manager will really appreciate the time/warning they have to adjust the business to not having you or finding your replacement. This is even more critical for smaller companies.

You should always read over your HR manual to see if there is anything in there worth noting. If your company "prefers" a 4 week notice, maybe you can ensure they receive that.

NOW... as for experiences... when I left my first full time job it did not take more than 6 months of employment for me to want out. I was an intern at the company for almost 4 months, making it 1yr of actually being a part of the company. I was hired for one position and promised many things when I went full time, and quickly shoved into a different role that I really disliked. I expressed my displeasure many times appropriately and nothing ever changed. So for me, it was easy to say to my manager why I wanted to leave. I ended up with a huge pay increase of 63% plus now much later I also have a stake in the company I am in. I enjoy the environment more and the work is more fulfilling. My previous company said they would consider a pay increase, but I was very frank with my previous manager (we had become decent friends) and he just gawked when he saw my new opportunity and shook my hand and said "you deserve it" and asked me to help prepare the next person to fill my role.

For me it worked out great - but you also have to consider the whole "grass is always greener" effect also. If you are bouncing between big businesses in the same field the chances of having similar experiences with managers or coworkers or just having to cope with things you will not like is quite high. Then again, I also tell every company I work for... even the place now that I have stake in... that I am always job hunting and looking for my next big step forward. Fortunately for me, that next big step forward still resides at this company.

Experiences from the other side.... statistics state people in our age bracket last on average of 1 year and 2 months at their job before moving on. I can imagine that is very true if you don't like your job or have no room for advancement, etc, etc... for people to stick around the benefits have to go in two directions. The whole idea of a "win-win" doesn't really seem to exist in many places. We are always very candid in saying "If you don't like your job, you probably shouldn't be doing whatever it is you are doing"... we try to tailor the job to fit the person because happy people stick around and work much better. We also request that if the person simply does not see things working out, they simply give us as much time as possible so that we can prepare for their absence. We are small, it helps is TREMENDOUSLY when we have enough warning to react. Two weeks is "ok"... but we've had people quit overnight and they seriously thought it was the best thing to do.

Summary Version:

Talk with your manager - if they are good they will help you go far within their company or within your future one if they can not offer you the same opportunities as the other job offer. Always be candid/open about things and unless you have a terrible company/manager it will always benefit you in the end by not burning any bridges and providing great references.

8/27/2007 8:37:35 AM

^^ Ah, I see your point now. A pay cut is enough to make me want to quit right on the spot from any job.

8/28/2007 12:40:05 PM

Talking to your manager is a very risky thing to do. If they see you as easily replaceable, or are just pissed they can fire you on the spot.

8/28/2007 1:58:36 PM

I worked at my first full timer for two years before quitting. When the right time came and I had a better offer on the table I told my new employer I needed three weeks til my start date, drafted a letter to my current boss, set up a meeting with that boss and delivered them the letter by hand, asked them to sign off that they recieved and understood it, complimented them til no end about how much they taught me and how it was them that made it possible for me to be able to move forward and reach my goals, worked for two more weeks and worked very hard to make sure Ileft no big jobs for other employees and then took off.


The letter and having them sign and acknowledge it helped a lot. It gave me a paper trail right then and there that I quit within the compliances of my contract with the company...

check your contract/ rules/regulations.... see if there is a dismissal of employment section...

8/28/2007 3:03:27 PM

Quote :

"Talking to your manager is a very risky thing to do. If they see you as easily replaceable, or are just pissed they can fire you on the spot."

I don't find this as a problem if you wanted to leave the job anyway. If anything it just reinforces your question of "Should I quit this job?"..... hell if your manager sucks that bad there is no question, find a new job.

Seriously - any decent manager would not do that. If you have THAT bad of a relationship with your manager, they probably suck anyway or they shouldn't be in their job role. If you are that scared about getting fired and not being able to have a job at all... you may want to rethink your entire situation anyway when it comes to whether or not you deserve something better than where you are at.

8/30/2007 9:43:16 AM

Quote :

"yeah, i would have preferred to have another job lined up already, but most of my good references work for the company i just left, so i had to tell them i was leaving before i gave their names out. i'm not worried though. i'm a smart guy, somebody will recognized that and hire me. i've got an interview on monday that i'm pretty excited about. plus i've got about 6 weeks of vacation pay coming my way with some more money saved away, so we'll be fine. not looking forward to paying for COBRA, but oh well. not worried at all though."

just got a job, paying MUCH more than i was making in my last job i knew everything would work out

8/30/2007 4:46:38 PM

i just quit my job (for a much better paying one)...everything is friendly. boss said congratulations to me and that he understood. should i ask for a job rec letter? whats been your guys experiences with job rec letters? do future employers place much value in them?

8/31/2007 12:01:12 PM

I asked for one at my last job, but I've never had to use one.

8/31/2007 12:14:36 PM

I quit my first full-time job 9 months after I started. The reason was that I wanted to move back to NC (I moved to WV for the job). The boss knew I was longing to get back home, so he wasn't surprised, and everything was on good terms. He gladly accepted a phone call from the NC job to act as a reference.

[Edited on September 2, 2007 at 5:22 AM. Reason : .]

9/2/2007 5:20:34 AM

Does anyone have any experience with being let go on the spot? My fiance works for a employee-owned manufacturing company that does business worldwide. He has heard from other employees that there is no such thing as two week notice at this company, because most employees are let go on the spot. He wants to leave because the job isn't a good fit for him, and he wants to go back to school. His preference would be to provide 2 months notice and train a replacement so he doesn't leave anyone hanging. Is giving more than 2 weeks notice a risky thing to do, especially without something else lined up?

9/6/2007 7:43:16 PM

If he's heard that then tell him to not give more than 2 weeks notice. I've heard of this happening many times. Sometimes you can't be Mr. Nice guy, because it's not like if they were going to lay you off they'd give you any type of notice.

9/6/2007 9:59:11 PM

I'm trying to quit mine, but I can't seem to find any jobs in the Greensboro area (long story, but it has to be within driving distance of gboro)

9/19/2007 2:49:13 PM

Me too, but I'm trying to relocate to RTP or Greensboro (not as much). Jobs be hard to find these days!

9/19/2007 3:07:56 PM

You guys think jobs are hard to find NOW? Try graduating 3 months after a couple planes ran into a couple of buildings.

Jobs are all over the place right now. GE is actually having trouble filling all the open positions in my section right now.

9/19/2007 3:41:28 PM

i'm in the market for another job. trying to find a new one while the one i have is still treading water.

9/19/2007 6:34:09 PM

Quote :

"Jobs be hard to find these days!"

wtf are you talking about?

10/2/2007 10:32:51 AM

good jobs?

10/2/2007 2:47:13 PM

all i can say is the day i left my first full time job for law school was one of the happiest days of my life!!!

10/2/2007 8:25:52 PM

i just did this - and am in my 2 weeks period as we speak

the boss was PISSED at first, but finally understands now. I'm just trying to leave without burning any bridges

10/3/2007 10:45:32 PM

Ultimately, it's your boss' fault for not screening you out in the hiring process/paying you well/making you happy.


Hiring a new person is a very costly process, whether your boss realizes that or not. It to his great advantage to find the right fit for positions.

10/3/2007 11:12:02 PM

im thinkin about quitting my job.


i figure i can make a lot of money betting on old sports games.

10/4/2007 2:02:30 AM

I think i'm about to leave my current job

I've found another position that has slightly LESS pay (the biggest hurdle here), but for my professional career, gives me much more room to grow. The place I'm at now is very much a dead end job that has no room for advancement, and taking a 6% paycut is worth getting much more down the road, and also being much happier than I am right now.

I will hand a letter to him and resign in person.

10/4/2007 9:57:26 AM

Once I get in touch with the HR rep for the new job(phone tag right now) I will be resigning from my second job after almost 3 years. The good thing is it is for another position within the same agency so I just have 27 years 4 months remaining until retirement....so my goal to retire before 60 looks like it will happen afterall.

10/6/2007 1:58:25 PM