4/27/2022: Oops I quit my job

[geowench]

I decided not to pressure myself to post every month, and so five months have passed since I last posted.  

As usual, I had a crappy January/February.  I thought things were looking up in March, but then some bullshit went down at my job and I rage quit.  Basically I was accused to being hostile and disruptive at our all hands meeting.  What actually happened is I asked an uncomfortable question.  My newish boss (who wasn't even at the meeting) (and who I call Dolores Umbridge) accused me of yelling at the meeting and said six people complained about me.  I told her I didn't believe that, and furthermore, there was video of the meeting which would show that I was not angry, hostile, disruptive, and certainly I was not yelling, plus I had witnesses who would back me up.  I was told we couldn't watch the video and it didn't have sound anyway.  I replied that even without sound you could tell if someone was yelling or threatening.  They refused to watch the video.  I was told I would have to do a PIP (Personal Improvement Plan) to "manage frustration" or some such shit, and I point blank refused.  So I quit. 

(The Mad Scientist was totally on board with this, in fact he almost insisted that I quit; I might have tried to work things out if he hadn't been pushing so hard for me to leave - something he's wanted me to do for quite awhile, actually.)

Then I bought a brand new car and so now have a 6 year loan payment with no income.  Actually I ordered the car BEFORE I quit, and had to wait 6 weeks for it to be built and sent from Japan (it's a Subaru Crosstrek).  It's OK, though, I actually have enough money in the bank to pay off the car, but since I got a very low interest payment, I'm going to do payments so that I don't wipe out my savings.

So of course I'm going to have to find work, but first I'm taking a long road trip with my brand new car.  The Mad Scientist is going to Prague in May, so I'm going out to CA to see all my old friends.  I'll be gone 2-3 weeks.  I was planning to do this anyway, but I had thought I'd be able to do it using vacation time, and so I wouldn't have to worry about money.  But I'm still going to do it.  I've got quite a bit of $$ saved up (I never used most of the money that I had saved for our Prague trip), so I may as well use some of it.  

I've been unemployed for nearly a month now, and it is stupidly HARD to have no job and no income.  I've worked since I was 9 years old and a lot of my self worth is wrapped up in being a busy little bee who works and takes care of herself.  Living off my husband is really messing with my head.  I'm working on being grateful for this opportunity and trying to enjoy this unexpected down time.

So yeah.  Life can turn on a dime.  Time for a new chapter in my life.

Comments

[mellowtigger]

I'm glad to hear that you have close support. Seriously. It makes a big difference. So... congrats? *noncommittal shrug* :) I'm not even feeling envious at your savings. It allows creative options, and any options are good these days. Stay safe out there.

Next week is my last week on the job, officially. Doing daily work, anyway. Then I burn vacation time for a few weeks, and I return in June for 3 days to do the 8-years-overdue clean up of my cubicle for the next person to take over. I essentially rage quit too, since I wrote my resignation letter the same day I learned of the new "no masks required" policy in the office. I can sympathize with the-thing-that-should-be-happening-but-isn't-happening. A lot. :(

I turned in an application yesterday at University of Minnesota for a job that also mentioned powershell scripting. I LOVE powershell scripting. So maybe something will turn up here too. I wish you good luck! Enjoy your "time off" for now. :)

[geowench]

Thank you for the well wishes. I saw that you quit too. I have no idea what powershell scripting is, but it sounds like there must be opportunities?? Possibly remote opportunities?

[srb]

I will confess to major curiosity about the "uncomfortable" question you asked.

Sending you an email in a bit to talk dates and job stuff. :)

FWIW, I'm glad you quit.

[geowench]

So my former boss, who is now my boss's boss, made us all move offices and had no good reason why. I was (admitedly unreasonably) NOT happy about this and so I asked the BIG boss (Director) during the All Hands Q&A Session if he could explain the move to us. He could not. Yeah I should have kept my mouth shut. But he should have had an answer for me. It (the move) caused QUITE a disruption and lowered morale considerably. And I genuinely was respectful in asking the question.

[geobabe1]

Yeesh. Sounds like quitting was the right move.

[geowench]

I keep telling myself that!

[fineplan]

Wow, that's a lot of change! I'm glad you get to have a nice long road trip. That part sounds great!

I can imagine how hard having no work is... I get all out of sorts without that kind of schedule and demand on my time. Guess I am not very good at managing myself.

[geowench]

Yeah, I definitely do better with a schedule. So I guess I should set one for myself eventually.

[fineplan]

What kind of stuff will you put in it? :)

[mrs_redboots]

I've always rather enjoyed those periods of my life when I haven't had a job to go to, although money was always a bit of a worry. Do you not have unemployment benefits where you live, aka jobseekers' allowance? I never bothered to claim it, but I could have. Now I'm retired, of course, and have my pension and so on, but what I don't have is the health I would like to have to enjoy it!

[geowench]

I think you can only claim Unemployment if you are laid off, not if you quit. We also probably make too much money for me to claim it anyway. So yeah, I'll start job hunting when I get back from my trip. In the meantime, I'm enjoying being slothful.

[old_black]

Good for you! I admire someone who is honest and strong enough to tell the boss what they really think. I would have ended up staying uhappily in the crappy job. These days I'd be too fearful of the consequences of quitting in such circumstances. But it sounds like you really didn't have a lot of choice - who would want to work for that sort of boss? My self-concept is certainly tied up with being a worker, and it fills up the days rather nicely, given that I have no desire to travel the world or take on any other projects.

I hope you have a great road trip and come back to find a much better job.

[geowench]

I would have sucked it up and stayed and felt like cr@p if it weren't for the mad scientist. I'm very grateful that he's willing to literally support me this way. But I'm definitely second guessing myself.