Today, I gave my 2 weeks notice, and I feel great!

[Yavin4]

My department has lost 12 people out of 20 over the past 3 years, and no one has been replaced. My workload and responsibilities have skyrocketed. I'm expected to answer emails on my weekends and vacations. Oh, do that without OT. Yes, I get a year end bonus, but it was cut by 30% from last year and 50% from 3 years ago.

I'm finishing a graduate program in Data Science/Machine Learning, and then I look for a new gig sometime in the fall. Hopefully, this covid crisis will be over by then.

Goodbye to that hellhole.

[leftieNanner]

1. Good for you Yavin4!

I'm amazed that you lasted as long as you did.

Wishing you the best of luck for a new job.

[Yavin4]

3. I was there for 8+ years.

It was literally hell from day one. The lone good thing about the place was that it was a big team, and the work was evenly distributed. I got to have a nice work/life balance. In the last 3 years, that all started going away. So, it became a regular hellhole with more work.

[AZ8theist]

51. I quit my last job with ZERO notice...

And BOY OH BOY did that feel great!!
The job started off ok, but a few years in a new boss was hired. Didn't know a damn thing about the equipment we worked on, yet micromanaged the staff ridiculously. Then he told the customer he knew more about the equipment than his engineers did -- what an asshole.
Couldnt wait to give him the giant middle finger.

[Loge23]

52. When they fire folks, there's no notice.

Yet the workforce are expected to give a "customary" two-week notice when they have an opportunity to work in a better environment than the one they're leaving.
Working, like just about everything else in this country, really sucks for the most part. Incompentant management/leadership is the primary culprit.
(Full disclosure: I'm a retired corporate manager)

[AZ8theist]

54. I completely agree with your point.

I used to be a manger as well, and I can admit I sucked at it. Sure they tried to give me training,, but you are usually put into impossible situations. Especially when dealing with adults who act like children.
That being said, yes, incompetent management is rampant in the work force. I stopped being a manager and returned to engineering. The equipment doesn't talk back to you or spread rumors behind your back.
Then along comes a micromanaging IDIOT, and well, as the baseball announcer once said " A. B. C. ya later!!!"

[blm]

2. 👏🏽👏🏽

[magicarpet]

4. Hope all works out nicely for you,...

.... sounds like your boss taking advantage of people is his greatest attribute.

[Yavin4]

5. I have 5 bosses all in the same department.

When I started the staff was 45 and 5 bosses. When I leave, the staff will be 22, but guess what. There are still 5 bosses. During the last 3 years, 4 of my original bosses quit, and they replaced all of them. 23 of the staff quit but they haven't replaced any of them.

[EricL]

20. It's called managing...

|

[Atticus]

6. I made a similar leap many years ago and it worked out better than I could have dreamed.

Years from now, you will look back and shudder at what your life might have been like if you'd stayed "there".

Good luck.

[Midnightwalk]

7. Data science sounds very promising

Good luck! 👍

[Yavin4]

11. It's more like Machine Learning.

Data Science, Machine Learning, Data Analyst...these terms get thrown around like candy. A Data Scientist normally holds a PhD in statistics or computer science or another math related field. Companies should only hire them when they have a massive R&D budget because a Data Scientist is mostly doing research.

A Machine Learning engineer is a more applied field. You apply existing algorithms to the data, but there's no hard and fast rule about any of this.

Everyone has their own definition. I just have to find my way in that world.

[angstlessk]

12. Would that be AI?

Just watched the program on that...seems to be the future for employment,

[Yavin4]

17. Yes. AI is a part of the field.

Programming machines to mimic human cognitive functions.

[SWBTATTReg]

48. Yeah, I had to laugh when you said this. I started in IT in 1975, and of course it was all rolled..

up into one thing back then. And now, you see all of these terms thrown around / sprinkled around / etc. It's all the same basically, you're designing/coding/etc. a computer program/process and that's it. I am glad to hear that you switched job preferences to IT. I have five degrees, 4 in accounting/auditing/economics/ and 1 in DP/IT. My dad advised me to go into IT/DP when I asked for his advice (he told me that if you want to count 20,000 dozen eggs for the rest of your life, go ahead and be an accountant. That's when I got into IT (I loved it from the the start).

You'll love it. You'll face many of the same challenges that you'll get in other fields but in IT, you get paid more, you see far more of the picture than just one tiny portion, etc. My best wishes and Congrats to you!

[Yavin4]

50. Thanks. There's a gold rush into the data field, and most will come up empty.

Unless your company has a huge R&D budget, you don't need a MIT PhD, but I guess some companies want that prestige to sell to the shareholders. I hear that most Data Scientists clean data most of the day. That's like a surgeon washing bed pans, a huge waste of talent. A true Data Scientist should be running massive research projects and publishing articles.

A Machine Learning Engineer, which is what I aspire to, should lead an integrated team of Data Analysts, Architects, Visual presentations, App Developers, and other such jobs. Apply existing Supervised Learning algorithms to existing datasets to provide data driven decisions.

My fear is that most companies will rush into hiring Data Scientists putting them in the wrong role, not get a return on their investments, and shit talk the entire data field, making it harder for folks in the industry.

[Mike 03]

8. Best of luck to you and congratulations on making the change.

It sounds like you were slowly being trapped into a rotten situation, an avalanche of work that would just have kept growing and buried you.

And you have a plan going forward that sounds so much more promising (and well-timed, all things considered).

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Good for you! Quitting a crappy job is a great feeling.

[SheltieLover]

10. Congrats!

[OldBaldy1701E]

13. You mean to tell me

that you have dared to stop being a 'good employee' and decided to run with the 'treat me like I would treat you' crowd?!?! You dare think an employer should not skim anything he can from the reason he is making money in the first place?!?!

(Good on you. I hope things work out for you and I hope things improve!)

[Yavin4]

18. I have one manager that does absolutely nothing all day. Literally, nothing all day.

He's making close to $200 K a year. He's been promoted three times since I have been there. He has a personal connection with a powerful decision maker in the company, and that's all it takes to be promoted there. Meanwhile, the work still has to be done which is what I and my former colleagues did.

No more.

[OldBaldy1701E]

37. Hear Hear!

I spent almost a decade working at a private school, and let me tell you, there were a few 'faculty' and staff there who made many times over what I made, and yet I was the one making them look good to the parents. Hell, we had one person there with a degree in computer science who had to call me into the library to get her wireless mouse to work. Remember, this person has a degree in CS... I have what I taught myself and have gleaned from others who would show me what to do. She could not get it to work. I went in, unplugged the receiver for ten seconds, and plugged it back in. Worked fine. Remember, this person has a college degree and made way more than I did. (And no, this was not an isolated incident by any means.)So, I can relate completely to your sentiment. I just wish hard work meant as much as dick waving and ass kissing. As the one meme says so succinctly, "If hard work truly were the mark of greatness and the path to prosperity, this country would be run by Mexican immigrants."

[luvtheGWN]

44. It's not "what" you know, but "who" you know,

unfortunately.

[LAS14]

14. What field were you in? nt

[Yavin4]

19. I'll send you a personal email.

I've given away a lot already.

[BigmanPigman]

15. A lot of jobs increase your workload

Last edited Mon Jan 4, 2021, 06:44 PM - Edit history (1)

but not the pay and hours. Slave labor has been the norm for 40 years in the US thanks to Reagun.

[tiredtoo]

24. Never thought of that but

I retired from General Motors in 1997 for the same reason. Had me running 3 crews still getting paid for running 1.

[BigmanPigman]

27. As a teacher they fired 1/3 of the staff and

they expected us to do their work for the same salary. Nope, not me! The more work they gave me that wasn't part of my job the less I did. Two can play that game. Two other long term jobs pulled the same BS while minimum wage was stagnant for years...not fair so I did what was fair and cut my own workload, they never realized it since I knew how to hide it. It is a matter of "fair is fair". I refuse to be exploited by greedy businesses/employers. This is one reason why I became the union rep at my site.

[Auggie]

16. New year, new job!

Congrats

[iluvtennis]

21. Good for you. I was faced with similar situation some years ago

and after about a year of doing the work of multiple people, I resigned. I also took the company to court to get my unemployment that they denied. Judge ruled for me after hearing what the company had done by giving me the workload of 3 people.

I applaud your decision

[gademocrat7]

22. Best to you!

Take care.

[TNNurse]

23. Good for you. My late mother was given extra work in her job

to justify another person....another person never happened. Along with some other personal issues, she had a total mental breakdown including electroshock therapy. She was never the same. You do not owe an employer your mental or physical health.

Wishing you well on the new job search.

[patphil]

25. Congratulations, that's a very courage step; crawling out of hell.

I think you'll do just fine.

[Botany]

26. Can you get my printer to work?

I'll pay you $25.00

[Sucha NastyWoman]

45. Unplug it for ten minutes, then plug it back in.

No charge.

[lunatica]

28. Starting a whole new life in 2021 sounds quite nice.

And it makes poetic sense too!

[Warpy]

29. I think that's why eco tourism is getting populat, no cell reception

Too many places are playing that game, shrinking a workforce by attrition and expecting everybody to pick up all the work. If one more chirpy suit had said "Do more with less!" to me by the time my body gave out and I quit working, I think I'd be sitting in prison with no parole by now (no DP here).

Good luck on finding a new gig where management hasn't gotten that greedy.

[Fla Dem]

30. Congratulations! Best wishes for success in your future endeavors.

[OhNo-Really]

31. The Greedy Heartless maybe poor managers Bahsteds. Kudos for you. Consulting pays well

[twodogsbarking]

32. I would consider going back to work

just to quit again.

[Native]

33. My daughter's going thru the same thing...

The last job they piled on her was held by an employee who quit because she was doing the work of 3 people & had had enough. She's also working on her Masters...stats background/data science. She's really at a breaking point. Fortunately she only has one semester left. A lot of the added work she's taken on has been because of a hiring freeze where she's employed. They promise her the moon - promotion, bonus, big raise, 3 additional employees to help her, but it's just been one excuse after the other as to why none of that has happened yet. I wish you the best of luck in your new job search. You've picked an excellent field!

[Yavin4]

35. It's a sign that the business is either not doing well or does not want to invest any more into her

dept or company. I think that the same thing is happening to my soon-to-be former company. My department has not had any major capital investment since 2013 and since 2018, they've allowed the staff size to drop. My feeling is that the company does not want to invest any more in our department, except for adding more managers.

[bluescribbler]

34. I know the feeling, except...

I didn't give two weeks' notice. I was working at a temp job just about a year ago. I was attempting to learn a new skill after more than 40 years in the trade, and I didn't think I was getting it. Then, I got a cold. My nose would not stop running. I went through about a dozen kleenex's in one eight hour shift. As I was punching out at the end of the day, I said to the shipper, "I don't know if I want to do this shit anymore." That was Wednesday. Thursday morning I did not feel better, so I called in sick. Friday I did the same because I felt no better. That night I had made a decision. It was my 69th birthday. Talking to my GF that evening, I said, "I've given myself a huge birthday present, I've decided to retire." This was last January, before the lockdown. Couldn't have timed it better, IMHO.

[marble falls]

39. I give employers the same notice they'd give me. I made good money, took no shit, got no ...

... ulcers. But I did good, thorough hard work and never had more off time than I wanted between gigs. I kept my certs up to date and took any class that interested me or boosted my skills.

But brooked with Zero BS.

"You can't just quit with no notice!"
"You fire and layoff with no notice, just think of it as I just fired you."

Life is good when you have options, and you seem to have worked hard to give yourself some good options. It's going to make your life easier and more rewarded.

[flotsam]

36. And in celebration...

?t=4

[marble falls]

41. And then he shot a man in Ohio who wouldn't stop playing that song on the jukebox .

[flotsam]

42. Shhh... N/T

[Woodwizard]

38. Good for you

No one should have to spend 2/3rds of their life doing something they hate. Gave mine 17 years ago to work for myself, bumpy at times but worth it.

[TruthAlwaysWins]

40. Best of luck handling these last two weeks with poise....

I think it’s both professional and commendable that you gave two weeks notice to a company that has continually demonstrated that your value isn’t recognized, appreciated or rewarded. Not that my opinion matters, but if it were me, I’d try to stay on the high road and keep my cool for the remainder of my time there, if only to secure a good recommendation for my CV. Future employers will likely request a reference after an 8-year gig. Congratulations, Yavin4 — keep us posted on what comes next!

[EveDibb]

43. Congrats

Congratulations I know you feel better. My husband‘s company wanted to dump their pensions they had on their books and offered a retirement package. We were not expecting to retire. 80% of the people took the package they lost a ton of knowledge. New hires no longer get a pension.

My husband offered to stay with the company until March -they refused and said he had to retire in December. Well now he’s back because he was doing the job of two people and they couldn’t replace him. However since he’s retired he could quit at any time and leave them up a creek. He says he will not work past May even though the project he’s working on is going to be A disaster no fault of his own.

Maybe this is a trend and when these companies lose employees they’ll get a clue.

[kirkuchiyo]

46. I was at a job for almost 20 years.

I was the first employee but kept in a rather low position as I was the only person with the skills necessary to perform the tasks required. I'd finally had it and sent out some resumes, I still have the picture of the hair on my arm standing straight up when I finally got an interview for what is now my new job. To say the owners were stunned when I left would be an understatement. They have never been able to find someone to effectively replace me. I've been gone for two and half years and my old boss (not an owner and a really good friend of mine now) has actually called me asking if I would be interested in coming back. I had to bite my tongue not to laugh out loud at him. Getting out from a job you hate is just awesome!

And to be clear, I didn't hate what I did, I hated how I had to do it due to lack of resources and support from the owners.

[BobTheSubgenius]

47. It's an incredible relief to walk out some doors, isn't it?

I had a great job, BITD. But it got worse and worse, finally devolving into having a person scheduling my appointments who went out of their way to make my life, and that of my co-worker miserable.

When I did the calculations and realized that, while budgets would tight, I didn't need the job. I made up my mind to give notice, and felt far, far better IMMEDIATELY. I knew it was the right decision, and I've never regretted it. I would love to have that income back, even now, 32 years on, but not at the expense of quality of life.

Do you feel the same?

[oro]

49. As an independent contractor

I was placed with a client nearly two years ago and the company who hires me out still takes 50% of my pay. But I love the client so I'll continue until she says differently. She wants the security of paying me through a company that assumes the risk, but it bothers me. And the company doesn't even give year end bonuses to people like me whom they don't have to place or monitor.

[AngryOldDem]

53. Good on ya!

Wish I could do the same. Companies just push the envelope anymore.