Illustration by Sofia Bews.

Nosotros've all heard the stories. A hotel employee announces that he's quitting his chore via marching band. A reporter leaves her task live, on air (with expletives). Fred and George Weasely ditch Hogwarts with tremendous flair.

I don't know about y'all, simply I've worked plenty crappy/tedious jobs and felt trapped in plenty clubs and organizations to really cheer for these folks. These people are moving on. They're announcing how they expect to be treated. They're taking big steps to make themselves happy.

But it'south important to annotation: These are rare, maybe-once-in-a-lifetime quitting episodes. This is not how you lot leave every task or activity that doesn't work for you lot. Most of the time, for about of your life, when you're washed being part of something, information technology'due south a good idea to quit in a way that honors what a mature, thoughtful, hard-working person you are. With respect and dignity. Not with a marching band. Not with a cake that lists every terrible thing your boss or jitney ever said to yous.

Please don't misunderstand me here: It is totally OK to quit. Truly. You can terminate, and for whatever the reason may exist. Maybe you have a cracking new opportunity. Possibly the chore is truly atrocious, and even though y'all've tried hard to arrive piece of work, you're miserable. No matter what, though, if yous perhaps can, quit with respect and dignity.

Why should you? Why calmly, politely leave a situation that's not working for you anymore or actively making your life atrocious? Why not cover your evil boss'southward cubicle with 12,000 Post-Its that all say "I QUIT"?

…Because you respect yourself. You deserve to quit similar the level-headed boss you are. Also? Life is long, Rooks, and people think. If you quit an activity or a job in a spiteful, public, or "immature" manner, that's called burning a bridge. Your dominate volition call back, you lot coworkers volition remember, your friends will remember. Ten years from at present, ane of your quondam coworkers from the task you very vocally quit might be a boss at a place yous badly want to work for. Trust me: They will recall yous. The way you lot quit was probably a funny story they told to other people at the fourth dimension, just practice you think someone who remembers what happened will think you're a great candidate to hire at their company?

Probably not.

Do Future You a favor and put some thought and care into quitting. Here's how:

1. Make up one's mind for sure.

Are you out? For real? You're done—even if they beg you to stay? What if they offer yous more money, or offer yous new perks or privileges? Know, going in, what might affect your choice to stay or go.

2. Do not tell coworkers or teammates you're quitting before y'all talk to your boss or motorcoach.

1 of them might spill the beans accidentally, and that looks bad for you lot. This literally but happened to me! It sucked! I told a friend I was leaving the job nosotros both worked at, and she announced it in the forenoon meeting before I had said anything to my boss. Not only did it make me look incredibly unprofessional, information technology afflicted the relationship I had with my current boss, whose recommendation I needed for my new job. It as well almost affected my ability to move on to my new, similar task, because I had signed a no-compete clause when I accustomed my onetime job. Hooray.

3. Schedule a time to meet privately with whoever is in charge of any club, action, or job yous want to quit.

It's important to encounter one-on-one with the person you work for or who's in charge. It'due south respectful and polite. Plus: Bosses and people in charge do not like to be caught off baby-sit.

4. Exist direct.

You don't demand to hem and haw and brand pocket-sized talk for twenty minutes and experience guilty before you get to the point that you're quittin'. You can just say, "I wanted to run into with you to let you know that I'm going to be leaving this [chore, lodge, organization]." Yous don't have to apologize.

5. Requite as much notice as you can.

For jobs, giving 2 weeks' detect is standard, but sometimes you get a new job in a hurry, or are moving, or actually cannot abide the idea of two more weeks in a hellscape of a state of affairs.

Giving notice for a job looks like this:

  • Two weeks: "I'm putting in my 2 weeks' detect. Fri the 23rd will exist my concluding day."
  • Less than 2 weeks: "I'1000 sorry I can't requite y'all a full two weeks' notice, only things happened as well apace. Side by side Wednesday will be my terminal mean solar day."

Giving find for an activity looks like this: "I'm going to quit the rails team. I'm happy to run in the encounter next Sat, but that will exist my final meet."

6. Thank the person in charge.

You don't have to say yous enjoyed your fourth dimension in the activity or job. If you did, though, it's peachy to say so! You lot can simply say, "Thanks for the opportunity. I appreciated it and learned a lot."

Being respectful to yourself and respectful to the person/people you've been working with is merely—it'south the right matter to practise. Information technology'due south social currency, a manner our order keeps things ceremonious. It likewise serves your future self, and gives you peace of heed. You know that you lot acted in the all-time mode possible.

And now, my Rooks, it's time for me to announce that this here is the finish of my Life Skills column—at least in its regular grade. I have absolutely loved writing Life Skills, and nosotros'll still continue Life Skills! Just not every calendar month. I'll be writing other articles for Rookie too, which I've actually missed. Likewise: Y'all are PhDs in the School of Life! You lot've got this. I honey you all, graduates, and I'll see yous here presently! ♦