Rant/Rave: Gave My Notice

[JackofDiamonds]

4 weeks. I don't have another job lined up. Long complicated story about how it came to this point, but the CEO asked me to lunch today to talk about taking on more clients and I told him that I couldn't do that because I was thinking of leaving. Conversation turned to how serious that was, ended up with us deciding that I should head out so they can hire my replacement before year-end stuff gets busy.

What. To. Do.

[Freed Roger]

How serious were you about leaving before the lunch?

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Boy. That's a tough situation. I admire your candor though can't say I'd have done the same thing.

[IMADreamer]

I wish the best for you and I hope brighter and greener pastures are in your future.

[longhornbaseball]

Good luck buddy. Things are a lot better now than they were a couple years ago. I think you'll be fine. Gotta be scary, though.

[planet planet]

It's kind of hard to comment without know the context/back story, but I'm sure you'll end up with a great job in no time.

[JackofDiamonds]

TL;DR: [expletive]

Sitting on a train from Boston to New Haven. I'm heading down to Yale to meet up with my fiancée and her parents for the weekend.

I've had some drinks.

5 years ago I joined a high net worth wealth management firm as a senior associate. I worked my way up to senior consultant 3 years ago, but was stuck behind a very capable, but difficult to work with, partner. In the fall of my promotion year, I asked for a change of position in the firm because I could see I was blocked... Two months later, my boss is diagnosed with stage (something serious) ovarian cancer, and is out for a year. I step up to work directly with the CEO to run nearly $500M in assets while my former boss goes through chemo and radiation, kill it, get a great review. Etc etc.. Happily, obviously, my boss completes treatment, goes into remission, and returns to the office.

Instead of moving me out and giving me new clients, we spend an awkward year with me back as the subordinate and the CEO and my boss now sharing team lead duties. In July of 2012, I openly discussed with my CEO that I was unhappy in my role, that I was very disappointed that I was pushed backwards despite succeeding, and asked him if it made sense for me to stay (I had received a sizeable bonus/raise after that summer after running the team and passing the CFP). He mentioned that he saw me as a future director, etc etc, I'll have new opportunities... Now it's September, nothing has changed.

It's review time, I write an honest review that I am unhappy in my new role without seeing the career path in front of me. They give me new office, promise to move me out from my current boss and let me take on new clients. Instead, since March, I have been assigned as staff to other directors with no new clients under my management.

So I decide its time to think about options, leave the firm/industry... but I'm planning a wedding and my fiancée is a PhD scholar (small stipend, my income is important), so I decide to suck it up and stick it out for now, while studying for the GMAT and applying to b-school... then today happens, they finally offer me clients, but the clients are awful (I am only getting them because another Sr. consultant is quitting and the clients are small but high maintenance) and I would be starting new client relationships though I'm thinking of leaving in the next year.

I tell the truth because I don't want to [expletive] over the firm, and now we've mutually agreed that I should leave in 4 weeks.


[expletive]. [expletive] [expletive]. I now have to study for the GMATs for the next two weeks, then I have two weeks to figure out if I should apply for another job in finance or just bartend until May when I get married and leave for business school if I'm accepted. Or I could work at a startup and lie about applying to school, either burning a bridge in an industry when I'm accepted and leave, or bartending for what I think is just a few months but turns out to be 18 months because I wasn't accepted to HBS or Sloan.

REALLLLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONVO TOMORROW WITH MY FIANCÉES PARENTS.

Now I have to worry about whether I can really afford the bottle of bourbon I am drinking on the train.

[JackofDiamonds]

Sorry. Ugh.

[expletive].

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I tell the truth because I don't want to [expletive] over the firm, and now we've mutually agreed that I should leave in 4 weeks.


[expletive]. [expletive] [expletive]. I now have to study for the GMATs for the next two weeks, then I have two weeks to figure out if I should apply for another job in finance or just bartend until May when I get married and leave for business school if I'm accepted. Or I could work at a startup and lie about applying to school, either burning a bridge in an industry when I'm accepted and leave, or bartending for what I think is just a few months but turns out to be 18 months because I wasn't accepted to HBS or Sloan.

REALLLLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONVO TOMORROW WITH MY FIANCÉES PARENTS.

Now I have to worry about whether I can really afford the bottle of bourbon I am drinking on the train.

Just a couple quick thoughts.

If you've got to study for the GMATS for two weeks, this seems perfect. It seems like your workload should be dwindling and that should provide extra time to study?

You're smart enough to know pretty much as soon as you take it how you did....at least I would think.

Regardless, I'd recommend getting another job in finance and being honest about your situation. It may limit your position, obviously they're not going to bring on someone to manage clients if you're only there for 11 months. But.... it'll be a day job and provide benefits and a steady income for your wedding. Worst case scenario is you don't find a match anywhere and end up bartending.

It is a messy situation, but just be sure to tell your fiancée's parents they're gonna have to foot the bill for the wedding because you're soon to be unemployed

[cardsfansince82]

If you've got to study for the GMATS for two weeks, this seems perfect. It seems like your workload should be dwindling and that should provide extra time to study?

You're smart enough to know pretty much as soon as you take it how you did....at least I would think.

You get the score back immediately. It's all multiple choice on computer.

but turns out to be 18 months because I wasn't accepted to HBS or Sloan.

Don't be that guy.

Sorry to hear about your situation, though. I had a bit of a last straw moment with my manager this morning too. I'm not going to quit until I have something else lined up because I'm a [expletive], but I made it pretty clear I am seeking other employment. I don't have near the obligations you have, but I'm still pretty worried. I'm not sure I can find anything fairly quickly that is the same or better.