Put in my 2 weeks

That Random Guy

I finally did it. I put in my notice this morning after a very awkward and cringey phone call but I managed to keep my head in and all in all, it looks like I'm moving on.

I feel like I failed my mission. Feel like a dick 'cause I'm leaving during COVID. I didn't really improve on anything here and that's all mainly 'cause everything is either half dead or things just get kicked down the road. There's no time, money, or resources to solve/fix everything that's breaking down.

I learned a bit. I learned of my errors, some lingo, and some procedures. I learned to pull things out of my ass a little better. Still have trouble with not giving a straight "no" under pressure but I'll get there.

Despite it all, I don't feel proud. Feels like I'm just running away (which I sort of am). They don't even have a replacement for me yet. This whole thing has been a let-down because of the notion that if I can't pull myself to tackle some challenges head on, when would I? Granted a lot of it was out of my reach and I was dealing with things out of order but still.

In the back of my head, all I can see are the words "failure" and "coward".

How did you guys handle your first resignation?

triplea

something along the lines of thanks for not hiring me for the internal junior IT intern position in the company. without this encoragement I would not of had the determination to apply for an IT external IT role which I have now secured.

JDMurray

I was so fed up with being mistreated by my boss that I couldn't bring myself to go back to work after taking a vacation. I did have to go in to sign some closing paperwork and only saw the HR manager. She didn't blame me at all for leaving, as the place was a malaise of distrust and mismanagement. No guilt whatsoever on my part; however, I actually quit before having another job lined up, which was very risky at the time. I found my next job after two days and it was much, much better.

chrisone

If you are going to a better company, better pay, better job duties, then it was all worth it. The struggles are part of the journey, moving forward sometime isn't pretty. Question, why should you feel like a failure? because you didn't design a "state of the art" network/SOC/cloud architecture? If you were in an environment that didn't celebrate the minor accomplishments then its probably not a place that will give much appreciation to the bigger accomplishments. Trust me, if your current employer had to let you go because of COVID, they would not feel bad one bit. Its not like the CEO or IT Director will be calling you or visiting you to make sure you are ok. 

E Double U

Since I have not had to resign from any role under similar conditions, this is interesting to read. I started my IT career as a subcontractor so when there wasn't work I was sent home and only paid for the hours I worked. When I left those roles it was understood and expected so no hard feelings since they were not meant to be lifelong careers (plus I had no benefits). I spent six years with my next employer before being laid off as they offshored work and shut down operations locally. The job I left after that was because I relocated to another continent so no hard feelings there either. Spent three years there before the big move and still have good relationships with people there. 

Not once have I felt like a coward or failure for moving on. If I was mistreated and not appreciated somewhere I would not have any qualms about leaving. 

LonerVamp

Keep your head up; some places are just not salvageable/save-able if they don't want to be. If you're speaking about infosec, then this is always (always!) going to end up with frustration at some point as controls or risk are just not done or accepted as is, respectively.

At the end of the day, you work for you. This is your life. You should be happy and effective where you are. And if you're not, don't feel like you owe the company anything. They paid you, and you worked. They certainly will never feel like they owe you! (That said, don't be a dick, and if it's helpful for networking in your local area, it's better to leave on at least balanced terms like you describe.)

The first time I resigned, it was due to being sold a job position that didn't end up as advertised, and I was just managing firewalls and firewall migrations for customers. I gave it 12 months for the manager to deliver on promises (including a manager swap near the start), but it never materialized, and I needed to improve my career elsewhere.

It'll all work out in the end if you retain your integrity, honesty, hard work ethics, and are a truly kind person.