Today, I quit my job.
I can’t tell you how good it felt just to type that. I quit my job. I feel like maybe there’s a chorus of angels somewhere waiting for me to say it out loud so they can sing back-up.
The offer came in this morning sometime around 10, and by 11, I was behind closed doors, giving my notice. The Man was not pleased. In fact, he was really, really freaked out. And he tried everything in his power to change my mind.
First came the counter offer. Or offers. I had a fifteen thousand dollar raise and a four-day workweek before I made it absolutely clear that it wasn’t about money. I was taking a ten thousand dollar pay cut to take this new job. This new job was about something bigger than money. Next came the parental tactic (I’m so disappointed) and when that didn’t budge me, the Man appealed to my very core. He cut me to the quick.
“Don’t you care anything about shoes? Because, there goes your shoe budget!”
In the end, we were laughing, amid his threats to have me chained to the desk and fed me pizza and Japanese food (on rotation), and I walked out of his office feeling even more convinced that was I doing the right thing.
This was what I needed to get out of my funk – this new reason to get out of bed. In two weeks, I’ll be taking a bus to Harlem to work for a not-for-profit charter school. I’m promised some of the same sorts of tedium I have encountered at my current firm, to be sure, but this growing feeling of excitement over knowing what I’ll be doing makes a difference – a real difference – makes that all seem very secondary. These people are changing lives and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I do believe we have entered the Idealistic Stage.
Very good! If I was to take a ten thousand dollar pay cut, then I would simply cease to exist. There would no longer be any me. In fact, the non-me which would then come into existence would be ever so slightly in debt.
I believe there goes your shoe budget. Way to go, Fish!
well done matey–i began to have this sinking feeling then that you were going to tell us you were making enough money to survive off the blog or just writing alone and i wanted to spoon my own eyes out with jealousy but what you are doing is one of the those utterly selfless wonderful things that i couldn’t even begin to fathom doing, so, god, well bloody done.
H…way to go…if it makes you feel better about your life…then good choice…making a difference in life is what keeps me going…hope you enjoy the new job…like you said…money isn’t everything…
good luck in your new adventure saving the world. it is sad saving the world doesn’t pay better. but not all compensation is measured in legal tender.
Ahh Idealism. It feels good don’t it? Watch out for the backlash into 2nd guessing and resignation. I trust that you will use all of your skills to make that non-profit run even better. Congradulations to making a difference in the world… now go buy some good and comfy shoes that will last… you’ll need them.
Way to go!
Congratulations! And I must say, I’m jealous. I’d love to work for a non-profit, but I need to keep earning my current salary to pay off a bunch of debt. Someday, maybe. For now, I’ll read all about your adventure!
The world smiles upon decisions like these.
You’ll love it.
Non-profit is a great way to go when you’re a great talent and a unique personality.
Congratulations. You’re definitely up for the challenge.
And an inspiration – now moreso.
Congrats Fish. I recently decided to go back to school and become a teacher, after already getting my B.A. and Masters Degree in subjects totally unrelated to teaching. Sometimes a change can truly do you good. Kudos.
What was your old job? From “firm”, I gather you’re a lawyer? How common it is to become disillusioned with the hefty paychecks and The Man in general. Way to stay true to yourself!
Good luck in your new venture, Heather.
Now that you quit, tell us what your old job was! I’ve been reading for years and I’m dying to know!
Congrats! Being a teacher is wonderful. And yes, we enter with idealism, but realism will hit you soon enough. So bask in the glow you feel and relish the thought of opening all those doors. It really is a wonderful thing.
Congrats! I scored a new job myself this week, so yay for us!
I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!! i am dancing on my desk. you know the dance: the fists closed, moving in rotation, whilst the hips go in some opposite rotation, and my lips are inverted inward into my mouth. YOU GO GRRRL!!!
Congrats!…not just for landing the new job, but for realising what you need to do to relight your fire. The architects will miss you.
Does this mean even more columns from the spreadsheet are out the window?
How courageous of you to do what many of us in our hearts may want to do, but fear our pocketbooks won’t let us do. The not-for-profit school is lucky to have you Ms. Fish. Congrats!
I did marketing for an interior design firm. I’m not going to be teaching now, mind you, I’ll be bringing in the dough (hopefully) among other things. It’s going to be an adventure.
good luck.
i hope it makes you all happy on the inside for a really long time to come.
Woo hoo! Congratulations. And have fun in your new job.
I am proud of you!
good on ya fishy!!!! but stories abt ur previous workmates will be missed.
i did the same thing this week. gave up a “well paying job” to work for myself. its all too scary at times but i couldnt be happier
oh my god, I am so proud of you! This is great. I can’t wait to hear more about this.
good for you. really good for you.
Congrats, Fish! You sound happy….and that makes me happy for you
Everyone I have ever known who worked for a nonprofit organization has said they don’t get fat paychecks, but what they *do* get is a feeling of doing something for the greater good….and that makes it all worth it. Best of luck!
You should be proud of yourself. Someday when I have to choose, I will think of what you did. Hopefully, it will give me the strength, courage and wisdom to do the right thing. You go girl! You don’t want to wear those shoes in harlem anyways, they’ll call you “The Bitch”.
Congrats on the new job!
Wonderful! Working for a not for profit school will be aggravating at times, but you’ll go home each day feeling you did something that mattered. You’ll often feel humbled, too, and that always puts things in perspective when you get a little melancholy.
Sounds great! Good Luck on the new adventure.
How so completely wonderful, Fish. Good job, way to go, good luck, and all those other smiley, happy, fuzzy sentiments I can send your way.
)
I don’t know you personally, yet I feel very proud of you! Welcome to the world on nonprofits! You’ll have your struggles, but in the end you’ll feel better about yourself and that you’re not just making a bunch of money “for the man.” You’ll do great!
Oh, that is SO wonderful. I have done work extensively in charter schools and I am so excited for you.
Congrats Fish! What a brave and wonderful thing to do. Making a difference makes all the difference in the world.
baby jesus is smiling, you know. lol
Heather- When I heard, I was hoping that you were moving onto bigger better things. In my heart I know you will continue to be what you are now, a remarkable woman. I am so very happy for you. -gregg
Good luck!
Outstanding! And remember, if anyone gigs you by saying, “So, saved the world yet?” the correct answer is, “No, but I’m not going home for another (number) minutes.” That’s not advice; it’s just a fact.
It takes a lot of courage and conviction to do what you did. Bravo! And congratulations for resigning with grace and eloquence. I’m looking forward to reading (a least a bit) about your new job and its adventures.
YEAH FOR YOU and also for all those kids who get someone like you at their school.
are you going to be teaching???
way to go fish! i am so happy for you and admire your confidence and drive. wahoo!
Hooray! Congratulations! I’m glad there are people out there who give up highly-paying jobs to make a difference – someday I hope to do something similar, although as a doctor instead of in a school. Maybe I could go to a school and give all the kids physicals … I’ll think of something. Anyway, congrats!
congrats! what exactly will you be doing with the school?
awesome fish! absolutely awesome! i stopped working at a commercial law firm to start at a refugee advocacy organisation- my wage was cut by 4/5′s but my sense of happiness doubled. welcome to the other side!
YAY! That’s great, Fish! Happy day! I’m so excited for you!
I am an English teacher, and I think what you are doing is amazing. Despite very hard financial times, I feel like gold when I wake up each morning. Good luck!
Congratulations! I really admire what you are doing. Good luck!
Congrats Fish…you have just made me re-look at my current job and what I want to change…and need to start working towards…
Good for you!!!
I’m torn between being jealous oh and more jealous. I really want to write this post for myself, you know, as soon as I can get the numbers scribbled on the back of an envelope to work.
Congratulations!! I left my job in NY a couple of years ago to go back to school so I can work with kids, and have never looked back. It’s the most amazing feeling to be doing something you believe in, to be happy with the direction your life is taking. It’s a hard decision, and completely worthwhile – you should be very proud of yourself. Best of luck!
I second all the woo-hoos here. It is refreshing to see someone not get caught up in the “I have to” attitude. I love watching see someone make the decision to follow a dream. It is inspirational and a reminder to us all that anything is possible, that what we do is more important than what we make, and that fear need not bind us to the mundane. Congratulations Fish. I am sure those kids lives will be enriched by someone who is bold enough to follow dreams and perhaps inspired enough to go after their own.
A 10K pay cut and a 15K raise amounts to essentially a 25,000 paycut. with a 4 day work week, you probably could have done a lot of good for the non-profit by donating the 25,000 a year and volunteering to work with them on your day off, (and nights and weekends since you are so passionate about it). That would probably work out great for them. They could have hired another person full-time (who wasn’t already employed?), who you could consult with (give them all of your groundbreaking ideas which they would implement) AND they would have all of that extra capital!
But then I’d still have to hate my job. I like my way better.
Just so you realize you are not being completely magnanimous. Every aspect of life has a bit of selfishness involved.
Or to rephrase a previous poster, if you had taken the selfless route of keeping your job and donating your time and money:
” Wonderful! Working at your unpleasant job in order to donate to a not for profit school will be aggravating at times, but you’ll go home each day feeling you did something that mattered. You’ll often feel humbled, too, and that always puts things in perspective when you get a little melancholy.”
Dog bro, get a girlfriend.
Oh, and ^5 high five for Fish. With wicky slappy sounds and all. Whipppssishcha.
So brave! good job, and God Bless!
Congrats! And good luck with your new job.
Fish,
How exciting! Make sure to check out noprofit called Harlem RBI. They focus on out of school time. Here’s to looking forward to going to work in the morning!
Susanne
I guess that should put to rest that commenter’s earlier concern that you weren’t following through with your post-Katrina statement, eh?
Congratulations and good luck on your new path, Fish!
After reading one particular poster I will just say, “Remember the mundane I mentioned; those who say I ‘have to’ do this instead of that?” Yeah, it’s a shame that one person need be so cynical. You’ll bring something another paid person will not, passion and you.
Congrats! That’s fantastic news. I’m happy for you. (Happy to have me right about now, huh?)
Congrats!
the dog actually has a boyfriend… and was just trying to engage in a philosophical conversation about how interesting it is when we congratulate ourselves or each other for doing something good, when possibly more good could have been done with an alternate route. of course it is just a possibility, there is always the possibility that the somewhat selfish choice could be better. it is good to think through all of the possibilities before making a choice, and perhaps fish did consider giving her extra 25,000 to the non-profit, and the extra day to volunteer, but probably not as the offer came after she had made her decision, so you can’t fault her for not thinking of that possibility beforehand. i have the benefit of reading about the story afterward and pondering the economics of the situation. I don’t think it is cynical… i think if you are trying to maximize impact in terms of doing good in people’s lives, you need to look closely at the situation.
For example, let’s say Bill Gates gave away all of his money to some random person who didn’t participate in his philanthrophical endeavours. Let’s say Bill Gates did this to work with the children South America as a nurse, or to help them learn how to be an entrepenuer. Perhaps he would be passionate about it and feel very fulfilled, but would it be responsible of him to take away the millions in funding he gave them for medicine in order to feel better about what he did on a daily basis? It’s an interesting thing to contemplate. A moral dilemma even. No need to take the Gates metaphor any further… it is an unrealistic situation posed to shed light on the discussion. And i am not trying to be judgmental… I don’t have room to talk because I don’t do very much charitable work… i just take care of my daughter and work at a big ad agency. Let’s call it food for thought.
Good on yah Fish!
Dog: the problem with doing maximum external good at the cost of personal misery is that it isn’t sustainable. Eventualy you get so worn down that you can’t do any good at all. There’s gotta be a balance.
“Iâm promised some of the same sorts of tedium I have encountered at my current firm, to be sure, but this growing feeling of excitement over knowing what Iâll be doing makes a difference â a real difference â makes that all seem very secondary.”
Long time reader, first time poster.
Congratulations on the new job. Two cents from my experience: Nonprofit work is very rewarding, but it will burn you out if you let it. There’s always more you could do, but you can’t bring the planets into alignment by yourself. It’s a group responsibility. And, quite frankly, in my opinion the group isn’t pulling its weight (which can make it self-conscious and overly critical). But remember that the fact you are doing something more than your average bear–working to secure funds so the children at your charter school can get a higher quality education– should always make you feel better, not worse. It is an admirable thing.
Good luck.
Way to go! While it might be tough adjusting the shoe budget to the smaller salary, it will be more than made up for by the six-figure karma. Any time you can do something you enjoy and help other people at the same time, you are truly blessed.
wow, congratulations! and the very best of luck to you!
Ok, admit it. You’re just doing this to increase your chances of running into Bill Clinton, aren’t you?
heh
Congratulations! That’s fantastic — how brave and exciting!
I hope this new position is everything you hope it will be.
Good for you! I hope you enjoy your new job.
hey that’s exciting..waking up everyday and knowing that you’re going to be used for a purpose.
I would give anything for a 4 day work week. But I bet it was an offer just to get you to stay, and in no time you’d be back to 5 days. Workloads don’t change.
you made a decision. and you made it known. i envy that. secretly i’ve made many decisions. it’s the follow through (strength) i lack. congrats deary.
Good for you!!!
I have superlative strength. Follow through, follow through, ad infinitum. It’s just that I lack the wherewithal to stop — relax a little.
Congrats Fish. I’m thrilled for you. Best of luck with the new job =)
I realize I don’t know you and vice versa, but may I just say how completely jealous, impressed, and proud of you I am. How absolutely wonderful for you. I hope it exceeds your expectations 6 months into the job.