I did it today. Resigned from my current job.  It feels good to no longer tolerate a very bad working situation.  It also feels unfinished to me – I would absolutely not be leaving if it weren’t for the actions and behavior of one person.  But for my physical and mental health, for my relationships – with my boyfriend, my friends, I cannot continue forward on my current path.

I looked up the word resignation on the internet…  the definition is ‘relinquishment of responsibility’.  Synonyms include abandonment, giving up, leaving, quitting, surrender, withdrawal…  Harsh words.

My optimistic side tells me to look at the bright side – that I’m taking control of a bad situation, turning a new leaf, making a healthy decision, choosing a different path. My very thoughtful boyfriend ATrain tells me that this bad situation has pushed me into a new opportunity that I might not have otherwise have seen/taken.  Unicorns is proud of and excited for me.

For now, I’m brooding. I’m unsettled, uncomfortable. Maybe it’s just the circumstances.  Maybe it’s the change.  Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve made some bad professional decisions in the past. Maybe it’s because I’ve had so much change in my life over the last 4 years.  But I’ve never had to leave a job before.  I guess there is a first time for everything.

For those of you interested, here is my resignation letter in its entirety.   Name replaced to protect the guilty.

Please accept this email as official notification of my intent to resign from my position as a Sr. Solution Consultant two weeks from now.  My last day will be Friday, Oct. 26th.  

Over the last two years, I have been inspired by the talent and professionalism of my colleagues and by the power and flexibility of this amazing product.  That has made my decision to leave the company especially difficult.  However, since I began working with Man Hands, I have been in turmoil. 

I have always believed that the surest path to success is for an EA and an SC to work as partners, to collaborate on account strategy and to communicate transparently with each other.  Unfortunately, Man Hands does not share this point of view.  She has been consistently mistrustful of me without cause, has withheld information from me that is critical to my success and to our company’s success at Cisco, and has attempted to tarnish my reputation with colleagues.  And despite the fact that I have gone well beyond the call of duty, logging 12-15 hour days and consistently working weekends for the last six months, her attitude towards me remains unchanged.  Working under such stressful conditions has become mentally and physically debilitating and for that reason, I must resign.

Resigning for these reasons is extremely disconcerting, but, given the circumstances, I don’t feel I have much choice. Senior management does not seem troubled by Man Hands abusive behavior toward me,  therefore, I doubt that any change is imminent.  I have really enjoyed working with you, our team, and the SE organization.  I am passionate about the technology and have really enjoyed being on the forefront of building strong relationships with companies like XXX and XXXX.  And I want to thank you for being a wonderful manager. I appreciate more than you know your support during some of the most difficult times I’ve had professionally.  I know you did everything you could to improve my working conditions and I appreciate that.  I sincerely hope that my resignation does not reflect adversely upon you in any way.

Please let me know if I can provide any assistance with the transition. I would be glad to provide whatever support I can during my remaining time with the company.

And with this letter, I have officially resigned.  I feel good about letting them know why, but I know it still doesn’t change anything. It is what it is.