Giving my 2 week notice today
 

I've changed jobs before, and don't remember it being weird, but this time I'm really nervous. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I've been laid off in the past and this time I'm going from a permanent position to a contract position which has the stigma of being less secure (rightly so).

But, my last stepkid is graduating college in a month or so, so she won't be a dependent, so the insurance is less important, and my wife will have insurance starting in Aug, so that's covered.

The big thing is that I'm almost doubling my money with this move. It's supposed to be a long term contract, and the guy that's hiring me is a cousin of a good buddy who'd be taking the job, but it's too far for him to drive. I think I'll also be able to get anywhere from 1-3 other buddies hired on after me (possibly 2 from my current company). So, I hope/think, it'll be a really good move.

But I'm still very nervous.

Good luck "buddy" :)....my day is coming soon enough (but not soon enough for me)...

I changed jobs/industries/moved to a new state/etc a couple of months ago. Scary time economically to be making major changes but sometimes you just gotta say "what the heck". I hope it works out for you.

Sounds like you'll be just fine. Good luck man.
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Just gave my notice. I feel much better. My boss just kept saying "damn, damn, double damn."

Said he couldn't match the new $$ which I knew. Besides, I'd be scared to death to pass up this opp and take a counter offer. Then you're working for more money, for a company that knows that you're ready to leave. Shouldn't be an issue, but I'd be waiting for the axe to fall.

You're not happy about this, are you?:)

Love the dancing bannana! That sums up the feeling of voluntarily leaving a job perfectly. Good luck in the contract world. I went from a secure, (I thought) insured job to the contract side of employment about a year ago. The only downside for me was the insurance, but your wife is covering you there so no worries. My total take home shrank but the write offs at tax time more that made up for it. Good luck!

Good luck Man. Am excited for you.

Congrats! I can't wait myself. A few more hurdles to go (state registration process) and then it'll be my turn (hopefully in 6-12 months).

Next time I give my notice it'll be for good - to go off on my own. I can't friggin' wait. I'm so jealous! Best of luck to you!

In this day and age, I'd say pretty much all professional jobs are "contract" and no permanent committment is given on either side. Sounds like you are making a good decision; just keep working on a long term plan and you'll do fine.

As someone who works in the employment field - as much as you would like to think - we are all here on a temporary basis -

Sounds like a great move for you.
I went out on my own 3 years ago & was scared to death, but it's been fantastic so far & i haven't looked back with ANY regrets - although i though i would be able to play golf anytime i wanted, now i just don't have the time.

Just don't let the door hit you on the a$$ as you leave your current employment. That would be a bummer if it did!

I just work here, and some day I won't...just like EVERYBODY else :)

hahahah. Thanks guys. Yeah, I told my wife that I was nervous and her response I thought was probably right on the mark. There's a sense of guilt leaving a place, but it's misplaced, because they'd get rid of you in an instant if it was convenient or useful to the business.

Another buddy said that it's just business and employees are a commodity, it goes either way. He said that we're paid to do a job, so we're even.

I have always said I owe NO LOYALTY to a corporation...The day that they would give everybody a day off and lower the corporate flag for my funeral would be the day I would pay homage to a corp. They always thought I was working for them, but in reality I was working for myself.

My standard answer when asked "who do you work for?" is "myself...I prostitute my services for a fee" :)

Good luck Steve, I'm sure you'll do great in the new job!

Thanks all! I'm pretty excited. I actually enjoy change, so hopefully this place will keep my interest for a while.

Congrats Steve!
I'm happy for you.
Good Luck with the new gig.

but after working as a bar tender in a peeler bar, it's gotta be all downhill from there anyway?

Well, this is the beginning of my third day.

My old company did try to counter-offer, but it wasn't even close. They asked for a number that I would consider, I gave them one, and they countered way under that number. Supposedly, partially as a result of me leaving, they are going to revisit the payscale for my old group because we were below market. The bonuses this year were crap, but the raises were pretty good.

The first day here was a bit hectic, but things have smoothed out a bit. I was afraid that it was going to be boring, but I don't think it'll be boring for a while yet. THere are plenty of projects and things that need to be fixed. I got one on the first day, and then yesterday I was given another that has a higher priority than the first.

I'm driving into downtown Houston which could really suck, but I'm getting in really early, so the drive is pretty darn fast, 26 miles in 35 minutes. Getting home is another story, but it's still only taking 50-70 minutes, so it could be a lot worse.

I'm pretty excited. The work is similar, but different because before I worked for a service provider and now I'm working in the enterprise. It should be a little challenging and interesting, and, of course, it pays really well compared to my old gig. We should have our debt paid off and a considerable savings in 1.5-2 years.

I am sure it is a good move. BUT, as a consultant you're going to be paying both side of the payroll taxes. I hope you are structuring yourself as a corporation, so that you don't have to double pay on the payroll taxes.

Actually, no, this is a contract gig through a company, so I'm on as a W-2 contractor. According to some other guys that I know that work for the same contracting firm, it's pretty much the same as a regular job RE:taxes/paychecks.

They even have a 401k with matching. The contracting company has full benefits available, but the medical insurance is pricey. That's the main difference between it and any other job.

If you're a contractor, you suddenly have a LOT more tax deductions. ANYTHING that you own/purchase personally, but use for business use, can be a deduction. Mileage on the car, home office, computer, fax, etc. I spend a year as an engineering contractor, and my wife the accountant was able to come up with a huge number of deductions. However, you also pay some form of self-employment tax. I don't precisely remember, that's the wife's department.

Regardless, there are some pros and cons on the tax side. If you are indeed working as a contractor, you should strongly consider talking with an accountant so you can plan now for next year's taxes.

EDIT: nevermind, you posted as I was typing. Congrats on the new gig!

Nervous excitement is good!

agreed.

good luck, did you hear about the recall on the Jeep your daughter is rolling in?

So what do you do, anyways? After all that, I'm a little curious. I guess it's just assumed that you work in the oil/gas industry since you're writing from Houston. :cool:

Yep, we got a notice, and she took it in, thanks.

My last company provided service primarily for the oil and gas industry.

I'm a network engineer, not servers and MS. I work with routers, switches, firewalls, etc..., all of the stuff that allows computers to talk to each other.

I lust for a 1099 contractor job so I can incorporate and write off a lot of stuff. I hate working for the man too and my boss has definitely become the man.

Great, now I find out I've been looking at pictures posted by Dilbert.

hahaha, yep.

Hope your new job works out, but if the workload prevents you from posting pin-up girls we expect you to quit and go back to the old job.

And the pictures of the moon have to stop before you stop posting the girls. :)