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I WAS FIRED OR LAID off 10 times during my career. Why did this happen so often? One reason: I made a decision that I’d never quit a job.
This position was formed during high school when I had a job parking cars at a local Chinese restaurant. I became friends with the guy who’d set up this deal with the restaurant’s owners. While the job was fun, I realized one night that the payment this guy received from the owners wasn’t being divided evenly among all the teenagers parking cars. I quit in anger.
As soon as I did, I felt sick. My father died when I was 15 years old. He was our family’s breadwinner, so I believed we were now poor. From that point on, I decided I needed to pay my own way. I didn’t want to be a burden on my mother. Having let my emotions get the better of me, I felt like a failure. From then on, I determined I’d never again quit any job.
My “never quit” approach helped me to graduate on time. I never dropped any college courses, which allowed me to complete my bachelor’s degree in four years and begin my career.
After college, my “never quit” approach to jobs was primarily driven by my desire to fund my employer’s 401(k) plan. To receive the company match, you sometimes need to remain with a company for five to 10 years, so you become fully vested.
“Never” can be a powerful mental guide. It was a mantra I latched onto after waking up with the worst hangover I’ve ever had. I told myself, “Never again.” I believe many have said the same words after a night of drinking. The difference with me is, when I say “never,” I mean it. I haven’t had an alcoholic drink since that night in 1986.
The final challenge to my “never quit” approach to jobs occurred in 2020. I decided that I wanted to end my working life by my 70th birthday, which would be in March 2021. I believed the company’s final payday in 2020 would be Dec. 17, 2020, which would allow me to maximize my income for the year, maximize my lifetime income for the purposes of Social Security benefits, and maximize 2020’s 401(k) contribution.
I was looking forward to telling my employer to “take this job and shove it.” I never felt I could say that at any of my previous jobs. But the company decided that wouldn’t happen: It let me go on Dec. 11, 2020.
Still, had I been able to do what I wanted and quit on my own terms, I would have walked away with just my final paycheck. But since the company let me go, I not only received my paycheck, but also I got cashed out on all my unused vacation time, I received my Christmas bonus and I got my 2020 profit sharing, along with a severance check.
I felt I had nothing to lose by pushing back on the offered severance package. Result? The company agreed to continue paying me up until the week I began my Social Security benefit on my 70th birthday.
My advice to everyone is “know thyself” and “pick and choose your fights.” These are two expressions I heard from CEOs, and both phrases have stayed with me. When you’re about to quit anything, stop and ask yourself, “Is this the best thing to do?” Take a breath and then decide. There may be a better option.
David you and I are quite similar! I waited till 69.5 years of age to tell the supervisor…”Bud, I can’t see” “Huhhh? What do you mean, can’t see what??” “I can’t see working here no more” . . just in jest but I was serious.
I also did that in 2020, making Dec 12th the last day.
My pension plan used the average of the 5 top years earnings, times a percentage that started out with 12.5% at 5 years. This rises by 2.5% each year up to 30 years. I worked as long as I could, and did all the overtime each year and saved my vacation and sick time for 2020 to sell back.
My S.S. is also the max I could get. No regrets!
Once I got a job, with super retirement benefits, I never quit it, but just hung in there for the max.
Good article.
There is another expression managers say, “Do not burn bridges”. That is important when leaving jobs. You never know when you might encounter those people. Several times in my work career I have been thankful that I always left on good terms, no matter how tempting it may have been to “burn the bridge”.
Since I worked in “Data Processing” … uh … “Systems Development” … uh …
“Information technology” I was right-sized or Down-Sized or laid-off or fired multiple times.
I also quit different jobs for some organization that offered either more money or better benefits or job security.
It seems as though it was typically
“Feast or Famine” in my chosen “career” area.
I was laid off and/or quitted a job at least seven times during my career. The first laidoff was rough but I had a Eureka moment. The subsequent job positions were more interesting and challenging. The new projects I worked on prepared me for the next laidoff. I heard this quote from a movie, “”Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” That quote is a true statement.
David, It sounds like persistence and a solid perspective on believing in what you can accomplish have served you well!
Your story reminds me of my own retirement, but mine is the exact opposite. I decided to retire at 64 1/2. Loved the job but it had become too stressful. I was okay with COBRA payments until Medicare began in six months. Even booked and paid for a European trip starting the day after my planned last day of work. I’d been working under a grant-funded project for a large municipality, knowing that the government agency would lay our small group off when the grant ended or hire us, with government benefits and union membership making the risk worth taking. When the grant was about to expire, just as I hit my age 64 1/2 retirement goal, the government agency promised to hire us, but dragged its feet about doing so, hoping the non-profit would extend the grant. No dice. “Good!” I thought, “They’ll have to lay us off until they get their act together, and I can collect unemployment.” My colleagues were perplexed that I didn’t apply for my “new” job, but I was waiting to be “temporarily” laid off. With less than two weeks to go, the government agency came through with the money to hire us, and I had to give my notice, with less than the required three weeks. When I said I was quitting at the end of next week and immediately leaving on a trip, I could see the hesitation on my boss’s face: “But she’s not giving me three weeks notice.” Oh well. The trip was great. Not getting laid off wasn’t a big disappointment. You got an unexpected severance package, while I got the consequences of a bit of greed.