I'm writing this on June 12 at what will be my desk for another 1 hour and 24 minutes. The truth of the matter is I thought the place where I have worked since January 9 would be a dream job. At the very least it was the next step in my career. As it turned out, it was one of the most frustrating, negative, discouraging experiences of my life, work or otherwise.
So what led me to quit? What led me to walk out on a full time job without another one lined up for the first time in my life?
It was working for leaders who were new in their positions and did not know how to lead.
It was receiving 3 reviews in 3 months and each one becoming more and more negative without a morsel of specific positive feedback.
It was getting a completely different set of job duties than what I had been given in the description. I thought I would be working with athletics and counseling students. I would up doing marketing and event planning and special circumstance appeals. I hated dealing with those unique situations and all the challenging details.
It was being the only one excluded from the team's remote schedule, after being told I would get three remote days every two weeks. It had been one of the most alluring aspects to this job and then it just ceased to exist. So that meant two hours of driving every single day, 10 hours a week, 66 miles per day, or 330 for the whole week. And with the gas prices in the early part of 2026, that took a toll on my vehicle.
It was that this place had their own way of doing business, utilizing their own systems that were incredibly challenging to learn. And there were no resources on how to use the system, so there was a lot of trial and error. I had to ask questions to learn most of anything.
And as much as anything, it was the micromanagement. I had to copy them on every freaking email I sent, no matter if it was to a student or to a colleague. I had to send out daily summary emails of what I had been doing and who I worked with. As the micromanagement increased, my desire to stay plummeted. The point of these new measures was to help me grow my confidence and skills. What it did was put me under the microscope.
I never truly felt valued by my directors. Now I can admit making some mistakes on certain reports or projects, but that's part of learning. I also know that I made major improvements in my work over time. But it never seemed my efforts were appreciated, certainly not by the people whose opinions mattered. And I had no indication their perception would ever change.
So I started searching for a new position back in mid April, which was the time I was placed on a performance improvement plan. And finally around Memorial Day weekend, I finally made the decision to leave. Thursday the 28th was the day I officially gave my notice. And I do not regret doing it. I am leaving on my terms and it is time for me to focus on my next steps.
Before I move onto that next step, I will say one more thing about this five-month period. I am proud of myself. I'm proud that I took on new challenges. I'm proud that my skillset has grown. I'm proud that can say I was an assistant director. But more than all of that, I'm proud that I maintained a professional attitude through it. In my 20's there would have been some loud groaning, I may have even banged my fist on my desk. I didn't. Even the directors had to acknowledge they appreciated my attitude. Of course, it was only given a "Meets expectations." Considering what they put me through, I exceeded my own expectations.
So where do I go from here?
I have interviewed with two schools where I have a chance and I have another final interview scheduled for Monday. I've applied for a number of other jobs but until I hear back that someone is actually interested, I don't consider it to be a real possibility. In the meantime, I'll be hitting the deliveries pretty hard.
I know God will guide me. A lot of things in my life have gotten better since I moved to North Carolina, but my career is one thing that hasn't. I moved here for one job and it lasted exactly 18 months before I was betrayed and let go with many other layoffs. Five weeks later, I started this job which I have just quit. I can only hope and pray these experiences will get me ready for my next position.
And based off the interview I had Wednesday, I would have a chance to use those skills if that position were to work out. They told me I will be hearing back by Tuesday...
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