Quitting work before law school Forum

[Scotusnerd]

Currently I have been accepted to several law schools, but also have some concerns because I just started working for a company couple months ago. If I leave for law school this fall, I would have worked there less than a year and was wondering if that would be bad/make me a douche. I feel that the company put in quite a bit of effort to recruit me, so I feel a little bad about leaving before the company can get its full return of investment. Also, because I want to go into IP law, I was wondering whether leaving too early would somehow jeopardize my future career in IP law since the company that I work for is pretty big in the software industry.

With that said, I was wondering whether I'm overanalyzing things and blowing things out of proportion (I tend to imagine things that won't happen). Since I have an at-will employment agreement, I can legally leave at any time and be fired at any time as well. Also, I know that if I do decide to go to school this fall, I will work my ass off so they can at least get a year's worth of work out of me. I know deferring a year is also an option but I want to just focus on the consequences of leaving this year because I would prefer to go to school this year if the consequences are not that severe. It would be great if you guys could give me some advice. Thanks!

Do not confuse loyalty with professionalism. No one will fault you for giving them a month's notice before going to law school. They might fault you for giving them 9 month's notice. You will be treated differently if you tell them that now. I made this mistake as well in my first job, and I was treated like absolute shit for the last three months of my job. You will likely be as well, since you are a new hire.

Go in a month before you move and tell your boss that you were just accepted to law school and were going to attend it on X date. You will have to move on y date (a month from now). Mention any scholarships or anything you've gotten, and be cheerful about the work culture. Say that you've become very interested in legal work since you started working there (if your job is vaguely related to it), and that you very much enjoyed your time there.

Do not get personal with it, and do not be honest. I know it's counterintuitive, but people WILL be hateful and jealous of you if you give them time to stew. It's human nature. Your boss will (consciously or not) discriminate against you for those 9 months. It's not worth it.

[thisiswater]

Currently I have been accepted to several law schools, but also have some concerns because I just started working for a company couple months ago. If I leave for law school this fall, I would have worked there less than a year and was wondering if that would be bad/make me a douche. I feel that the company put in quite a bit of effort to recruit me, so I feel a little bad about leaving before the company can get its full return of investment. Also, because I want to go into IP law, I was wondering whether leaving too early would somehow jeopardize my future career in IP law since the company that I work for is pretty big in the software industry.

With that said, I was wondering whether I'm overanalyzing things and blowing things out of proportion (I tend to imagine things that won't happen). Since I have an at-will employment agreement, I can legally leave at any time and be fired at any time as well. Also, I know that if I do decide to go to school this fall, I will work my ass off so they can at least get a year's worth of work out of me. I know deferring a year is also an option but I want to just focus on the consequences of leaving this year because I would prefer to go to school this year if the consequences are not that severe. It would be great if you guys could give me some advice. Thanks!

Do not confuse loyalty with professionalism. No one will fault you for giving them a month's notice before going to law school. They might fault you for giving them 9 month's notice. You will be treated differently if you tell them that now. I made this mistake as well in my first job, and I was treated like absolute shit for the last three months of my job. You will likely be as well, since you are a new hire.

Go in a month before you move and tell your boss that you were just accepted to law school and were going to attend it on X date. You will have to move on y date (a month from now). Mention any scholarships or anything you've gotten, and be cheerful about the work culture. Say that you've become very interested in legal work since you started working there (if your job is vaguely related to it), and that you very much enjoyed your time there.

Do not get personal with it, and do not be honest. I know it's counterintuitive, but people WILL be hateful and jealous of you if you give them time to stew. It's human nature. Your boss will (consciously or not) discriminate against you for those 9 months. It's not worth it.

This is not always true at all. You should know your own work culture well enough to know what is appropriate at your job but a lot of places really appreciate significant notice. One of my colleagues gave 12 weeks notice at the beginning of the year and even with that, getting someone interviewed, hired and started before she leaves is not easy. The long notice has been very appreciated and I know her reputation here has been strengthened because of it.

[Scotusnerd]

I don't deny that not every company is like that, and that some jobs require more hiring processes than others, but unless you are CERTAIN that your company will behave that way, you should be very, very careful. It's a risky move, and you should study your options carefully before doing so. The default action should be waiting, and you should only tell them early if you have been convinced that it would not be held against you, and that you would actually benefit from doing it that way.

I don't think it would hurt you with employment to leave that company a month before, particularly if you do it in a reasonable way. I don't have experience in the industry, so YMMV. Use your knowledge of the hiring process to make the decision.

[09042014]

What is this month notice flame. Two weeks is standard.

[thisiswater]

What is this month notice flame. Two weeks is standard.

If necessary of course 2 weeks is the minimum, but it's impossible to get someone new hired in that time so you are going to be leaving your company in a bind which isn't great. Giving a little extra notice in exchange for a good reference doesn't seem like a bad deal. Again, this all varies by position and company. If you are one of 10 analysts then maybe you leaving won't be that big of a deal. if you are the only one in your position and it's a required function then obviously your absence will be felt more and your bosses will probably appreciate a chance to hire your replacement while you are still working.

[09042014]

What is this month notice flame. Two weeks is standard.

If necessary of course 2 weeks is the minimum, but it's impossible to get someone new hired in that time so you are going to be leaving your company in a bind which isn't great. Giving a little extra notice in exchange for a good reference doesn't seem like a bad deal. Again, this all varies by position and company. If you are one of 10 analysts then maybe you leaving won't be that big of a deal. if you are the only one in your position and it's a required function then obviously your absence will be felt more and your bosses will probably appreciate a chance to hire your replacement while you are still working.

Outted yourself as a house millennial.



Uncle Tyler

[thisiswater]

What is this month notice flame. Two weeks is standard.

If necessary of course 2 weeks is the minimum, but it's impossible to get someone new hired in that time so you are going to be leaving your company in a bind which isn't great. Giving a little extra notice in exchange for a good reference doesn't seem like a bad deal. Again, this all varies by position and company. If you are one of 10 analysts then maybe you leaving won't be that big of a deal. if you are the only one in your position and it's a required function then obviously your absence will be felt more and your bosses will probably appreciate a chance to hire your replacement while you are still working.

Outted yourself as a house millennial.



Uncle Tyler

Honestly don't know what this means

[mls]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I actually applied for my job a bit earlier (like a month) than law schools, but I definitely knew going into the job that I would later apply for law schools. I applied for my job mostly because I had no money but also because I wanted to see what it was like to work for the company since it had a big presence in the tech industry. Shortly after I got the job, I applied to law schools, first of all, unsure whether I would even get into my first choice, and second, thinking that deferring would be an option if necessary. I guess at that time I wanted to keep my options open because I didn't know how the future was going to unfold. I just wanted to explore both paths and make a decision later, depending on what hand I was dealt.

Fast forward to early 2013, after I was accepted into several schools and some time had passed, I started to rethink the option of deferring since that would mean I would work for an additional year and a half from now until fall of 2014. I feel that the half a year remaining until this August is a relatively long time as it is. I already have several years (3~4) of work experience after college (I had left my previous job to study for the LSAT, then had gotten my current job), so perhaps the additional year wouldn't be essential. I do know that my company lays off people when it is in their interest, so a part of me thinks that I should just be selfish and not worry so much about my company. Since it's a billion dollar company, I know I wouldn't dent their balance sheet even a little if I leave. However, another part of me feels guilty because it feels like I'm only looking out for my interest.

At this point, I'm still deliberating and haven't reached a conclusion on what to do. But after hearing from both sides of the argument, perhaps a notice longer than two weeks would be nice if I were to leave in August. Once again, I appreciate all of the inputs! Hopefully I will make the correct diplomatic move that will be in everyone's interest.

To me, this is the key information. In my estimation, you were honest throughout the hiring process and applying for law school. It would have been bad judgement to tell your employer about going to law school before you were sure you were going/going this year.

You know the culture of your office, whereas I don't. This may not be the case for you, but I can tell you that in my office, whatever negative consequences (resentment, not getting put on long term projects, missing out on a raise, etc.) might come from longer notice than necessary, they are not as bad as the consequences of notice that is too short. If an employee gave me two weeks notice that they were leaving for grad school, I would be angry at them for leaving me in the lurch when it was preventable. With adequate notice, I might be frustrated, but if the employee was a good employee over all, I would continue to recommend him/her to colleagues.

[fallingup]

I have no intention of telling my boss that I am planning to quit in August for school UNTIL 2 weeks before I leave. Why would they keep me on the job if they knew I was leaving??? I feel like I am being duplicitous at work but I don't see an alternative.

[jackbauer10]

I have no intention of telling my boss that I am planning to quit in August for school UNTIL 2 weeks before I leave. Why would they keep me on the job if they knew I was leaving??? I feel like I am being duplicitous at work but I don't see an alternative.

my bosses know that i'm in the process of applying (one of them wrote me a rec). but they both think I'm staying nearby when the most likely scenario, as of right now, is that i'll be moving cross-country at the end of the summer. if this ends up being the case, i'll be telling them around late april/early may. this is after our busy season and also gives us enough time to find/train a replacement. i'm on good terms with everyone here and wouldn't want to severe any ties to the people or the company. but i'm friends with several coworkers on fb and as soon as word gets out that we're moving (like outside of just our parents) it's going to be hard to keep it under wraps. it's not the best situation as i'm sure my last few months will be riddled with comments (some of them just don't get it), but it's definitely a better choice for me then leaving everyone in a lurch and fucking up those relationships.

[rinkrat19]

I have no intention of telling my boss that I am planning to quit in August for school UNTIL 2 weeks before I leave. Why would they keep me on the job if they knew I was leaving??? I feel like I am being duplicitous at work but I don't see an alternative.

Y'all must work in some shitty places. If I'd changed my mind about leaving on my last day (which they'd known about for a year and a half), my bosses would have happily let me stay.

[shock259]

I told my law firm that I was leaving 9 months before I left. They treated me well and brought on another paralegal to fill my spot (that I subsequently trained). My departure was seamless.

[fallingup]

I have no intention of telling my boss that I am planning to quit in August for school UNTIL 2 weeks before I leave. Why would they keep me on the job if they knew I was leaving??? I feel like I am being duplicitous at work but I don't see an alternative.

Y'all must work in some shitty places. If I'd changed my mind about leaving on my last day (which they'd known about for a year and a half), my bosses would have happily let me stay.

Oh, mine would keep me or take me back at any time. But if I tell them I'm leaving now, it would make the next 6 months less interesting and enjoyable for me. When my boss assigns work, she is very conscious of the fact that she's grooming people at my level for promotion. I would end up getting the lame work and having no leverage to ask for more responsibility or attention for the next 6 months. I'm not willing to throw myself under the bus.

[gable sans stache]

That's a good problem to have, and I think you'll be fine. For some reason, I chose to be up-front about law school during the hiring process at my current job (I'm going for fall of '14). They were cool about it and gave me props for being honest, as it would help them find a replacement easier. I doubt that employers ever expect new employees in their 20s (I'm assuming, in your case) to stay indefinitely. People really do value honesty and loyalty - hope that carries over into the legal world.