2 Weeks Notice

Today I submitted my 2 weeks notice for resignation at work. It's a day I have been looking forward to for the past year or so. And it's strange because while there were days that I hated my job, there were also days that I loved it. I loved my co-workers, the environment, the glamor, and the paycheck. So in the end, I can't be surprised by how unexpectedly sad today has been.

I always thought I'd be leaving this place with my ass cheeks fully exposed as I walked down the hallway and made my grand departure, leaving the countless jaws dropped to the floor - but that was before I really knew how valuable I am to many people in this place and, in return, how valuable they have been to me. I can't deny that I've learned immensely from the experience of working at the IMF for almost 3 years, but throughout the whole process I've realized I learned more about myself than I ever imagined I would. 3 years ago, I came in as a confident college graduate thinking that my degree was worth something and that corporate America owed me something in return. What a rough reality check it has been. The value of hard work, dedication, and experience cannot be overlooked. And as a cocky college grad that was molded by the inspiring minds of America, private schools, and my ivy league friends, I realized that nothing in life comes easy.

I can honestly say the hardest part of this whole experience has been putting my ego aside and being O.K. with asking others for help. I'm no better than anyone else, and that's something that formal education never taught me. In fact, I was raised to believe that attending private schools and graduating college put me ahead of the pack and that I'd never have to struggle much to find a well paying job and be successful at a young age. This, believe it or not, is false. For the past 10 months or so, I have felt like a cheap K street hooker- selling myself to anyone that would give me the chance. Being in DC and wanting to move to NYC made it all that much worse, but determination goes a long way in cases such as this.

So after I submitted my 2 weeks notice, my boss called me into his office to "talk". Initially, he seemed very uneasy and nervous and felt it was his fault. I felt bad but also humbled by our conversation and my explanation as to why this was my time to go. My "fuck you" moment never really came, and I'm glad it didn't. I'm thankful for the lessons I learned and the rough patches I endured because, from all of it, I gained an amazing group of coworkers that become close friends that I can have for life. It's an experience that resulted in the positives far outweighing the negatives, and I'm glad I can move on to the next chapter of my life having no regrets and burning no bridges. You go through shit, you learn from it, and you move forward. There's really no other way to go about it.

But as luck would have it, I went to lunch at a sleazy Chinese restaurant with 2 of my coworkers where we just happened to sit next to a table of college-aged kids. From what I gathered, these kids were seniors getting ready to graduate the bubbly college life and move forward from their $200,000 education at GWU. As it's innate in my personality to eaves drop on the conversations of others, I overheard them speaking about job opportunities. And in NYC of all places. One of the overweight and unattractive girls in her Colonials sweatshirt with her frazzled hair stated that she would not accept any salary below 60k because, as she put it, "I want to live in midtown and I refuse to have a roommate so that's the only salary I can take so I can live on my own". Then her Jewish male counterpart responded with, "I totally agree, we didn't have our parents pay all this money for our education to take a crappy job and live in filth." And collectively the table of four nodded in agreement and "Mmmhhhhmm'd" each other. I kind of laughed to myself because that's exactly how I felt and sounded just a short time ago. And now, I've taken a pay cut to move to a city I've always wanted to live in and start over in an industry I'm interested in, with a group of talented people in a company I truly believe will foster my growth. And as I left the restaurant, I glanced over at the table of 4 and saw myself sitting there with them. And then one of them said, "Ugh, I just hate the way NYC smells. I'll probably have to live on Park Ave to avoid all the grossness". $200,000 later and the best word she could come up with was, "grossness". I almost turned and said, "Well I hate the way you smell, you fat ugly skank". And this, I felt, was my cue to leave because I refused to have these hideous college creatures bad mouthing my new city.

But just as I learned through experiencing the real world, so will they. But for now, STAY OUT OF NEW YORK CITY. IT'S MINE!

- Andres

Dedicated to my Muslim girls and my blond bombshell on the 7th floor