Gracefully Leaving a Job: A New Skill to Learn

After a year at the cash register, Daughter Dearest is quitting her job at Kohl's. And it'll be okay. 

I haven't written about DD's exploits in awhile, mostly because she's doing fairly well. For the most part, no news is good news. But this IS Two in Transition, and though she's not always the squeakiest wheel, DD is wending her way through the chutes and ladders of her world too. For those of you who are just joining us, meet DD. All caught up now?

After getting an A in a summer early art history course that required a ridiculous amount of memorization ("Oh, I know that one! Tile with arabesque decoration, 15th century Ottoman, Anatolia, carved, glaze painted and guilded earthenware!), DD is now taking two academic courses and a science lab at Ivy Tech. Plus her job at Kohl's. She's learning to balance and spin the demands of multiple plates pretty well. Having a tutor for biology helps with her focus and preparation. All good. 

The problem is that she just can't face the loss of Thanksgiving with family up north and a holiday season with very long hours listening to carols from Taylor Swift (who seems to be the ambiance wizard's favorite songstress to pipe in over the PA) while she does her best to redeem Kohl's Cash coupons as fast as her scanner can beep, all while she's prepping for final exams. Too. Much. Stress. 

She's been looking (sort of) for a non-retail position, but it's been slim pickins. So rather than push her into another Black Friday (she survived, but barely), we're supporting her decision to leave Kohl's and get another job after winter break.  

As you can imagine, for a person with both Aspergers and OCD, there's been some strategizing involved with just how and when to give notice and leave gracefully. Yesterday, though, DD and her dad (he of the human resources persuasion) wrote a very nice letter of resignation thanking Kohl's for her first job, for the skills she's gained and for the boost to her confidence. In the letter, she gave them two week's notice, but said she could be flexible if they needed her to work another shift or two before the next schedule is posted.  

DD didn't give a reason for leaving. If anyone asked, we told her she could truthfully say it was because of school demands.

So like before when she needed to advocate for herself for shorter hours (you can read about that one here), DD sat in the parking lot, taking deep breaths, trying to steady her nerves for several minutes. And again, she said, it took all of five seconds. The manager took her letter, said she'd make sure it got to the scheduler and that was it. Employees come and go at Kohl's. Not a big surprise. And once again, the world began spinning on its axis. 

I'm a little concerned about too much free time, so I'm pushing the volunteering button, at least until she gets another job.  We'll see how that turns out. Meanwhile, Kohl's has been a very good first gig. They trained her and had her volunteering with other staffers her first month there. She learned how to respond in a variety of situations with customers. She got to laugh with other staff at the absurdity of life behind a cash register. We're grateful for all Kohl's has done for her, but it's time for DD to move on. Gracefully. No harm, no foul, no bridges burned.