Dead Aim

I’m quitting.

Tomorrow I tell my boss that I don’t want to work here anymore. I could give the take-this-job-and-shove-it speech, or even yell out a simple, “This place blows!” But I won’t, because it’s not really true and I wouldn’t want to burn any bridges.

They want me to stay and have offered me a sizeable raise and a shiny new three-year contract… Only I don’t want to work here for three more years.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s been a great run. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve worked on many different projects and some of them I’m even proud of. It’s just that staying where I am makes me feel complacent. There’s more out there for me, I just know it.

Did I mention that I don’t have another job lined up yet? Half my brain is telling me to be completely terrified and the other half is encouraging me to feel extremely liberated. I suppose that might be some sort of fight-or-flight mechanism kicking in, but it could also be that I’m hearing multiple voices in my head, which could mean schizophrenia. Luckily, I have over a month left on my current contract to sort this all out.

I do have some job prospects with people who seem interested in my services. They sound promising, but I don’t want to get too keyed up for fear of invoking some sort of Hollywood jinx. People promise all sorts of things in this town that never materialize, so you can’t go getting yourself worked up each time. If you do, you’re in for a world of disappointment.

That being said, there is one opportunity I’m extremely excited about. It would be working for… I can’t say for whom exactly, but it would be a biggie, at least in my mind. I would get to learn some new skills, take on different challenges and broaden my horizons. Of course all this wishful thinking just raises the odds that my heart will be broken and my dreams will be trampled upon.

Wish me luck, or curse me for turning down a fistful of dollars and a pretty darn good job. I’m still quitting tomorrow.