A lot of quitting stories that stick out in my mind tend to end in some sort of epically victorious walkout. You've probably heard the like: the ex-employee is relieved to be free of the company that has held them in chains for so long. Last month (June 2017) I quit my job as a Product Manager at Paytronix Systems, Inc, and relief is not how I would describe my feelings.
The entire month between having The Chat with my boss and my Actual Last Day was that strange period of time where you are nostalgic for something that is currently happening. I found myself straddling the task of wrapping up projects for the next pair of hands to receive, and spending time with my dear coworkers before my departure. One of the weirdest moments was realizing that Paytronix would continue along the same path without me. It's like realizing your parents had a life before you were born - it seems so weird and obvious at the same time.
My final week itself was really bittersweet. What surprised me was that thoughts of the little things made me the saddest. It's the small moments in the office, the routine Monday morning "How was your weekend?" or post-Thursday-lunch walk that come together to create the fabric of fond familiarity. In a given day I'd go from swapping rock climbing stories with an engineer to being yet again impressed by the head of finance's impeccable latte-pouring skills to singing a cappella with my desk mates. I have so many of these little memories tucked away in my heart, and they're all centered around relationships.
During my last few months at the company, I had the honor of taking LinkedIn headshots for a handful of my coworkers. It's a win-win - they can put their freshest faces forward for online professional networking, and I get to keep little mementos of their delightful smiles. Their six faces below represent the entire group of people with whom I feel so lucky to have spent the bulk of my waking hours for two years. I learned so much about software and business, experienced immense professional growth, and am excited for the next chapter in my life, but what made saying goodbye to my time at Paytronix so difficult was the people.