When are you telling your boss you got accepted?

Question

Interesting post from the BW CBS thread that I thought I would share. Does anyone have any comments on this? If you receive R1 acceptances, are you going to tell your employer in December/January or are you going to wait until April/May?

nink · Answer

Definitely as late as possible. In this economy, I recommend people to collect as many paychecks as possible before quitting.

Raabend · Answer

I really think it depends on your own unique situation. If you need the money/promotion/bonus keep it secret (as hard as that may be) and stay on until April/May/June.

Alot of people who have the savings leave soon after they are accepted in order to travel, study a language, take classes etc.

Just analyze your situation and do what makes sense for you. I dont think you will find a standard template for how/when to quit.

agold · Answer

This is my sense. I'm considering saying I got waitlisted even if I have an admit by the end of the year.

cereal255 · Answer

Since my bosses wrote my recommendations I'm telling them that I was accepted right away out of courtesy since they ask me every time I see them anyway... they already know that I'm leaving in July or so they'll just know where I'm going. (or if I'm going)

fall09 · Answer

My manager wrote my recs,so he knows I will be leaving in Aug.

I might leave earlier if I plan to spend some time with my parents.

Sleepy · Answer

it depends on what your plans are. I'm sure there are others like me who have a few things they're planning to use this transition as an excuse to do. I'm planning to leave my job no later than mid April so I can plan and execute two month long trips. One to Europe and a month on the Appalacian trail. With that in mind I've alreay saved up a bunch of money for these expenses and am further cutting my budget in light of recent events so I'm going to start looking around for opportunities to do other things I've not had time for over the last 4 years and might not have time for once I get back to the rat race.

I also don't particularly like my job, so I really want to get to enjoy knowing that they know I'm leaving for something better. but that's just me being spiteful. If you intend to keep your current job for the next 8 months after you hear back then it would depend on your boss. I didn't tell any of my direct chain of command superiors that I was applying, I mentioned to one that I was looking at schools, but none of them know that I've actually submitted because they would have cut off all support to me for the next 6 months.

egy · Answer

If i get in, i'm planning on leaving pretty much right away. Will stick around 2 months or so to hire and train my replacement.. and may stay on as a consultant... but i'm really excited to take on some different projects for 6 months before school would start.

agold · Answer

Sleepy and egy -- You guys are right. Maybe I should think of the big picture. Even if I got let go in let's say January (absolute worst case scenario and highly unlikely), that's 6-8 months off to explore different things in life that I probably won't ever get a chance to after this juncture.

I was ideally hoping to work until June 1st, so that I have a clean 3 years of work experience on my resume by matriculation. Anything less than a full 3 may be cuttin it close for recruiting. Or maybe this really doesn't matter...

msday · Answer

I am hoping to work for 2 full years, so sometime in June. That's probably when I will let the folks at work know. Nice thing is that I am on a rotational program, and I will finish my last rotation in June, so no one will "miss" me.

k88 · Answer

My managers also wrote my recs so they know I plan on leaving. Its a bit embaressing having them ask how my interviews went, I hope I do into a school so I don't end up just "hanging around" after I told them I would leave...in a down economy nonetheless.

egy · Answer

Sleepy's right though... it totally depends on your situation. If you can afford to be unemployed, or can afford the risk of not finding a short term "fun" job, then sticking around makes sense. Given the economic context, I would suspect finding something to do temporarily will be tough for most.

When i brother went to bschool he took off after he was accepted and went from consulting to working at a talent agency in LA... I suspect those kinds of wild moves are tough to do right now. but who knows.

I just know that personally, I'll have a really tough time concentrating those final few months if I was in my present role... it's tough enough already with the anticipation!

No matter what you do, i think the months preceding matriculation will be incredible.

Sleepy · Answer

depends what you do with the time. I've been thinking about taking time to go volunteer for habitat for humanity or something like that full time for a month or two. If you do something worth while you won't come off as a flake in interviews because you can say that you knew that you were going to be locked in for the next 7 years or so and wouldn't be likely to have this type of opportunity again in that time period and with most of us being in the age group where 7 years from now we're probably gonna be thinking more about kids/family than interesting month long hikes, etc. you can make pretty compelling argument that this was your last chance to indulge in a passion or seek a unique opportunity. I was originally planning to attempt a thru hike, since I've always wanted to do it ever since I was in boy scouts, but the time line just doesn't work. I settled on the compromise option of spending a month or so on the trail and a month in europe with my girlfriend. There's lots of stuff you can't really do later in life, as long as you have a compelling case for why you made your choice I don't think you'll have too much trouble justifying it.

Career target is also a huge thing here. IB might be less interested in people who take 6 months off, for consulting it might be more about the story. That'd be my completely uninformed guess anyway.

Leverandon · Answer

Aug. 7, right after I get my end of year bonus from my school. My principal will be less than thrilled that I am leaving teaching to go to business school regardless of the fact that I have non-profit interests.

Well, it might be a bit earlier...but I need to figure out how much earlier it has to be so that:

a. I don't screw them over by them thinking they have a teacher for the following year when they don't.
b. I still get my bonus.

egy · Answer

On a completely unrelated note... i didn't realize teachers get bonuses! How are they determined... if you don't mind me asking.

McDargoiowkel · Answer

I plan on telling my boss I am leaving two months before I plan to do so, whenever that may be. Enough time to find a replacement, etc. I work in the field, so keeping it a secret will be a little easier. They may wonder why I need tuition assistance for an accounting class though.

bostonsparky · Answer

I was in a very similar situation a couple years back when I decided to go into the Peace Corps. I ended up doing strictly a '2 weeks notice' type deal. My reasoning:

-I worked for a small-er company that had somewhat of a mixed history regarding letting people set their last days vs well if you don't want to work here anymore get lost. I ended up working the full 2 weeks. But if there's any doubt you could be compromised financially, I wouldn't say so until you're 100% comfortable being unemployed in the very near future. If you work for a large company you certainly aren't the first person to leave for grad school, try to find out your company's track record regarding this.
-I wasn't absolutely 100% I was going until a month before anyway. The 'lead up' things you do for PC are different for B school but I definitely wouldn't commit to quitting before say your school has run its background check / you've got your financing squared away to name a few.
-I also wanted to do some travel beforehand, and definitely recommend doing so for those whom this will be their first real 'gap' between jobs / education.

Last perhaps insignificant note: Most company benefits like medical, dental etc kick in for the month on the 1st. So if you work your last day on say June 1 instead of May 31, that's a whole other month you are covered. Obviously I gather most people here are very young/healthy but thought I'd mention it.

Rubashov1 · Answer

I will tell them as soon as I get accepted (assuming I do). They wrote recommendations so it won't come as a surprise. As to how long I will stick around, at least a few months to continue making money and get out of my expensive apartment. If I don't work through to August (which I don't want to do), I'll probably ask to take a very low-paid hourly wage at the place where I volunteer and spend a lot more time trying to fix the nonprofit's problems. I'd like to spend a few weeks traveling as well, of course.

refurb · Answer

My boss will find out about 1 month before I plan on leaving.

I can't see any real benefit to letting him know in advance.

RF

FN · Answer

yeah..i am not telling my boss anything..i got my recommendations from previous managers i worked for in the same company and I made em take an oath not tell anyone they were writing my LOR. I know that my company is presently working to re-set the strike price of my options from past 2-years (yeah the stock has taken a beating)..and this option package will be enough for me to pay for my school..so staying absolutely quite on when i get accepted. As soon as my options are reset..I think i will do the honorable thing and tell them right away since the company is going through massive layoffs.. If I can help save the job of a colleague, i think i owe it to do as much as I can to save their jobs..

When are you telling your boss you got accepted?

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