OP works for the government, people, they don't do anything swiftly.
you left to walk the appalachian trail
you can feel your heart as smooth as a snail
the mountains your darlings
but better to love than have something to scale
-Girlyman, "Hold It All At Bay"
As a retired federal employee I would stress that you want to leave in good graces because your final paperwork will have you identified as re-hirable or not and that will follow you for any govt job. Secondly it was always my experience that the day after someone leaves they are pretty much forgotten.
"the legs feed the wolf gentlemen, the legs feed the wolf" from the movie "Miracle"
I just resigned from a career that is rewarding and a job I love. It's all about prioritizing what's important in life. I've been dreaming about this since I was 14, so at the age of 40, I divorced, sold the house, quit my job and I'm going for it. Am I uncertain about my future? Yes. Will I know everything will be okay? yep.. Jobs come and go. People can be replaced. Just go for it! You'll regret it if you don't. Life is too damn short and your life (anyone's life for that matter) can change in the blink of an eye. You die once so start living everyday like it's your last. You got my support.
It will all be okay in the end. If not, it's not the end. ~ Unknown
Another thing to think about is how this might affect your transition back into a career later. I've been on lots of search committees to fill open university faculty positions. I would say that our search committees can be turned off by a person who has a habit of moving from job to job. But as you have been in just one position for two years, that should not raise red flags. Also, if we see a person has left a good job for no apparent reason, we get suspicious. But (as already pointed out), leaving a position that doesn't match your training to go to grad school is a reasonable. It's better to be up front about it than say nothing and leave people guessing. Also, if there is a long blank spot on the CV, that can look odd. But a few months off to hike prior to grad schools shouldn't be a big deal. Not having a reference letter from a previous employer can also look bad, so leaving on good terms can help in the future. It would be worth talking about that with your boss.
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
My advice is similar to many others. I have had a lot of people work for me in the last 30 years, and have worked for several people. Some bosses with maturity issues will get mad at you when you give your notice, but that is their problem, not yours. Nobody I ever met stayed n the same job their whole life. Act like a professional, give your two weeks notice, don't sow discontent, and leave with nothing but good things to say about everybody. Don't fool yourself that you are irreplaceable - none of us are. If you get hit by a bus tomorrow, the world will go on. If you give two weeks notice, the world will go on.
"Waning Gibbous" would be a great trail name.
OP is going to grad school immediately after hiking, so this is a non-issue. Furthermore, no prospective employer will even bat an eye at a 6 month gap in the resume of a 22 year old. With 2 years of gov't work experience under his/her belt, the OP is already well ahead of the game.
And there's no shame in sayjng 'I took 6 months off to hike the AT.' I hear things like that from applicants all the time - took time off to travel abroad, do volunteer work, to 'find themselves,' etc.
you left to walk the appalachian trail
you can feel your heart as smooth as a snail
the mountains your darlings
but better to love than have something to scale
-Girlyman, "Hold It All At Bay"
At 22 yo, 6 mos off prior to grad school is not an issue. Almost expected.
Now if you are say almost 40 and decide to take 6 mos off, that's another story.
I noticed when I turned 35 that the gap in my resumes were more problematic vs when I was 25 or even 30.
So it goes.
Paul "Mags" Magnanti
http://pmags.com
Twitter: @pmagsco
Facebook: pmagsblog
The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau
The official stance according to the OPM website is 2 weeks notice. And I plan on using my leftover leave for the period between quitting and starting the trail. That's awful that they kicked you out a week later, but thankfully as another commented "the government doesn't do anything quickly."
Grad school has been the goal since before I started and when the opportunity to do the AT presented itself, I couldn't help but to go. I just had to adjust my plans a little. I've been saving furiously and have enough to hike and have a cushion after I come back. With a bachelor's in Chemistry, I think I'll be able to find work relatively easily if I have to pull off the trail for any reason. Thanks everyone for your inquiry and concern on this!
NOBO '14
endlessfootpath.blogspot.com
When I was in my twenties, I quit my government job to go hike the AT before starting grad school. Based on timelines, I didn't have the assistantship lined up when I left; I recall getting the news in Hot Springs.
I kept my formal reasons for quitting (safety-related) very clear and had them well documented and was told I qualified for unemployment when I left. I had to take terminal leave, so I never did file, which is one regret I have, as it could have put more pressure on changing the situation for the folks still there (it was resolved several years later.) From what I heard from several people and from a return visit, I was not forgotten the day after I left.
So I think you have a great plan, and my advice is to ask for a leave of absence, but be clear that you're planning to go grad school afterwards. In my case, I had asked for one, it was denied, but had it been granted and the safety situation not been resolved (it wasn't at that time), I could not have returned. Let them decide if the paperwork is worth the risk that you might not return or not; the worst you can hear is "no" which is where you are now. Two weeks formal notice is fine, but if there's someone you trust, you can talk to them about it earlier. I told my plans early on to someone at work who left to hike the AT a few years after I did, on a leave of absence.
My suggestion would be 2 weeks notice ; in writing Never a email; stating accepted at Graduate School and Thanking them for the learning opportunity. If you want to in a face to face meeting share that before starting back to Grad School you are off on a Grand Adventure the AT. Decent people will admire you and the rest really don't matter.
If they terminated you before you're mutually agreed on date, they owe you unemployment. If you told them that, they would have back peddled, because it makes the unemployment premium they pay go up, and they don't want to do that. The only way they can get out of paying that unemployment premium is if either they fired you for cause (didn't show up for work, did something illegal, etc) or if you voluntarily quit.
This sounds like a sucky employer, and you should advertise who that is.
It is not an urban legend, it is true. If you are an engineer going to a competitor in the high tech industry, they will walk you to the door (and when you look at the big picture, I personally think rightly so). I have seen it first hand. When turning in my 2 weeks notice to that company I was sure to make it clear to them that I was not going to a competitor.
The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
Richard Ewell, CSA General
This is not necessarily true. In tech companies, they do this all the time. They will usually give you severance pay for two weeks, but walk you out immediately and disable your email and computer access so you don't steal any sort of intellectual property.
At the last company I worked for, I also had to sign a non-compete that prohibited me from working for similar tech companies - worldwide - for two years.
you left to walk the appalachian trail
you can feel your heart as smooth as a snail
the mountains your darlings
but better to love than have something to scale
-Girlyman, "Hold It All At Bay"
I recommend you go with leave of absence. If you quit, they lose that billet and that position vanishes. They are not permitted to backfill....yet. Unless your experience is like mine in CBP and you are ready to escape the public sector.