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  1. #41
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    You may be surprised at the support you might receive if you came right out and told them (in due time). Now this is not a sure thing, but it happened many times to me in situations where I thought I would hurt relationships. Before even considering my thru, saying that I needed a day off for hiking was like playing a trump card, everyone backed down, if I said I was not feeling well people questioned and tried to convince me to come in anyway. Sort of unexplainable, but my take is that I was suppose to be doing what I was doing in life and people could not oppose that. Also for the thru I feel many deeply respect that and will back off any objection.

    That was my situation with hiking and the AT, not saying it will work for everyone.

    Good Luck

  2. #42
    Registered User xokie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by coach lou View Post
    Slip out the back, Jack
    Make a new plan, Stan...............................
    Since the Coach has wisely stepped away from the silly concept of "grown up" advice may I suggest you check out Johnny Paycheck's greatest hits.

  3. #43

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    We're getting close to the "down to the wire" here, but would like to throw out my story. I've been with the same company for 3+ years, and after talking to a couple of friends, decided to let them know my plan months and months in advance. That way, they can begin to decide what they'll do about it - hire a temp, spread the work out, etc - well in advance. I've had an incredible amount of support from everyone - several people, including my boss, bought me things from my Amazon wishlist. And I get to come back to a job if I want it, taking a leave of absence. Open, honest communication is key in any relationship - even and especially work ones. Good luck!!

  4. #44
    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TEXMAN View Post
    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.
    I still visit my old government office when I'm in town back home. Made many friends in the short time I was there before transferring to another agency (they knew I was leaving two months in advance). Few people in Federal service hold grudges. People move around all the time, especially for advancement. If OP is not in a temporary "NTE" appointment or under a hiring authority that doesn't confer "status", she is a "career conditional" employee (< 3 years service) and has certain status rights (mostly the ability to be considered for jobs that are only open to current federal employees) for three years following her resignation. This opens up a lot more federal positions for her during and after grad school. She needs to check her latest SF-50 (notification of personnel action) to make sure of her status and keep as many doors open as possible.

  5. #45
    Registered User Bags4266's Avatar
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    Career and money first. Hell with any fed job you have a pension. Put off the hike for 25 years.

  6. #46

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bags4266 View Post
    Career and money first. Hell with any fed job you have a pension. Put off the hike for 25 years.
    "Career" is a 4 letter word to some people, a poor substitute for a real life.
    Everyones different.

  7. #47
    Son Driven
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    Burn the ships (Hernan Cortez) not the bridges.
    03/07/13 - 10/07/13 Flip flop AT thru hike "It is well with my soul"

  8. #48
    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    "Career" is a 4 letter word to some people, a poor substitute for a real life.
    Everyones different.
    Yep. It all depends upon the individual - especially if they like what they do for a living.

    And rearranging the words: a real career can also be a substitute for a poor life.

  9. #49
    Registered User Bags4266's Avatar
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    The op is looking at a solid future. Don't discourage him/her on something that is so trivial as a walk in the woods.

  10. #50
    Registered User foodbag's Avatar
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    I've quit two jobs for the purposes of going out on the A.T., the first to attempt a thru-hike and the second, to pick up where I left off after the thru-hike was unsuccessful. In both cases I gave 8 weeks' notice and told them exactly what I was planning to do. I was 42 years old the first time and 47 years old the second time and to this day I have never had any trouble explaining the gaps in my resume related to the A.T. In fact, on both occasions there was cake, as someone aptly described it, and encouragement all around.

    Life is a finite experience - there will always be another job, school, etc.
    Long-distance aspirations with short-distance feet.... :jump

  11. #51
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    You and I sound a lot alike. I wasn't working for the government but it was still my first "big boy" job. I had been there for two years and they were also not in a position where they could easily replace me. I left it earlier this month and am about to start my hike.

    I had a very strong relationship with my boss; we had a lot of shared interests and spoke about things beyond work on a regular basis. I don't know if that's the case for you. That helped me in the sense that I felt he would understand where I was coming from with the urge to leave and do something adventurous, so all I had to do was be honest. It also made it much more difficult, because it just sucks having to break bad news to someone you like.

    I told him in January. I asked him to get lunch with me, no agenda. We spent most of the meal just talking about what we had done over the holidays, and a little bit about our reflections of 2013 and our goals for 2014. I broke the news near the end, once I felt I had sort of put my job in the context of that bigger picture. It was important to me to present my decision in way that didn't make it seem like I was leaving due to an issue with the company or a lack of interest in their work. I always framed it not as a rejection but as an affirmative choice to pursue something else. I'm considering graduate school too, but I didn't even bring that up. That wasn't the point. The point was, I was leaving.

    I told the rest of the staff the next week at the end of a lunch meeting, all at once. Didn't want to play favorites and let someone hear it through the grapevine. I also didn't tell anyone before my boss. That was the right move, believe me.

    Anyways, this worked for me and I didn't ruin any relationships. A tactful presentation, a good deal of advance notice, and making sure everyone heard it directly from me minimized the chances of hard feelings.

    As with all things, YMMV. Congratulations on deciding to take the plunge, and best of luck with your situation!

  12. #52
    Registered User Drybones's Avatar
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    I am not qualified to respond to this thread as I am not a grown up...as my wife has said "he may grow old but he will never grow up".

  13. #53
    Registered User Speakeasy TN's Avatar
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    My boss told me that I would be rehired when I got back IF I didn't let his wife find out what I was doing because she'd always wanted to thru hike and he couldn't afford for he to quit work!

  14. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by gravityman View Post
    I seriously doubt this. I think it's urban legend. If they walk you out, they fired you.
    It is not urban legend. It happens more often that I guess you think. In some industries or depending on your position it is almost expected.

  15. #55
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    If you have a good job with good benefits and those are rare today. My advice would be to consult with an experienced employment attorney, not a bunch of hikers. A good job can affect your future family and can also impact the age you can retire. We are hikers not lawyers.

  16. #56
    Registered User Teresa&Lisa2016's Avatar
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    Does anyone have advice on how they approached their boss about their thru-hike? This is my first "big girl" job and I don't want to ruin the relationships I have built here....[/QUOTE]

    I am in a very similar position. I have been at my job about two years, and I am CONSTANTLY going back and forth between whether or now I should "stay the course", apply for the management position that is open, stay in a city I only feel lukewarm about, or follow my dreams to hike the AT, and only find out what that brings by taking the RISK. The best thing you can do is be honest with your co-workers and friends at work. I told my boss with about 5 months notice so that we could plan for a smooth transition and I could assist in hiring and training. Like everyone else said, no matter how much it feels that way, you do not owe any job or any employer anything but honestly, appropriate notice and working HARD until you leave. You don't owe them your life plans. Hope to see you on the trail

  17. #57

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    You might want to consider section hikes to see if life on the trail over an extended period of time is really what you want to do.

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