City of McAllen Controller-In-Training David Palacios is pursuing an accounting degree at UTRGV. LESLEY ROBLES/THE RIDER
Once someone is settled into a career, it is imperative to be happy every day. But, sometimes life takes a drastic turn and there is much to learn about resigning, going back to school and unemployment.
Juan Rodriguez-Nieto, director of the Career Center, said you are happy when you wake up every day and are glad to go to work and your service is appreciated.
Resigning
Some employees who are not happy with their job resign to pursue another career or go back to school.
To submit a letter of resignation, the employee should have accepted another job or been accepted into graduate school, Rodriguez-Nieto said.
Before writing the letter of resignation, try to finalize your projects or make a plan so that you can transfer your responsibilities over, he said.
Rodriguez-Nieto said there are three components in a letter of resignation.
The first one is telling the supervisor that this is a letter of resignation, then stating when the last day would be (usually two weeks from the date you give notice). Then state the reason for leaving, although there is no need to give too many details.
The second component of the letter is thanking the employer for the work opportunity, what you’ve enjoyed and learned.
The third component is to offer your help in training new employees, wish them luck and thank them once more, he said.
“The first person that should know is your supervisor,” Rodriguez-Nieto said. … “The employee might be tempted to tell the colleagues.”
Always give the employer at least a two-week notice when resigning. However, employees in a higher position, might have to give the employer three weeks to one month, he said.
When leaving a job, keep all the doors open because you might need a letter of recommendation or might go back to work with the same employer.
Remove all of your personal items from the work area except those owned by the company.
Once done with the job, update your LinkedIn account and always maintain contact with former colleagues.
“Even if they are working on campus we try to use this as a learning experience, so that they can actually provide their supervisors with a two-week notice,” Rodriguez-Nieto said. “We want for the students to know that is the right thing to [do] once they transition into their career.”
Returning to school
An advantage of enrolling into graduate school is that more than likely students will not have many commitments and will be able to transition without many responsibilities or financial commitments.
“The disadvantage of doing that is that they might not get real world experience, which can be compensated by participating in [an] internship,” Rodriguez-Nieto said. “The advantage of getting a job after they get their undergrad is that they’ll get real work experience, but the disadvantage is that with time, they might find commitments and then it would be difficult for them to actually quit their job and go back to graduate school on a full-time basis.”
Andrea Torres, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication last fall, said she is planning to pursue a master’s degree.
“I’ve been told many times by faculty mentors … that it is not good to get a master’s in the same thing you got your undergrad in, so I’m looking into going into international affairs or international relations,” Torres said.
For some employees, such as David Palacios, controller-in-training in the Finance Department for the City of McAllen, it was hard to return to school after working for more than 18 years. He expects to graduate in Fall 2017 from UTRGV with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
“If anyone is currently working and considering going back to school, it’s hard. I’m not going to sugarcoat it; it takes a lot out of you, especially if you have a family,” Palacios said.
Graduates seeking help with a resignation letter may call the Career Center 882-5627 in Brownsville or 665-2243 in Edinburg. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in Cortez Hall 129 on the Brownville campus. In Edinburg, the center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday in Student Services Building 2.101.
