Thanks for taking the time to meet with me today. As you know, I’ve been working here for nine years now. I work long hours, weekends, and even cover for others when they fail to get the job done. I’ve been a model employee for all nine of these years without so much as a thank you to show for it, much less any significant raise or promotion. So I just wanted to let you know, that in ten years or so, I’m getting the fuck out of here.

I know this might come as a shock, but every man has to have his breaking point, and at some point in the distant future, I may just reach mine. When I took this job after college, I just thought it would be a temporary thing to support my new family while I found what my true passion is, and I think ten or fifteen years from now, I’ll finally realize what exactly that career would be, and depending on if it provides the same life style my family and I have grown accustomed to, I just may go for it.

Look, this isn’t personal, but these long hours and weekends are keeping me away from my son and daughter. I need to spend more time with them. They’re getting older and just starting to get into sports and dance. By walking away from this eventually, I can awkwardly try to form a relationship with them after they’ve moved away for college. No parent should be denied the chance to go from stranger to acquaintance in their adult children’s lives.

And don’t get me STARTED on how this is affecting my relationship with my wife! I’m constantly missing dinners by staying at the office late, and our weekend plans are constantly up in the air. Just last week I told her we’d go up to the lake house and I had to cancel it at the last minute because Campbell didn’t finish the Smith Contract on time. Instead of spending time with my wife, I was cleaning up the mess of your terrible managerial skills. We had a huge fight and she’s sick of it. Frankly, I’m pretty sick of it too. We’re hanging on by a thread and if something doesn’t change, our relationship will probably only last another twenty to twenty-five more years.

I cannot continue to let you people walk all over me for the rest of my life. One day, I’m going to have too much pride to let that happen, and if that day comes, you, or the person in my department who gets promoted over me to take your job after you’ve retired, can take this job, and shove it. I couldn’t be happier to get out of here in ten years. Or fifteen if my kids need to stay on my insurance.

Thanks again for your time. If you need me, I’ll be at my desk.