Ask the cubicle expat: Can I quit my contract gig after a week if something better comes along?

In honor of the last week of my work-from-home permatemp gig with A Very Big Corporation, I bring you this question…

L. writes: “I just started (as in, this week!) as a contract editor at a Big-Name Company That Shall Not Be Named and — wouldn’t you know it? — I just got a job offer for something full time with amazing benefits. Yes, it is my ultimate dream to go freelance full time someday (hence my writing to you), but I feel torn. I need the insurance the other company is offering me, plus the annual salary and other benefits are definitely worth writing home about. Thing is, I feel guilty. I know this is only a short-term, three-month contract. But can I really quit and give two weeks’ notice after only having been here a week? Any advice? I don’t want to burn bridges, but something better has indeed come along.”

L., yesterday after handing off one of the projects I’ve been working on since July to my officemate, I sighed, “I can’t believe that come next week I’ll no longer have to juggle freelance writing assignments with this 30-hour-a-week contract. If I wasn’t so exhausted, I’d be doing a soft-shoe. I mean, four months is a very, very long time to commit to one gig.”

My officemate, who has been with the company since the twentieth century, gave me a blank look.

On the commute home (I had to go in for the handoff meeting), I called my beau: “Honey, four months is a very, very long time to commit to one gig, is it not?”

“Actually most of us are terrified to not have a full-time job,” he reminded.

I’m not sure how or why this came to be, but the thought of knowing where I’ll be reporting to work six months down the line scares me more than killer bees, fiery car crashes, man-eating rodents, brain-eating amoebas, Dick Cheney, and FOX news combined.

As this is not the visceral reaction you had upon being offered a cushy full-time gig, L., I say go for it. If the Big-Name Company That Shall Not Be Named wanted to ensure they could keep prized workers like you for the long haul, they’d offer more than temporary contracts. No one could blame you for feeling non-committal about a non-committal employer. Screw the bridge. Even if it catches fire, you’ll still have your cushy staff gig with benefits to wake up to each morning.

3 comments October 31st, 2007