Sayonara Suckas

The Authors Escape.

Epiphanies in banking come at the most unexpected times, spurred by random events that force you to wake up and take a look at what your life has become. They cluster in your mind, gnawing away at you until there are enough to push you over the edge and back into the real world.

Wage Donkey's Departure

This was a particularly tough time to be at work. Two of the four analysts in her group were away, and work was ramping up. It was a Sunday at 5am and she had just spent the last three days working over 50 hours. Wage Donkey just needed to make it through one more day. The bank meeting was on Tuesday and it would all be over after that. Tuesday morning, WD rushed to the airport after finishing the last set of edits the early that morning and going home for a quick shower and a two hours of sleep. After the bank meeting, She thought she was homefree, arriving back in Toronto by 9pm and planning to be in bed by 9:15. In the cab, WD blackberry started to ring. It was Workaholic MD. WD bent down to get it out of her purse. Wage Donkey's taxi smashed into the car in front of her and the rest was a blur.

9:15pm – MD: bank meeting went good, send me comps on this this and that
9:16pm – Wage Donkey: I was in a car accident, at the hospital with a mild concussion

silence

9:38pm – MD: When are the comps coming?

...and that was the final straw. Once Wage Donkey had made up her mind to leave, there was no turning back. It was just a matter of when and how. If you’ve ever quit a job before, you know that once your mind has been made up, you just want to get out of there as soon as possible.
A whole slew of analysts from her training year had all recently quit within a span of two weeks following bonus. She knew that if she didn’t do it now, she might never. Sadly, even after her official resignation, she was guilted into staying on an extra month. But she was free!

Coffee Mule on the other hand stuck around for an extra few months. Then one sunny afternoon in April, she turned around and told her boss that she had had enough. And in four weeks, it was 4 pm at her good bye drinks.

The book was spawned from a few jokes and frustrated rants sent back and forth between the two. They had many secret meetings in the bathrooms, private lunches. For the first time ever, they were excited to be at work. They exchanged knowing looks all throughout the day.

Gathering enough material for the book was a breeze, there was no end to good inspiration.

When they both finally left on their separate but significant last days, they did not take a thing with them; just a few good friendships and a great big smiles plastered across their faces.