Ask HN: If you've resigned from a previous job, what was the reason?

First job I quit was because of the terrible bosses, had a real tiny tyrant sitting in the high chair, though I cited inflexible scheduling on the next job interview.

Then there was this one, I was lied to when interviewing and there wasn't any upward mobility nor a structure to help me develop as a professional. Their idea of developing as a professional was teaching me about ergonomics and repetitive motion injuries. It was dead-end, so I left, again. I said that 'I had grown as much as I was going to in that company' during interviewing.

Another one I left because I hated what I was working on and the boss I was under said 'I was too valuable to the team and could not let me go', yet refused raises, or shorter shifts, or to pay for some certifications, or even give me a few more PTO days. I went through a period of grieving where my ambition was being fought against everywhere, I sacrificed my social life, my education, and so much more for nothing. My identity as a professional shattered irreversibly, I no longer care about work at all, it's just there to pay for rent and food, that's it.

I've since joined to be the only a small business that pays me full-time salary to be on-call, and calls me like once a week for very very basic IT support. Unprestigious? Unambitious? Dead-end? Boring and unstimulating? Yes to all, you bet, that's just the way I like it. I took up gardening and bookbinding and I put my goodwill and energy into that now.

If something is to be learnt from this post, is how to spin bad things into good ones when you want to sell yourself, or to not tie your identity to your job. I had my middle age crisis at 27, it seems.

I learned a tough lesson when I was a 17 year old apprentice. I was very keen and started work an hour early every day. I loved my job. One day I was 15 minutes late and was called into the managers office. He said that he was going to dock 15 minutes pay for being late. I tried to explain that I had started early every day for that last year with no pay, surely this alone created some sort of balance as I had worked for free.

He went onto say that he was doing me a favour by employing me. Now, I am usually a quiet, thoughful man but this statement enraged me. I told him I was leaving immediately and told him to prepare the wages I was owed. He told me that I could not leave and that I had to work two weeks notice.

I said "Who on earth do you think you are? you don't own me, you don't control me, I am a free man and will do as I please, when I want and how I want".

Now nearly seventy and retired I realised early on that to progress through the working world it was about using the employer to get what I wanted. Not to be used by them to get what they wanted. Once I gained enough knowledge, training and experience to expand my CV I was off to a new job with more money. Sometimes I left as soon as the training I was promised at interview had finished and expanded my CV even more.

I never started a job without a letter confirming all the training promised at interview.

The word employ means to use. Employers are using us to earn them money so I decided to turn that tables and use them instead.

The reason's for resigning? They vary, but it's usually because I've stopped getting what I want out of the role.