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I stepped into the office and the door shut behind me. I sat down and looked into my manager's eyes. After what seemed like an hour of her rambling, which I'd become accustomed to tuning out, I managed to focus in on the last two sentences.
"It's your decision; stay or leave. You will get two months severance if you decide to leave at this time."

Was it true or was it a joke? Was I dreaming? Did I really have an easy out from the misery I'd endured for the past two years? If I did, then the answer was a no brainer.
"I quit." A sense of relief rushed through my body as I slowly stood up and walked out of the office. After a short walk down the corridor I reached my desk and by then reality began to set in. I would never have to walk back into the building and swipe my id card or sit at my desk or surf the internet for nine hours or sit through hours of pointless meetings or pretend to enjoy the company of senior managers at happy hour. I was FREE!
I had debated the thought of quitting my job since the day I started. How I managed to stick it out for a whole two years is still mind boggling to me. Why would I put myself through so much torture? Then I found the answer - insecurity. I hadnt been out in the working world for too many years. I did not have a slew of experience. I did not think I could find anything else. This was a job I had searched high and low for and after a rigorous interview process, I was thrilled to have gotten the position. All seemed fine and dandy until I started. The problem; I had not interviewed with my direct manager. It was on my first day that I met her and from the morning exchange of "hello" I knew we would not get along.
I am not a confrontational person and nor were any of my other co-workers. From day one we suffered under the dictatorship of the worst type of manager; the "micro-manager." Although she tried all too hard to make us like her by taking us out to lunch and buying us coffee and donuts, she couldnt have been any further from likeable. Initially we all tried to cope on our own but once my co-workers and I became friends we vented to each other. It was probably within the first month that I began having thoughts about quitting. I was too afraid about how unstable my resume would look. I convinced myself to stay on board and fight it out. I sat through hours of pointless meetings, both individual and with my co-workers. I would zone out the instant she began talking. Hours would pass

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