At 20 years old, I started working for a local construction company. These folks gave me a chance when I was at a low point in my life (parents going through a divorce etc.). The company was growing, and I found a place doing work I truly enjoyed.
Fast forward 5 years. I’ve been a loyal employee, and have built a great relationship with the family I was working for. I bought their kids Christmas presents, we went out to dinner together, and genuinely felt like friends. With all of that being said, an opportunity presented itself to double my salary. Given my family was young and growing, I took a leap and accepted the position. I was genuinely upset telling my boss that I was leaving. I was incredibly thankful for the opportunities he had given me, and I was simply making a decision for my family. He acted like it was no big deal, and that he wanted what was best for me. I didn’t want our friendship to be damaged by my decision to leave. I gave a months notice, and started my new job.
In the 8 months since, I’ve attempted to reach out to him by phone and text multiple times, simply to catch up and see how things were going. Not a single phone call has been answered, returned, nor a text message. I guess at the end of the day, I was just an employee and I was replaced as soon as I left. Lesson learned I guess. Nobody at work cares about you.