2 weeks and a resignation letter? The thing is I'm on 1 year contract and I have to renew it a couple months before it expires so I would have to tell the boss before then. I also think I would have to give ample time to find a replacement and also train them because I'm the only one in the lab that knows what to do for some things.
Oh, I thought this was a normal "at will" employment scenario. If you have a contract, you need to abide by that. You're fortunate that it's a one year contract, even there was a two-year
expectation. The contract is what matters. Read it, and be sure you understand what it means. Also, even if you're only technically bound to one year, if the expectation was that you would work for two years then you're pretty much trashing your chance at a good LOR. On that note, don't think you can get a LOR now and then quit... plenty of letter writers have been known to send in an update letter if they've changed their mind about what they said in the first one.
The same advice I gave before can apply, but the timing is different. You can write a letter gently but clearly informing your boss that you regret you will not be renewing your contract when it expires, but of course you will work through the end of it. Just an FYI, you may get released early anyway, as they may no longer be interested in investing in you if they know you are leaving. But that decision is up to them, not up to you. If you are certain that you need to leave this position, I recommend that you inform them right now. Otherwise, your emotional decision will almost certainly show through in your work and attitude.
As far as exPlaining why I want to leave can I just say Im not that interested in research, that I am burnt out, and that I wantto be closer to home? Or would those sound like bs excuses.
All of these things can sound like BS, depending on how you present them. Again, less is more. A simple honest statement like "I thought I was really interested in research but since working this job I have discovered that I'm just not a good fit for this position" can go along way. But always be mindful of the commitment and promise that you made and be very clear that you will uphold your end of that promise.
Also, depending on how you want to play this, you could simply approach your boss first with a request for help. Your dilemma is that you do not want to break a promise, but you have realized you don't like this work and are not a good fit for the position. So, ask for their constructive criticism and suggestions on how you can make this situation work well for all involved. You never know, they may also be feeling ambivalent about you, and they may "let you off the hook" so to speak and say "Yeah, I've noticed, why don't we just agree to break this contract." Again, that is their decision to make, and you will get much more respect from them by letting them think that it's their idea/solution to the problem.
Or, you might surprise yourself. Maybe you ask for advice, and you get some good advice, and you try it, and you end up working through this situation and find that you can be successful with this after all. You may still not be a good fit and maybe you'll never do this kind of job again, but figuring out how to stick through it and make it work well enough is invaluable experience that really helps you grow as a person.
