Giving Notice

To my surprise, an event happened at Medieval Times that caused me to give them my two weeks notice. I've very much enjoyed working there and even foregone greater money at the Post Office in order to work there. What happened was that I was punished for helping another section in the castle. Here is my version of what happened.

This past Thursday morning, I was working post 1 as a castle guard. We had a matinee show which means we have bus loads of kids who attend the show. The primary person for directing the kids to line up and where to enter the castle is the Prince (the King's brother) though the position is also called the ambassador. The Prince was busy outside the Arundel Mills Mall watching for buses arriving. When they arrived, he would tell them where to go inside the mall. There wasn't anyone by the castle entrance to direct them in. I decided to step up and direct them through the castle entrance. All went well except for one case where 3 students decided to leave the castle without permission from their chaperones. One of my duties as castle guard incredibly is to make sure no students leave without their chaperones (I was told this afterwards.).

When I went back to the Sound and Lighting booth, the head castle guard told me there were two complaints about me doing my job at Post 1. Because of that, he decided that I would no longer be assigned to Post 1. Instead, he would permanently assign me to Post 2. He understood that I was trying to help but it wasn't my job to direct students into the castle. He also admonished me for letting 3 students leave the castle. I thought it was ridiculous that I should be punished for helping out the folks at the check-in desk and said so. I apologized for letting the 3 students leave. I wasn't sure what the rules were on that at the time.

During the show, I considered my options. There were only two. I could accept the punishment or I could leave. Considering that the job was not crucial to me money or job wise, I could afford to leave. Also, there wasn't any real future for me at the castle. The main reason I was still working at the castle was because I really enjoyed it. I really liked playing castle guard and interacting with the customers. There are few jobs where you can make believe and get paid for it at the same time. Medieval Times is one of those few places. Finally, I made my decision. I was going to give notice.

One bad thing about giving notice is that you still have to work those last 2 weeks. For me, this is going to be the pits. I would like to leave now but I won't do that as it would leave my boss in a real bind. I also have to work post 2 even though I hate working that post and it was my being moved there permanently that caused me to give notice. The only alternative to not working post 2 is to walk out which I won't do. To make matters worse, word has gotten out that I'm leaving. I was already down about leaving when Dave, one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, came up and asked me what was up with me leaving. I wanted to leave quietly and that was clearly shot to all heck. God only knows what rumors are going around the castle. The castle can be terrible in that way.

While it saddens to leave Medieval Times, there will be some good things to come out of my departure. I'll have the time to take college classes again. I'm only 4 classes away from getting my Bachelor's degree. Also, when the Maryland Renaissance Festival opens in late August, I'll be able to go without having to take time off from my job. I'm hoping the festival gets the group Medieval Baebes back. I really wanted to see them last year but had to work both days they performed at the festival. Lastly, I'll be able to make more money. Thankfully, I didn't burn any bridges with the supervisors who direct the city carriers. I checked and I should be able to get at least 24 hours a week with them. While delivering the mail won't be as much fun as working at Medieval Times, it pays double what I'm getting at the castle. The extra bucks will help, especially if I have to pay the out-of-state rate at the University of Maryland. We'll see what works out.