u/Clear_Ad6602

Hi everyone, I need opinions from people who aren't looking at this emotionally.

I've just accepted a new job and I'm supposed to start on September 8. At my current company, the annual performance bonuses are paid on September 4. Based on my performance review (I was rated above target), the payout should be around $11,500. And this is the part that's making me go back and forth:

The HR policy doesn't clearly say that I have to still be employed on the actual payment date to receive the bonus. The policy says that incentive compensation is discretionary and not guaranteed. I haven't officially submitted my resignation yet. If I wait until the money hits on September 4 and then submit my resignation, I'd basically be giving only about two working days' notice. If I submit my resignation now and give the usual notice, there's a strong chance I won't see the bonus at all.

My dilemma:

Part of me feels like I earned this money. I had a strong year, got the rating, and did the work. $11.5K isn't a small amount, and it feels kind of ridiculous to give it up just to be nice.

The part that's bothering me is the possibility that my reputation could be affected:

A former coworker knows I'm leaving because someone who was involved in the interview process at the new company knows them and asked them about me. So word might get around that I basically didn't give any notice.

I'm in a field where people move between the same few well-known companies, and relocation might happen later, so I don't want to create a long-term problem or burn bridges over this.

I'm also asking myself whether I'm making this into a bigger deal in my head than it really is. My managers have always been happy with my work, so I hope they'd remember my performance more than the fact that I didn't give the standard notice this time.

What would you do in this situation?

I'm a software developer at a healthcare software company, and my position was just eliminated as part of budget reductions. They told me I have 10 weeks to try to find another role inside the company, and if I don't find one or decide I'm not going to continue with that, they'll let me go with about 6 months of severance.

Honestly, part of me already feels lighter. It's a little strange, but I feel like the pressure of constant deadlines is starting to ease. The salary and benefits were good, so I know this isn't something to take lightly, but I've been burned out for a while and I don't feel like I'm really present in this career anymore. The work no longer excites me, and I haven't been "exceptional enough" in reviews to be put on a promotion track, even though I've been doing this job for a respectable amount of time since graduating. I feel like this is one of those rare opportunities to take a step back, travel a bit, and spend time on personal projects I've been putting off forever. Basically, a paid reset. So right now I'm leaning toward taking the severance, resting a little, and starting the job search closer to the second half of the severance period.

But at the same time, the thing making me hesitate is the tech job market. It seems really tough right now, and I don't want to be naive about how long it might take to find something good. In the worst case, if I wait too long and the search drags on, I'll probably have to move back in with my parents so I don't burn through the savings I worked hard to build. And that would be very draining, mostly because my dad can be gloomy, controlling, and old-school, and I really don't want to go back to that dynamic again.

I also talked to my aunt about it. She's had a very successful career and I respect her opinion, but she's definitely more cautious than I am. She told me I need to start applying immediately, and half-joked that being unemployed isn't exactly going to help my dating life. I laughed it off, but honestly, it got in my head a little.

Has anyone here taken severance and intentionally paused for a bit before looking again? Did it help, or did you regret not starting the search earlier? My biggest worry is just how bad the tech market is right now.