So yesterday I handed in my resignation. As I strive to find my path in life, I'm heading back to Imperial. The weird thing however, was that I had to write a letter.
I've sent more emails than I'd care to count, but as soon as I had to put pen to paper I was completely lost. It is perhaps worthwhile noting that I did actually put pen to paper. I'm not sure I've ever handwritten a letter before now. It did not strike me as archaic as such, it more dumbfounded me. I was impressed that it was legible, and in straight lines. I thought I was in 1997 in primary school, looking for my paperclip and guidelines to stick on the back. In the age of emails, I had completely forgotten that it would need my address on the right, and how to even address it. I'm pretty sure I signed off 'regards', is that even acceptable in letter-writing? Have I committed a literary faux-pas? Are 'regards' only acceptable in your inbox, and not your mailbox? All of these questions, and I wouldn't even know how to answer them. These days we google everything, but if I did, would I not be asking those who favour the internet? They can hardly be considered reliable.
So anyway, my real question is, when will I be able to resign online, by email?
To be fair the subject matter is probably ideal, given their generic nature. Surely a series of drop down boxes would suffice? Don't we all feel more comfortable online anyway. Isn't resigning bad enough as it is? The guilt, the regret, the general unknown. Then they add this unknown letter-writing business. Or is it a step too far, removing all people from the equation. Would it just make management more unapproachable, if there is never a reason for you to approach them?
To be fair the subject matter is probably ideal, given their generic nature. Surely a series of drop down boxes would suffice? Don't we all feel more comfortable online anyway. Isn't resigning bad enough as it is? The guilt, the regret, the general unknown. Then they add this unknown letter-writing business. Or is it a step too far, removing all people from the equation. Would it just make management more unapproachable, if there is never a reason for you to approach them?
We are obviously more comfortable with what we know. These days that is e-mail. Or am I being naive? Is it limited to mine and my parents generation? Are there still even more people who communicate by letter? You never hear about the Royal Mail going bust. Perhaps it is so. Maybe there needs to be a generation below us who are so familiar with email that they have never been taught how to write a letter. I am not young enough to say that is so, but old enough to have forgotten largely what I was taught. I remember watching my dad write letters and wondering how he chose a subject so easily. I always thought grown-ups had some unwritten rules for doing so. Alas, it is not so, as a grown up I continue to struggle selecting an e-mail subject, often leaving it blank. Something googlemail doesn't take kindly to by the way.
Maybe said generation isn't too far off, I seriously question my sister's letter writing capabilities. Maybe I question her generation's capabilities [full stop].
