The majority of workplaces will do whatever it takes to keep you chasing the carrot they dangle in front of you.

What would you do if you slowly started to realize you were catching your bosses in a lie? One guy recently shared how he escaped this type of toxic work situation with Reddit.

Here’s what went down.

If you want more money, leave

A few years ago I started a new position.

The manager encouraged me to get my licensure and they’d promote me to assistant manager, but I had proven myself over the years and had earned the title assistant to the manager and had the office running smoothly.

A good work ethic is just as valuable as a degree!

Here’s the thing, licensure requires a bachelor’s degree.

So I went back to online community college to finish my associate’s degree, then online college to obtain my bachelor’s degree.

I’ll be graduating later this year, and will have all other prerequisites to take the state exam in December.

Though a degree is still a huge accomplishment, nonetheless.

Early spring, my manager started to show the seeds of doubt that the assistant manager was going to be available with the current ownership, as the new owners don’t believe the company is big enough to require them.

So, instead of the $20k+ raise with increase in title and responsibilities, I was told a $6k raise should occur.

Huge promise to deliver on.

Generally the company pays more for employees in other departments that have completed higher education.

Then it became without a title change, then no increase in pay. Then the fateful phrase: “If you want more money, you’ll have to leave.”

OK, boss.

No one loves a broken promise more than your employer.

Aside from a general disdain for being lied to, I incurred some minor student loans to fund my bachelor’s, and some additional money is needed in order to start paying it back after graduation.

I gave my resume to a colleague in the field and asked them to keep me in mind if they hear of any openings, expecting to hear something late this year or early next.

However, in early June, just a couple weeks after reaching out to my colleague, I’m getting interviews for a new job that I never applied to.

Seems like a stroke of good luck.

A couple weeks after that have, I accepted a job offer that was more than the $6k raise.

I actually got to see a “shocked Pikachu” face in person when I told the manager I was leaving.

They never saw it coming.

They rarely do.

I was gracious with a longer than industry standard leave notice.

Although the new job is a bit more of a commute, I am much happier in the new company.

I’ve heard through the grapevine is my replacement is still struggling with even the basics of my old job.

All’s well that ends well, for the poster anyway. Let’s see how Redditors chimed in.

Some middle managers chimed in in solidarity.

Others supported the original poster’s decision.

One person offered perspective-changing advice.

Another person shared a similar experience.

And some shared cynical industry insights.

It can be hard to know the right time to get out of the rat race.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.