The Dilemma

So this is the dilemma.

As you may have figured out if you read between the lines, I'm a little unsatisfied with my job. I have been for some time, and finally decided to take the plunge and quit. I even set a date (which I haven't told the boss yet) of Oct 31.

Why wait that long? Bonus is in September (or so we are told... but to what extent I actually expect one is another story), and I figure for the sake of the bonus, I shouldn't tell him till after... right?

Problem: That only leaves one month to find a replacement for me. Sure under my contract, I only have to give two week notice, just like everyone else, but if I did that they would be totally screwed. Actually even just one month will leave them totally screwed, but being the good guy that I am, I will offer to be "on call" for at least November.

Recently I have been thinking that perhaps I have to give them even more time... as in tell the boss next week. That leaves two months to replace me, or at least scale down on any jobs that require my help.

So far so good I guess. I tell him next week, I loose the bonus, but maybe he's less pissed and will write me a nice reference letter.

Did I forget to mention that one of the remaining three production people is pregnant and will be going on leave at the end of September? So then there will be three of us. Everyone's skill-set is varied, but mine is by far the most techincal and broad, I can fill in for them, but they can't readily fill in for me.

So am I a jerk for quitting a month after one of the other four production folk are scheduled to be on leave for six months? The good part of me says yes, but the cold-hearted part says "Hey, it's business. The company should have been managed so it wouldn't in this situation anyway". So I still have a relatively clear conscience.

Then came yesterday. The other html slave doesn't show up for work, and finally calls around noon from the hospital. She has something wrong, and will be out for the rest of this week at least. The president told her to take a month or so off and get better. Now what?

Assuming she is back on the job by the end of October, I guess there is really no bigger of a problem than before she got sick, except that now, I will be doing all the copy pasting myself and not have time to get the others up to speed on such things as... oh, how to ssh to the server.

Although, if we look at it from another stand point, it might be the perfect time to hire someone new... they would certainly get a crash course, and it might light a fire under the butts of the others so they start to learn new skills. I know it sure helped me when the previous server guy quit a month or so after I started, and there was not backup server guy. It forced me, supposedly there as a marketing consultant, to pick up a book about Linux and learn to manage the thing.

Actually come to think about it, I'm not really afraid that the company will be in trouble if I leave... there are a million people that can do what I do, and a few can even do it better. What I am really afraid of it the President's perception of my actions. If he feels I screwed them over, there goes a reference. And having been stuck in an office behind a computer for three years, with very little contact with people I would consider as a good reference, that's a big deal for me. I certainly don't want to burn any bridges.

So let's recap. The question is:

Am I "bad" if I quit now, even though I am giving them two figgin' months notice?
What should my responsibilities be to the company? Does the fact that it's a small company (7 people) mean I have more responsibility than if it was a large corporation and I was a nameless drone? If so, why? I certainly paid the price in loss of benefits by staying with a small company where the pay is low, and the vacations scarce, and the number of co-workers I wish to socialize with... low, and peers to learn from and find solutions for problems non-existent.
Should I even worry about the reference?
Should I actually wait till after I get the possible bonus, and give less notice?

What's right?