I'm going to be leaving my job to go back to school to start a new career. I'm very excited and the new career will open up many more employment and financial opportunities.
School starts in August but I have yet to notify my employer. I know for a fact (from coworkers that have left in the past) that the higher ups can be petty and if I notify them too soon, they are likely to treat me badly until I leave.
All of this aside, the thing I am most dreading is informing my coworkers. We work with a small staff and to be honest, few of them are truly competent. Me leaving will put a strain on my already drained and overworked coworkers. I have one coworker in particular that I want to give a heads up to before I give my official notice. Ideally, I want her to know ahead of time so that she can decide if she wants to start seeking out other employment as well. She may also be able to use my departure to her advantage to get better pay.
My question is, should I tell her that I'm leaving before giving my official notice? My friends and family have advised against as they feel as though telling her will lead to the news spreading amongst the entire company before I even get a chance to announce it. The original plan was to swear her to secrecy after telling her a few weeks in advance. However, I'm now debating doing so.
It it were me, I would want my coworker to know and not be blindsided. However, I also know that I would absolutely not tell anyone else.
What would you do?