You've dreamed of quitting the job you hate in a blaze of glory. Here's why you shouldn't

People are quitting their jobs at the highest rates in nearly 20 years, a sign that they are finding and landing other opportunities.

The national quits rate -- the percentage of employed workers who quit their jobs in a given month -- reached 2.4 percent for three months this summer, the highest level since the start of 2001, before dipping to 2.3 percent in October. The U.S. has 7.1 million job openings, compared with 6 million unemployed people seeking work.

Those odds can make it tempting to throw your computer out the window, flip your boss the bird and slam the door behind you.

But experts advise both employers and employees to handle quitting with care.

"It's already a traumatic time," said Tom Alexander, CEO of Holistic, a Chicago company that helps employers analyze workforce and employee experience data. "Everybody really needs to be on their best behavior."

The spectacular -- if ill-advised -- quit

Sometimes, though, frustrations mount to the point of explosion, resulting in dramatic quitting scenes many