Happened to me twice, had decided to quit for a while and my last day was supposed to be after the go-live of long projects. On the first case, the project was

Happened to me twice, had decided to quit for a while and my last day was supposed to be after the go-live of long projects. On the first case, the project was so mismanaged that eventually even 3 months later the project was still not launched, good thing I didn't stick around. On the second case, the project was delayed by only a couple weeks. My past employer just hired me on contract for the few hours of support they needed me for the production launch. If your role is truly critical and you still want to help, take a few hours on the side for them, and ensure you are paid properly. Nobody ever considered me irresponsible to leave at the time I wanted to leave. If your employer runs out of money, they won't hesitate to lay you off as soon as possible, regardless of projects. That works both ways.