So why do we employees continue to honor this old tradition of giving two weeks notice. Are we collectively a bunch of suckers?
As others have said, it is more about my personal code of conduct. I worked for a company run by one of the biggest a-holes in this city. I gave a 2 week notice when I left because I'm not the a-hole, he is.
Additionally, I would be very cautious of a prospective employer that told me they needed me to start immediately and not give notice to my current employer. If they are running their business in a way that puts them in the position of needing you NOW and cannot get by for two weeks and don't give a flip about you doing the honorable thing with your soon to be former employer...that should pretty well tell you how they will treat you also.