Do it in a professional and polite way, 2 weeks notice or whatever you feel is appropriate. You don't have to say why even if you prefer not to do so. If you want a good referral, it might be wise to be as polite as possible, even though you don't like him or the place much. Always difficult to do I know.

I recently was in the same situation, though we had talked about it previously. The only thing to do is to do it. You aren't helping yourself OR your boss out by being unhappy at work. Go in and ask if he has a couple of minutes to talk together and go over your feelings and see what he has to say. Maybe you can work it out, or maybe you can't. You will know by the conversation. If you can't, tell him you would like to leave and talk about a timeline for it. It's hard to do, even when you know your boss won't get mad, but you'll feel a lot better afterward.

Do you have another job lined up, or are you just wanting to get out of there? You could mention that you have an opportunity for work in a field closer to your area of interest or expertise, or that it's closer to home, or that it's the best thing for your family. He should not be upset with you for doing what is in the best interest of you and your family, especially when you are giving advance notice. Tell him that you are letting him know now, so that he can have time to find your replacement and even volunteer to train that replacement. The longer you wait, and the shorter the time he has to plan for your replacement, the more upset he will be.

Jesse, Based on your comments, I'd say you're actually in a somewhat "abusive" relationship with your boss. He's domineering and controlling, and you're trying to avoid conflict to your own detriment. Rather than getting too concerned about how to tell him in a way that doesn't upset him, you really should be setting boundaries with him: it is NOT ok for him to behave the way he has behaved in the past, and it's up to YOU to tell him that. Just because he's your boss doesn't give him a blank check for being abusive. Learn about your rights as an employee. Make sure he knows that you know. Make sure he understands that you know what an attorney is. Keep records on what he says and does, a log with dates and times. When you go in to tell him that you're leaving, if he gets out of hand make sure he knows that you consider his behavior to be out of line. Stand up for yourself. Stop worrying so much about his anger. I imagine that you're a nice person, who doesn't like to make trouble -- and that's good. But you also need to be able to set and maintain boundaries so this whole situation doesn't spring up again on your next job (and the one after that, etc..)

There's no clean way to get out. Been there done that. Be sure to give at least 2 wks notice and let everyone know that you're leaving for a better opportunity; that it has nothing to do with your current job (even if it has everything to do with your current job). Your boss will still be p.o.'d but that's as good as it gets.