Putting things into perspective...

I was laid off from my job in March of 2006. At the time, I was devastated. I thought my life was over, I felt like a failure, and I dreaded the thought of having to claim unemployment. I had never experienced rejection like that before, and it hurt. After having worked in the fast food industry (God love Long John Silver's) for over 4 years, I was ready to take that "big girl" step and get out into the real world...into a "real" job. It lasted for almost 4 years, and then it was over. I remember my biggest thought at the time was, “Maybe I’m not cut out for a secretarial job…maybe I should go back to Long John Silver’s.” Re-thinking that now makes me shudder and want to give myself a black eye.

I sulked for a month or so, then picked myself up. I job hunted like never before, and began to see the lay-off for what it really was: a blessing in disguise. I had been miserable at that job! Completely and utterly MISERABLE. I worked with girls who thought beauty was more important than a job well done, attorneys who didn't appreciate nor acknowledge a job well done, and an office manager that got different type of "job" well done...like a $10,000 worth "job".

Everyday was a nightmare, and I dreaded dragging myself out of bed and into the office. I dreamed up every possible excuse I could think of for vacation, sick days, and arriving late / leaving early. I was NOT a model employee. Now, at my meeting with the big boss, in which he informed me I was being let go, he assured me it was not a performance issue, nor were they pulling a “fire to hire” act. It was simply because, as he put it, “We simply can’t afford to pay 9 people anymore…” That’s really all I remembered—10 minutes after he said it, and to this day—from our meeting. Then I packed my shit up in a box and a half, and was gone…never to look back.

It took me MONTHS—6, to be exact—to find a new, permanent job. In the meantime, starting in May, I was offered an interim position at my friend Denise’s doctors’ office. I worked part time, 2 ½ days a week, for a while, moved into a full time role, then was bumped back down to part time again. (Not her doing, I assure you.) I did that for 4 months until I landed the gig at the physical therapy joint. It was great, and I fell in love right away; I even had the thought, “Hey, this is something I can see me doing for the rest of my life!”

Well, as is the story of my life, that too came to a crashing halt…4 months into it! I won’t go into detail here, but let’s just say my story and theirs don’t match up, so I was let go. It’s been proven that I was in the right, not them, yet they won’t be over and done with it. Ah well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles, I suppose. But again, I was crushed—especially since I had finally found a job that I actually looked forward to going to in the mornings!

I went through the same motions that I did after the lay-off at the law firm, depression, feeling a failure, etc. Then the clouds parted ever so slightly: “Why would I want to work for an employer that obviously wasn’t going to believe a word I said, even once it was proved that I didn’t do anything wrong?? Why would I want to work for a company who does not value its employees??” My answer? I don’t, and I won’t.

So, after only 2 months of job and soul searching this time, I landed my current job. I really enjoy it. The phones are outrageously crazy at times, and there is a lot of work involved, but I feel like it’s something that I can do for a very long time. It’s a learning experience, in which I’m learning new things every day, and I take pride in both the work I do and the compliments I receive. I don’t deal with backstabbing coworkers, people here respect me for who I am and what I say, and they appreciate the job I do. How do I know? Because they tell me. I’ve never had that kind of reception and appreciation at a job. EVER. They gave me a welcome basket for crying out loud!!!

To sum up, it was hard for me to look at things this way at the time. However, had I never gotten laid off from the law firm, I may never have gotten he opportunity at Denise’s office, and I may never have realized that I want a career in the medical field. I could still be at the law firm, dreading every day, and trying desperately hard to keep up with the women in the office’s idea of “beauty”. (Meaning: “beauty is all on the outside; it’s a-ok to be a total bitch on the inside, as long as your hair and nails are done, and you have enough make-up on!”)

Putting things into perspective like this, just from a career aspect, have really made me thank God that all this has happened to me in just a year’s time. I still am fighting battles, but they are making me a stronger person and teaching me more about determination and strong will than I ever thought possible. I’m seriously considering writing a letter to big attorney boss man and thanking him for laying me off in the first place. Because without his foresight, I probably wouldn’t have taken the risks I’ve taken, or learned so much about myself and careers as I have over the past year. (I still think he “couldn’t pay” me because he was getting ready to send his daughter to Wash U’s law school, and had just taken his 5 person family on an Alaskan cruise, but that’s neither here nor there, is it?) :)