Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Date: Wednesday April 20, 2016

Time: Feels-like-the ass-crack-of-dawn (a clock would likely place it right around 7:00am…I’ll pause for those readers currently possessing children sufficient time to roll their eyes)
Location: The sole bedroom of a downtown Minneapolis, MN apartment

It’s early, but the Uber-X will be arriving soon for the silent 20-minute haul to the airport.  This is not unusual. In fact, seven bells is quite a bit later than normal for me to head out for a flight.  As I throw together my standard carry-on survival items (noise cancelling headphones, Clif Bars, last week’s Sports Illustrated that I will read cover-to-cover before takeoff, a book I won’t read at all, and a fresh pack of Orbit Wintermint), it is currently the 15^th week of the year and, according to the Delta app on my phone, this morning’s flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix marks the start of my 13^th round trip of 2016.  I turn 33 in a week and, after nine years of going in to an office each day, the new job I started last November has been a welcomed change – working from home when in Minneapolis, but on the road most weeks flying to such exotic destinations as Edison, New Jersey and Broadview Heights, Ohio to sell the financial advisors of Big Ten territory (minus Maryland and Nebraska, so the real Big Ten) on the wonders of individual disability income insurance and motivate them to incorporate it with more prevalence into their client’s financial plans.  It’s been a challenging but fun and rewarding few months getting things started, but it’s time for a break.  A spring break, as it were.  So I can’t wait for this 9:30 flight because once I land in Phoenix, I’ll head to National car rental, pick out the best minivan in the lot, pop in the “Van Tunes” mix CD I made last night (spoiler alert: it’s mostly Van Halen), pick up Ben and Katie when they arrive from San Francisco, drive to the Airbnb rental in Scottsdale, acquire and consume a beer, wait for the rest of the adult spring break crew to arrive, sit on/in/around the pool, and repeat for four days. 

And then my phone lights up with a text from my boss:

“Mandatory call today. 9am. I know you’re on vacation, but you need to dial in.”

Fast forward a couple hours.  That tall guy staring out at the window along the corridor leading up to gate G20 at the MSP airport with earbuds in as the first class and diamond medallion passengers (I’m only silver for those concerned how much of a Clooney scene from Up in The Air this resembles) walk past him to board the flight to Phoenix?  That’s me.  And those earbuds?  They have been broadcasting dead air for the five minutes that have passed since the conference call ended.  They’re calling my zone, so I put the phone away and muscle memory kicks in to execute another flawless boarding process (with the assistance of every flight attendant who has ever greeted my entrance to the aircraft, I have become expert-level at watching my head), but my mind is still staring out that window with white noise spinning on repeat in my ears.  About a half-hour in, just as the flight attendants start their ginger ale slinging, I snap out of it, buy the in-flight Wi-Fi, download the email that was sent after the call ended, and use the complimentary Star Tribune from the Delta lounge (Clooney game strong here) as scratch paper to calculate my severance pay.  In two months, corporate restructuring will render my position terminated and I will be unemployed for the first time since graduating from St. John’s in 2005. 

Would I care for a beverage?  I would.

(admittedly less Clooney)

Date: Monday April 24, 2017
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Same Minneapolis apartment

It’s been a weird year.  Not necessarily good or bad, but definitely weird.  The most common phrase that I’ve used over the past 52 weeks has been “if you’re going to get laid off and you live in Minnesota, get laid off in the summer.”  And while my short game, sun tan, and bicycle all saw at least 10 times more attention last July and August than in any prior, not having a job still sucks.  Even though I had two months of advanced notice and a more-than-fair severance payout, striking the proper balance between “enjoy this and take some time to figure out what you want to do next” (see above photo) and “get a job, sir” proved to be incredibly challenging.  All those hours sitting in a cubicle on beautiful summer days thinking “if I could just get a chance to start over and do something I REALLY love…” were calling my bluff.  Here it is: my big chance to hit reset and use the layoff as leverage to meet with a ton of different people and, in the process, find my dream job. 

Well, that didn’t really happen.  I did a good job of networking (my coffee and happy hour games have never been sharper) and was blown away by how many people – most of whom I hadn’t spoken to in years or had never met at all – took time to talk with me and actually cared enough to make further introductions and provide really good advice.  As I moved through the process, I started realizing that maybe my dream job or some other massive life-altering opportunity may not show up – even if I look really hard for it without the shackles of active employment.  Now that might sound depressing, but it felt just the opposite.  As someone who has always fought the notion that the grass is always greener (I believe the youths call it “FOMO”), being forced to actually go inspect some other lawns started to give me more peace of mind and confidence that even if my dream job isn’t sitting out there waiting for me, I’ll be OK. 

I started working again in October of 2016 and, while not it’s not exactly the life of an MLB relief pitcher (think about that gig for a second...seriously, think about it, I’ll wait…that is the best job on the planet, right?), I took a bit of a chance.  After ten years of working for massive corporations, I accepted a position working as a sales rep for an employee benefits consulting firm employing exactly six people (myself included).  I’ve traded the Delta Sky Club for Casey’s General Stores while driving all over the state to meet with public sector entities (cities, counties, school districts, etc.) in an attempt to show them why working with our firm will improve their insurance costs and employee relations.  Is it the earth-shattering dream job that I always thought could be out there beyond the cubicle walls?  No.  But it’s challenging, fun, and rewarding, so along with the much-welcomed return of providing an income, it certainly checks enough of the important boxes.

Despite what has been by any measure the most thoughtful and perspective-building year I have spent on this planet, I know that I’m always going to be looking over the fence trying to see if I can find something better.  And I’m OK with that.  What’s gone now is the underlying sense that if only I could take a month off to re-group, re-set, re-evaluate, and re-connect, that perfect job and answers to all of my problems and professional anxieties are just sitting there waiting for me around the corner.  It’s highly likely that realization isn’t exactly earth shattering for some reading this, but it was for me and I’m grateful that I was given the chance to figure it out (…and work on my short game).

I’m certainly not the first person to get laid-off (not even the first person to get laid-off who has written a post on this very blog), and I don’t have any wise pearls from the experience that are going to change anybody’s life.  But I think that all of us still question our professional situations pretty frequently, so it’s something everybody deals with from time to time.  Healthy skepticism and motivation to improve your situation are two of the best attributes that I learned from my time at St. John’s and growing up with my fellow contributors to this project.  And as we get older, those evaluations and potential actions thereof take on much more profound consequences, so hopefully sharing the perspective I gained over the past year will help. 

And if not, nobody leaves empty handed, so let me know and I can at least give you some recommendations on out-state Minnesota gas station pizza options and/or which Minneapolis coffee shops are most tank top friendly during daytime hours.