Ricardo was a former colleague of mine, working for the company for seven years. He admits that the stressful/thankless job made him miserable. Despite the company's pettiness and cheapness, Ricardo's personal drive propelled him to work (unpaid) overtime and to come in on his days off. In the end, the company unceremoniously fired him. Like many of his friends, I consoled him, saying that he had stayed there too long anyway. (I resigned several months later). Ricardo confessed that he had stayed at the job because it had become his "comfort zone", even though his collegiate ambitions had been toward Accounting.
As luck would have it, a short while after being fired, Ricardo's cousin alerted him to an accounting opportunity at a Collections firm. Ricardo got hired! The job was MUCH closer to his home. Instead of retail customer service (complaints), he had a Monday-Friday desk job. He traded in his "dress code" suits for casual-wear, and loved their "pizza Fridays" and "boozy end of month parties". Ah, such is office life at the right places. His direct supervisor truly appreciated him, and he won "Employee of the Month" before a year had passed. When I dined with Ricardo, last month, he had just gotten a raise--something that our prior company NEVER gave! Yay for him!
I remain very happy for him, and it instills hope that I will find a great job with a rewarding culture very soon.
Lewis and I have a friend named Ly. Like Ricardo, he also experienced an overworked/overstressed career for many years at one company. That company eroded his support staff and slowly dumped more and more responsibility upon him. His six-figure salary didn't compensate him enough for the work or disrespect at the office. It affected his sleeping and eating habits. He sought help from a physical therapist, to alleviate tightened muscles. Finally, he resigned.
Like Ricardo, Ly had been getting a stable paycheck and its absence--despite his savings--upset him. Ly enjoys stability and structure. I also consoled him. But, I didn't have to for long. A week later, Ly was recruited by a Florida company that desired him to relocate. A native born/bred NYC guy, Ly was reluctant but went on their all-expense-paid visit to their Florida offices. They even had a local realtor show him what new apartments he might have. Their job offer matched his current salary (which is great, considering the low cost of living in Florida, and the lack of taxes). Ly pointed out that he would need a car... so the company increased their salary offer to him, to accommodate the necessary costs that Ly would incur.
Initially, Ly was hesitant. For some city dwellers, their desire for stability might steer them to a relocation, instead of having to job-hunt in Manhattan's urban jungle. As Ly pondered, at least he knows that he's got an opportunity in the background. A great offer in a wonderfully sunny place. Full of tan men that he could admire. Nonetheless, after accepting the job, he got "cold feet" and called them to refuse their offer. !!!
We couldn't believe it! After the negotiated UP in salary, AND he accepted... he rejected them.?! The next day, Ly spent hours asking Lewis for advice (guess our advice). Finally, he decided to call them, the next day, and ask to accept it again. Guess what? They still gave him the job.
I remain very happy for him, too... and that also encourages hope that I will get a great job with growth potential soon.
All it took for both men was to leave their occupational misery, and "new doors" opened quite quickly. Hope springs eternal.
To see how my next job was, please use this link:
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