Typette.com: Strange.

Strange.

March 6, 2009

A few weeks ago, I gave my notice at my job. A job I was working at for about 6.5 years.

It was the first 'real' job I had ever had. I gone to school to study computer programming after a short stint of studying music therapy, only to wind up in the field of wireless telecom 6 months after graduating.

I've had other jobs when I was a kid. Retail and whatnot.

I have to say, this last job of mine, was the best job I've ever had. Or at least it was for a good 4 years or so. The interview itself is what really started everything. A boss who hired people for not only their skill-sets but also their personality. His goal, to form a 'team'. It was a great team.

As the years went on, the company grew larger and larger and more corporate. And what good can come out of working for a large corporation? Erm...I can't figure that one out.

As the company grew, our team shrunk... My job responsibilities changed. I started out as an admin. I loved it. It didn't utilize my skills of programming and music, but I didn't care. I liked what I did even at the most mundane of times. I liked that I wasn't in the field of 'programming' b/c that is really a one-man-show. You sit at your computer all day. No real socialization... you work for-da-man. That's sort of how my role at the company turned out. I didn't do hard-core programming, but I worked with data. No more admin. No more people interaction besides with a couple of my coworkers. I really hated it. No matter how many times I told my boss that, he would just tell me he doesn't want me taking a step-backward and doing that stuff. But I wanted to take a step-backward. Eventually I knew saying anything, wasn't going to get anywhere, so I said less and less as time went on. I understood where my boss was coming from and knew I could help our team out in a different way...so I did.

I had been questioning whether or not I wanted to stay with the company for about 2 years. The hubby and I had many discussions about what is the right thing to do. I never came to the conclusion that I would just leave, we needed to have something else lined up. I went on interviews, was willing to take a paycut... but alas, I realized that even though I didn't love my job, I would probably hate my job somewhere else. So, I stayed on the terms that, if my boss ever left the company, then I would to. And left it at that.

Long story short -- things just got worse and wors3. Shifts in management, a lot of stabbing in the back ... and other personal things outside of work led to my decision to leave even without another job lined up. I was a point of realization that things would probably not get better anytime soon, and was I really ready to live the next year or so being completely miserable in my job? A job that I had to commute a total of 3 hours a day to? A job that recently had required me to work 10+ hours some nights? -- NO.

Cliche : Life is short.

I plan to enjoy every moment.

With that said. My plan was to take a month or so off while looking for another job. Just take it easy and work on the house. However, I had wound up setting up a few interviews before I had left the company. I was looking for something part-time. 20hrs a week at MOST. 1 interview was for a company about 2 miles away from where I live. The hours - 8:30 to 12:30, the pay... a little more than 1/2 of what I made at the last company. It wasn't a lot of money, but it was still money. I'd still have time for 'life'. Another interview was for something less stable. I'd always have a job, but the hours were random, but the pay was really good. I'd be working with animals too. My Love!

So, after 2 interviews with company #1, hubsy and I talked it over, and I'm NOT taking it. The company is super small, they are all techs that work there, I'd have no socialization (customer service interaction) at all. I didn't want to take a job for the money. But the job seemed almost TOO good to be true. I mean really. Less than a 5 minute commute?! I said NO. Instead, I will be working with animals. With the flexibility this job will be giving me, I will also be able to work on a startup business that a friend and I have been doing lately. It's a fun, hobby type job with the potential to make some decent $$$. I look forward to working on it everyday.

With that said -- I have to admit, it's still weird to me. I don't feel 'weird' that I'm not going into work at the old company. I feel like I left that job a long time ago. As horrible as that sounds. What feels weird is that even though I've had a week off, I haven't gotten much done around the house. I've felt very un-productive, but I guess that's okay. I'm catching up on 'chill-time'.

I miss a few of the ladies I worked with at my old company though. I haven't really kept in touch so far, but I think -- it's just 'cause I feel like I've only been away for a day.

posted by Typette @ 9:17 AM

4 Comments:

At March 6, 2009 at 10:24 AM, justme said…

i'm just so proud that you left that job. it sounds like it was time and i know how hard it is to leave something like that that you've done for so long. i am so excited that you will be working with animals....i can't wait to hear the stories you will have
At March 6, 2009 at 3:55 PM, Anonymous said…

I'm a programmer and I never work alone. Sometimes I wish I did, ha ha. There's always tons of people around, lots of meetings to go to and a bunch of people I have to talk to throughout the day. I dunno why everyone thinks we sit in a cubicle and write code all day :-/ It's not like that at all. I only spend maybe .1% of my time writing code.

If they had you sitting alone doing your work all day, something aint right there. It's good you left. No one should have to do that.
At March 6, 2009 at 4:14 PM, Typette said…

Well - you are right there. Hubsy is a developer and he is always around people and always communicating with them, then again, he works for a technology company consisting mainly of other software engineers.... but I think how I felt it, was that I would be working for one person. B/c there weren't any other people in my company who did the same thing as me, I worked alone. And I reported to one person...who basically gave me his needs, I gave him the product...and that was that. Luckily I had some cool chickies I worked with that I could socialize with and the allowance to do so without getting reprimanded.
At March 7, 2009 at 7:59 AM, Anonymous said…

Good luck on your job hunting. Life is like that. Changes comes.