New Beginnings...
Back in March I made the decision to do what’s best for my career, mental health, and family. I left the company I was with for nearly six years to start a completely new journey.
What brought me to this point? I worked six years, 5 different positions, 4 different locations, and gave my best every day to be told by a manager who had been with the company just over a year that I wasn’t a valuable asset to the company. I asked hard questions, challenged processes, trained my peers, watched them succeed and get promotions, just to be told I wasn’t a valuable asset to the company by a manager that didn’t even know my job. I did a job I wasn’t even hired to do, but I also couldn’t say no when asked to do a task due to the fear of not being a team player. Yet, I was passed up for my dream job (or so I thought) due to not being a team player. Other coworkers got the position that I was encouraged to apply for and promised. I stayed because of my passion for the program, my associates, and the promise that eventually the position I had always wanted would be mine.
Looking back, I dealt with so much more than I ever should have allowed, all because of the expectation that the company would reward me for my hard work. I put myself out there, I met with Vice Presidents of the company, went to developmental meetings, worked from home, worked through lunches, worked with IT at 5am. I did everything I thought I should to prove myself. So one day I turned in my laptop and started applying for positions outside the company, I was tired of being turned down for positions I was well qualified for within the company I had worked at my entire adult life.
My husband found a job that looked like it was made for me. It was with a small company and I was honestly terrified. Their interview process was very in depth. A meeting to initially talk about the job, an actual interview, an assessment, my new boss met my husband to talk about my position, and I met my new team. This was all before I even started. On the day I was driving home from accepting the job offer, my old company called to offer me a job, it felt amazing to turn it down. Honestly, it seemed too good to be true. I still have days when I wake up and don’t believe I left my first company.
My new boss is straight forward, knows the business, and stands his ground for his team. The company is small, they have technology to support their needs, they encourage new ideas, and they invest in their people. My coworkers are honest, friendly, ask questions when they should, and appreciate learning.
The main things I’ve learned from my new beginning are (kind of cliche)...Don’t be afraid to start over new. Find a career where you can challenge what’s always been done and the leadership listens to see if things can be made better. Do what’s best for you, your future, your mental health, your career, and your family. If your current leadership doesn’t value you, don’t wait on them to tell you to your face, leave. And finally, know your worth, see the signs when you aren’t appreciated and do something about it.
