#113 – A Belated Anniversary - September 24, 2012

Monday.  Nothing special at work today. 

So today I will write about the adventure that started about a year ago and led to our family being where we are today.

On Monday, September 19, 2011, I received an email.   It was addressed to me and over a hundred of my coworkers at my previous employer.  It stated, simply, that the company was looking to reduce its ranks of management and would offer a generous voluntary separation package.  Because I had been through a few layoffs, I guessed what the package might look like. 

My first reaction was to jump at it.  I did not think the company was doing what it needed to do, and I was burned out on a project I was working on.  I had some difficult coworkers whose help I needed and who openly disliked me and sabotaged my work.  It was a difficult time.  My job was secure for a while, and I had solid management support.  The company had always been good to me, and I was grateful to it for giving me a start in my career and funding my education.  But I had provided good value to the company, and it no longer wanted my input.  I was ready to provide the next level of leadership, and the company was not willing to give me the opportunity to give them that.  I was stagnant because the company had low turnover and was no longer growing.

And yet – it was 2011.  Real positive job numbers were months away, house prices were depressed (we were about 30% underwater on our home), and I had never gotten a job I interviewed for.  It was a classic risk/reward scenario, with both sides painfully obvious to me and to Katrina.

We had been talking about me leaving the company for several years.  This opportunity gave us a deadline, and a strong reason to leave.  It was time to make a decision.  I immediately turned to my best group of people to counsel on such a decision – my MBA cohort from the University of Oregon.  I sent a note asking for advice on a good career counseling place, and I had offers to help with my resume and a few leads on career counselors in a matter of hours. 

Our friends and family didn’t know any of this yet.  But the ball had started rolling.

Katrina and I discussed this anniversary, and we're both convinced it was the best possible thing to happen to us.  It has been beneficial in a million ways.  Some painful, some wonderful, but it really has been a huge growth experience so far.  

This is Christian, ready for the Ducks game: get out the gear, lay on the couch, and go to sleep.
He was out cold before kickoff.