And Better Than Ever

I'm back.

Wanna know why I was gone?  I'm only gonna talk about this once, so pay attention.  Ready?  Here we go:

Professionally, I was careening in the wrong direction.  Between January and April of 2013, I was away from my family for an entire month, and I hated it.  I was good at my job, but it was the wrong fit for me.  Wrong company, wrong team, wrong, wrong, wrong.  I felt like I was caught on a high-speed train with no brakes and no clear destination.  And I had no control over any of it.  Something had to give.

In August, it did.  My position was eliminated, and I was cut free.

Sadly, a long-standing friendship was a casualty in this saga.

Unemployment.

Job search.

Financial stress.

About one month after losing my job in The Big Bad City, I went on my fourth interview.  This one was for a temp position at a well-known, long-established company.  Temp was not my first choice, but I wanted a foot in the door, and I wanted it bad.  I knew if I could show them what I can do, they'd want to keep me.  I received an offer for the position before I even made it home from the interview.

I started my temp position on September 18.  Temp.  Not temp-to-perm.  No assignment length.  No paid holidays, no vacation pay, no benefits of any kind.  This company is known for keeping temps indefinitely, but still I had hope.

My official offer came just after the first of the year, and I am now a permanent employee at a company I love.  The people are wonderful, the company has a stellar reputation and proven track record, and the first day I walked in there, I felt like I was home.

And I owe nothing to anyone.  This was all me. 

So, yeah.  I had a tough time professionally during the first eight months of last year, but I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.  The experience toughened me up a bit, so not only am I back; I'm better than ever.