FunEmployment

In May I left a really toxic environment (at a wonderful company, wrong team). Instead of immediately focusing on my job search, I took a break. Now 6 months in I’ve learned a whole lot.

I can finally say that work doesn’t define me. It’s a great thing that can certainly fullfill me, but the real purpose of it is to pay bills and book flights.

I will always work hard, be type A and value having a reputation as someone who is one of tne best at what they do, but my work will no longer be my primary focus. It does not define me. In fact, it’s the least interesting thing about me.

That’s a HUGE shift for me. While I’ve worked to find balance, I’ve still very much allowed work to be 80% of who I am and where I spend my energy. It’s controlled my moods, controlled what I think about myself and truly been what I’m self concious about.

No more.

6 months of travel, therapy, not working — I’m a new sequin, and I love it.

It’s completely foreign to me to be at a “career low” and yet be the most confident, fullfilled and happy version of myself I’ve ever been. I am setting boundaries, living for the moment, speaking about my feelings, doing the work assigned at therapy and investing in people who make me feel wonderful while stepping away from those who don’t. I am genuinely so proud and happy of the woman that I am.

I know at the end of the day, I’ll find the next thing. I will bet on me every single time. And I won’t lie, it’s stressful looking for a job in a market full of layoffs and a looming recession. I am not an heiress (RUDE) so I’ll need a job soon. I have my breakdowns and stress about that. I’m human. But I will be ok. I will come out of this thriving.

In the meantime, I’m working really hard to keep the old me back and the new me forward. I’m focused on putting in the work on my growth and maturity and investing in experiences.

Funemployment for me has been an incredible time of work & play. I’ve left the country twice, traveled in our own country countless times and I’m taking time to build on who I am without work. It’s been a gift to truly force myself to be whole without a job - because I don’t have one!

I hope that when I do start work again, I remember this time and stay focused on the growth. I hope I keep this same main character energy and ensure work stays secondary.

Whatever comes next, this time has been a gift and an incredible opportunity to become a better me. And at the end of the day, that’s the goal. Be the best version of myself possible.

Change Up

The generation of working somewhere for 30 years and retire is gone. Millenials and the tech industry changed the game for how we work. There’s no longer this expectation of committing your life to a company that isn’t committed to you.

Because of that, I’m here to tell you — have the courage to start over.

If you’re unhappy where you are, leave. If you have been in one industry your entire life and it’s not making you happy, switch industries. Are you 40 and just figured out you’re super passionate about writing but you work in sales? Start writing.

I used to question the way in which I’ve left companies for the next opportunity. I’ve been accused of chasing something that doesn’t exist. The thing is, I seem to be doing quite well. I’m also good at what I do and bring a lot to the table. Sure, everyone is replaceable at some point, but I’m hard to replace.

And I’ve had some incredible jobs working for dream companies. I’ve had once in a life time experiences all because I ignored what people told me and did what was best for me — what made me happy.

That is finally what I listen to. And that is the only voice I listen to.

Believe me, I’ve had the other voices. I’ve been told I’m ruining my career. I’ve been told I’ll never get hired with how often I’ve changed jobs. I’ve heard it all. And you know what? None of it came true. Because I know who I am and what I bring to the table. I know that I can do anything and I’ve got the work ethic to back it up.

Life is short. We spend a lot of time at work. If you are unhappy, move on. Make a change. Be strategic, but make moves. If you are unhappy, it’s of your own doing. Bet on yourself. Put the work in for yourself. Invest in yourself.

SURE - there are circumstances. Often times you have to take a shitty job to get to the better job. I get it, it’s easier said than done. But doing nothing, that leads to nothing. Take steps, even small steps. Make a plan and go do it. If you fall, dust yourself off and pivot again.

Most of all, have the courage to hit them with a change up. It’s your life and you have to live those 24 hours each day. What life are you going to lead? Where are you going to go?

Red Flags, A Tribute to Corporate Life

If you’ve been on this blog journey with me the last five years, you are well aware I’ve worked everywhere. I’ve moved about 5 times in 8 years and held as many jobs. I like to think I’m a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to knowing the red flags of corporate life. And whether you’re starting out or looking for your mid level dream job, knowing the red flags can save you a whole lot of time and energy.

I’m not going to name names here, but I’ve worked at some of the most desirable companies in the world and the most recognizable brands. From professional sports to tech, I’ve been around the corporate block. So when I say I’ve gotten to know the good bad and ugly, I’m a bit knowledgeable in that claim.

Now one thing I want to stress is there is a difference between normal shit that comes with the job and a truly toxic work environment. If you’re an entry level employee and you’re being asked to do grunt work, that’s not necessarily an issue. That’s part of being entry level. Know your experience level and know what the difference is between having to make copies and being verbally abused.

Second, I was willing to put up with a lot more earlier on in my career. I wanted to get the experience, the big names on my resume and make the contacts in those companies. So I put up with some questionable shit. I actually don’t agree with this strategy in general. But I definitely made a stink sometimes when I shouldn’t have. That comes with maturity, that I didn’t have at the time.

When you’re job hunting, do the research. That’s my number one tip in avoiding red flags. Research the company on Glassdoor (take the reviews with a grain of salt), ask people in your network who work/have worked there, and ask the right questions in interviews. This is the most key way to ensure you can be as informed as possible when deciding on taking a job.

Let’s backup a little bit. When you’re applying for a job, the job description can tell you a lot about a role and a company. I know, sometimes we are in positions where we have to take jobs as temporary ways to live and pay bills. I’ve been there, this isn’t what this blog is about. This is for when you’re looking for the right fit.

When you’re looking at a job description, here are a few words and phrases that are immediate red flags:

• “thrive in ambiguity…” (We want you to be able to do whatever we decide, even if that means we might change your entire job duties on the fly…)

• Super vague job descriptions (If you can’t tell what the general roles & responsibilities are, move on)

• Outlandish salary ranges (If a job says something like $50,000-$250,000, that’s a MLM, run)

• “able to work independently immediately…adapt quickly…etc” (RUN. This is absolute chaos and usually a sign of a company that doesn’t have its shit together.)

• One sided job descriptions don’t list perks & ways in which the company can help YOU. And that means they don’t care about you or your future. You’re there to serve them.

• A job description that values years of experience over actual skills generally means the company has not the slightest clue what they’re doing or looking for.

Now when you’re interviewing, ask the right questions. Don’t coast on this part. You need to get to know the real culture, benefits, and what your future could look like in this role with this company. Ask to speak to members of the team. Ask if this role is a back-fill, new, etc. Ask about what a real day or week looks like to understand how much you’ll be working. ASK what the salary range is for the role.

Red flags in the interview process:

• If one of the first things they bring up is ambiguous hours, know this means there’s probably a culture of working 24/7. The interviewer is looking to see if you’re willing to do anything it takes to get the job done. Be prepared to burnout quickly

• Ask about the opportunity for advancement. If an interviewer is unable to clearly lay out options for promotion, raises, tracks to advance, etc, they aren’t offered.

• When you’re asking about the role being a new position or a back fill, if the manager mentions there’s a lot of turnover, there’s a reason why. And unless it’s an entry level role people are growing out of, that’s a huge red flag. It generally means people aren’t staying at the company long.

• If there’s no clear company mission, or the interviewer can’t speak to the company values, they don’t have any. And a company without a clear vision is a mess.

• If the HR team or whomever you’re communicating with is hard to get a hold of or doesn’t follow up when they say they will, that’s not a good sign and probably means that’s how they are to wok with in general. First impressions matter.

• If a company tries to ask you to take less money than your value, end the process. Know your worth and don’t settle. A company unwilling to pay you what you are worth is never going to take care of you.

Obviously there’s about 6,000 other red flags, but these are some that I’ve unfortunately seen quite often in my career. At the end of the day, follow your gut. Google the company, see what the news is saying about them. Figure out what they believe politically. Where do they donate and give back? Do the research. And trust your instincts.

And remember, just because you’re in a bad situation doesn’t mean you can’t get out of it. There are always options and ways to improve next time. We’ve all been tricked before and it will probably happen again. Learn, grow, and do better next time. You got this.

180

Growing up, I did all the things you’re supposed to do. I excelled at school, sports, went to college and got a job. I have spent years upon years grinding to grow my career. I’ve worked overtime, weekends, existed on little sleep and I did it with little complaint. I bought into this idea that you have to work work work to make life great.

Yea, this is another 2020 taught me some shit post.

2020 changed my view on work. I no longer buy into this culture of grind til you fall. This five day work week that runs our lives.

I don’t actually know all the history around the five day work week but I believe it had to do with religious days of rest, agrictulure, and a lot of things that quite frankly are outdated. The Fast Company recently wrote a piece on just how outdated this practice is.

My major gripe with the five day work week is that 2020 showed us that while we work to keep the exonomy running, when everything hit the fan, our government wasn’t here to help us. In fact our government and all the systems we pay into, work so hard to keep running and use as our guiding force - let us all the way down.

And that isn’t going to change. Sure, Biden needs some more time to get into the trenches of things, but if he has time to bomb Syria, he has time to help Americans.

Our government and the system it built does not work for us.

I get it, I’ve got to pay taxes and I need to show up at work everyday. I’m not about to go full anarchy and wind up in jail or losing my well paying job that I genuinely enjoy.

But I am going to set boundaries. I have been in fact. I am going to place more value on my personal life than I do overtime, weekend work and giving up the best years of my life.

2020 showed me that things like time with friends and family, investing in my health and wellness, those are the things I really value.

If you know me well, this is all really shocking. I had always pushed to grow in my career and “be somebody.” What I’ve realized is I am somebody, independent of what I do. In fact, I respect myself more as this person who isn’t defined by where she works, how much she works and what her title is.

I’ll always be an overachiever. But what I overachieve in has shifted. I want to live the best life I can. See all the places on my bucket list. I want to invest in the people who mean so much to me. And I don’t want to live my days stuck behind a desk.

Maybe one day that means starting my own company. Maybe it means something I haven’t even thought of yet. But it does mean, I am no longer what I do, where I do it and I am no longer impressed by the people who are only work.

I hope one day as Americans we learn the value of a full life. I hope we learn that poverty doesn’t need to exist here. I hope we finally get rid of these lifetime politicans who are corrupt, out of touch and trash human beings. I hope that we can finally live up to the greatness this country has so long claimed to be.

But for now, I’m going to do what I can to focus on making my life full, happy, and healthy - completely separate from work.

Time isn't Even Real

I’m going to be honest, the biggest thing I’ve learned throughout this experience is that time isn’t real.

I know we have to go to work and do all the things that make society run, but in all honesty, we say that we don’t have time for a whole lot of things that we really just want to put off. Or not do at all.

Time has all but stopped. I’m not sure what day it is. Is it still 2020?

Nobody knows.

Here’s my new focus though, time is whatever I want it to be. Truly I think the most positive thing I’ve learned is that most of the things I think I absolutely have to do, I don’t. Because they’ve all but stopped right now.

The places I’m spending my time are face-timing friends and family. I’m reading more (OK fine I already read everyday but now twice a day!). I’m getting at least an hour in to just walk outside and enjoy nature. I’m writing. I’m putting energy into helping others.

I know that for most of us we have more time because we are working less. A lot of our daily responsibilities have changed. The point is though that we have the power to prioritize. You are not participating in these things and the world still turns. You’re forced to slow down and society still goes on without you.

My biggest flaw is that I don’t know how to take time to realize just sitting still or being in nature is a valid use of my time. I always find that I need to fill time with meaningful projects. Truth bomb? Time spent on myself is a meaningful project.

So when we get through all of this, really take inventory of how you spend your time. Are you prioritizing the right things or are you wasting your life on things that don’t matter? Get honest and get real. I hope that if anything this time has given you a positive perspective on how really not real time is. The only thing that is real about it is that we have limited use of it. So make it meaningful to your soul.