Two Years Since The Night Was My Day

While there certainly have been a lot of changes that have happened over the past year, both good and bad, the difference between our lives two years ago versus what it is now is even more staggering. In addition to moving to a new place, two years ago I was still working the night shift at our old apartment building. It was about this time in 2013 when I handed in my two week notice and prepared for the long days ahead working two jobs during this important transition. The next day, October 2, 2013, I started with my current employer and haven’t looked back since.

Not only was this a moment that restarted my career, it was a time that marked the end of what was a rather difficult period for me and my wife as we had spent the previous year and a half just trying to get by as we both worked for an hourly wage while trying to find the time to spend together. We had to just put our heads down and work trying to get enough money to pay bills and cover living expenses. Of course, with our finances so tight it also meant that we accrued some debt (to put it lightly). Things began to change once I rejoined the daytime workforce.

The past two years at my new company have been tremendous. While my initial thought heading into the job was that it was going to be a great place to work and advance my career, I really had no idea what to expect or whether I would be able to shake off the rust and get my career moving again. It was a bit of a challenge the first few days but I was surprisingly able to get things moving again rather quickly. And it was a good thing as those first few months getting the company up and running was both trying and rewarding at the same time. By the end of the first six months I was starting to feel completely comfortable once again and just in time for my review and promotion.

Since then it has been both a lot of work and also tremendously rewarding to watch the company grow. Some things happen for a reason and being out of the industry so long is now paying dividends in my being able to work where I do. It has been a great relief to have a career again that I enjoy and working for a company that sees all of us as a family rather than just a name on an account. I am looking forward to the next year, two years, and decades after that.

Out Of Academia

I will get back to this at some point!

Over the past several weeks I have noticed that many of my friends are leaving academia. It seems to be a nearly daily occurrence on my Facebook feed to see someone leave an academic or research institution for positions in finance, sales, and other, completely unrelated, fields. Having been in that same situation myself, I know both the pros and cons of that field and while there are many great benefits derived from leaving academia there are also a number of things that I miss on a regular basis namely the time and freedom to think, debate, and explore.

While I have enjoyed my career beyond the studious walls, there are times when I think about the work that I was able to do and the pieces I was able to publish. Those are the times when I miss the long days, late nights, and piles of rejection letters. It is a life that is fueled by the occasional kind note, acceptance letter, and rare inclusions in literary journals. And, at least for me on the literary side of things, it is a way of life that is disappearing and is rarely provides a means of financial support. This is the primary reason that I have heard from those leaving academia and it was my reason as well.

Many of us who have departed continue to find small ways to remain active in this unique world. When I first left I continued writing and submitting to publications keeping the daily routine of rejection sprinkled with acceptances. Since those early days on the outside, I did stray from writing and research for a little while but, since then, I have slowly come back to those relaxing and stressful habits.

The industry in which I now work does provide a little bit of the same feeling that I would get in academia. I still write for clients and seek inclusion in a variety of publications… a completely different set of publications but the process is quite similar. However, it has been the personal projects that have brought me back to those productive days namely researching my family and keeping this daily blog.

Even though the results are completely different from what I used to produce (and definitely less polished), I am back in the process and have a daily routine that combines my previous life with my current one. With that said, discovering where I come from, exploring who I am, and sharing both my discoveries and opinions is proving to be just as fulfilling as the work that I once produced. Maybe someday I can even go back to publishing but, for now, I will simply enjoy the process.

Thinking Back There Seems To Be Something Missing

Every week I am amazed at how fast time seems to be drifting by. Every once in a while I stop for a moment, look back, and think about all that I have been able to do, see, and accomplish. However, this time around, I noticed something missing from my memories.

Truth be told, I haven’t been able to attend a Rotary meeting since September or October and while I have done my best to keep up to date with everything going on (thanks in large part to the weekly phone messages from my club) there is still a gap in my memory. Obviously, there is a huge difference between experiencing something and simply hearing about it. And because I really only write about my thoughts and experiences, there has been a lack of Rotary related posts since the last time I was surrounded by my fellow Rotarians.

That is something else that I struggle with. While I am still an Honorary Rotarian, I am pretty far removed at this point from the goings on in my club and in my district. Personally, I don’t know if I should really be called a Rotarian. Don’t get me wrong, I take great pride in my affiliation, but I really can’t say that I am earning that honor at this point. That is how I honestly feel at this point. With that said, I still carry the Four Way Test with me as a reminder and I still have a plethora of pins that are used in a Rotary rotation but that has been about the limit of my connection over the past half year.

I’m not sure if my current situation is fair to my club and to all the great people that I have had the pleasure of getting to know since I originally became a member in August 2012. I consider them all great friends who have supported me during a difficult transition period in my career but, since getting things back on track, I have not been able to enjoy their company. However, that only accounts for the meetings. I have not kept in touch with the club as I should have been doing all along. For that, I really don’t have a reason or an excuse.

It just goes to show that for many of us if we are not present and active in a club, organization, or fraternity we gradually become a bit disconnected both from the entity and from the people. I saw everyone once a week for over a year and now I haven’t seen them for over 6 months. A group of people and organization that was once a large part of my recollection and reflection is not oddly absent. I think it is time to change that. At the very least, I should pick up the phone.

Promotion

After dinner this evening I was sitting and thinking about the day. I was also thinking about past jobs and different times in my life. It was at this time when I came to the realization that with all the jobs that I have had and all the places I have worked I have never received a promotion… until now. While this may bother some people it is something that is happening at the right place and at the right time of me. If I had been in this position in the past I don’t think that I would have appreciated it as much as I do now.

I have had many raises in my professional career but I have never been promoted during that time. While raises are nice there is something about changing your title that, for me, means more. There is only so much that money can do to recognize effort, when you know that you are progressing through the ranks in your chosen profession it really makes you feel that you are being recognized for all the work and long hours that you have put in. If I had to choose between the two I would pick the promotion. The money will come but the recognition is what keeps you pushing harder and harder. Although I will say that getting both would be the preferred choice.

I guess this is the perspective that you develop over the years. A way of looking at things, of appreciating where you are and what you do that at times is lost on the younger colleagues that I have seen come and go over the years. Like many of us in our zealous youth, more is expected than what we really deserve. However, what used to be kept in check so that we may be brought back to reality seems to now be more determined and stubborn than ever before. Too many young people are expected to be handed everything in the workplace, too many of them think that everyone should be equal, too few put in the time and energy in order to earn what everyone else has had to work for during their career.

I am proud of what I have earned and I am going to make certain I keep working hard to reinforce that decision. It has been a long journey filled with hard work and sometimes just getting by, but also one that has been tremendously rewarding and that has lead me to places and to make decisions that I would have never entered my mind a decade ago (or five years ago for that matter). While it has not been the easiest path to my first promotion I don’t think I would change a thing… that may be one of the first times I have ever used that overused phrase but it seems to sum things up nicely.

Back To Basics

It had been a long time since I wrote a pitch and dialed reporters and heading into this week my nerves were making themselves known. I don’t know why it is. I guess it is just a simple fact of time off playing with my mind and the trials of the last year swimming in the shallow end of the gray matter.

While it took me a few minutes to collect the words and summarize the press release into the pitch after that it was second nature to me. Some things you just don’t forget how to do. I even felt more comfortable than in previous experiences in just talking to editors and reporters rather than trying to pitch them.

I think that, in the end, the time off was good for me. Time away from the industry spent in various other sales and customer service roles has made me better at what I love to do. Those jobs have enhanced my passion for my career and they have helped me to hone the lesser of my skills to the point that I am able to feel an instant confidence in the office.

I still question things from time to time but that is simply a matter of getting back into a routine and learning a new process of how things are preferred at my new company.  It is much like someone who knows how to write but has to adjust to using AP rather than MLA. You get the gist of it right away but sometimes you find yourself falling into an old pattern.

The main thing however is that I am happy to work on things and adjust my approach. There will always be things that I can improve upon but nothing I can’t work on. In fact, I am looking forward to long days at the office. It is amazing the things that you miss when you have been away for so long.

A week into the new job and despite the transition period I am in at the moment as I finish up my nights at the front desk I am excited to stay up and go to the office. I gladly sacrifice sleep for the feeling of comfort and belonging that I experience doing the work. Speaking of work, it is now time to walk around the corner and knock out another shift. Only four to go but I’m not counting.

Well Hello Career, How Have You Been?

I’ve had an old Aerosmith song running in a loop in my head all day. “I’m back in the saddle again…” In case you haven’t heard, I accepted a position at a PR firm yesterday and today was my first day in the office. It was an amazing feeling returning to the profession which I love. Needless to say, it was a great day!

I can’t remember the last time that I looked forward to going to the office and working. Despite a lack of sleep from the day and night before, I was wide awake driving down the highway this morning and had to restrain my foot from pressing too hard on the accelerator. I couldn’t get to my new job fast enough.

I have had an inkling of this feeling in the past few years but never a fully fueled nervous excitement as I experienced today. Previously, that small kernel of an emotion was quashed as soon as I walked through the doors and was cast as an outsider. Today I was welcomed warmly and immediately felt like I was part of the team… like, as the cliché states, we had all known one another for years.

I quickly settled into my office and at my desk and within the first few moments came to the realization of how much I missed the industry. I always knew it was something I wanted to come back to but I really didn’t know how much I missed it. Learning, strategizing (not strategery), and corporate writing are all things that have been missing from my daily life for too long.

Of course, there was also a sense of relief as I was sitting in the car during the morning commute. Not only was I getting my career back in gear but I was once again joining the workforce of the waking hours. Knowing that the hours of darkness would soon come to an end lifted a great weight off my mind, my eyelids, and my marriage. Finally, we could see daylight at the end of the tunnel.

So what does this mean for this blog? Hopefully it doesn’t mean a thing. This is my free writing (mentally, creatively, and financially) and I will continue to write and post on a daily basis. The timing may vary (like it hasn’t already) but I will put forth the effort to keep things going. So, stay tuned, there should be some interesting posts getting put up in the near future. Actually, interesting for some and probably annoying for others. 

Oh, and if you know of any technology centric companies looking for PR have them reach out to me (come on, you can’t blame me for trying).

Penny For Your Thoughts

It was classification talk time this week at the Rotary Club of Bala Cynwyd – Narberth as we learned a little bit more about our newest member, and our new Vice President, Penny Hughes. Penny is thriving in her second career as a banker at Bryn Mawr Trust and after opening a new branch in Bala Cynywd she made her way to our club earlier this year. Transitioning from hair stylist to banker is not a scenario that you hear often but, having known Penny for some time now, it makes perfect sense.

Bryn Mawr Trust is a bank that I know well as I grew up in Bryn Mawr just down the street from the bank’s original location (still  there today). My family has been at that bank for decades and I plan on transitioning my accounts over there at some point in the near future. I consider the current location of my accounts as the consequence of youthful naivety.

Penny, who serves as Branch Manager and Vice President at the Bank, is the embodiment of why I plan on moving my finances to that institution. It is the personal attention, intelligence, and a common sense approach that is unparalleled in a national institution setting. Anything and everything can be handled through the various departments at the bank in the same manner whether it is a simple banking need, loans/mortgages, investments, insurance, and various other needs.

Penny’s journey at Bryn Mawr Trust is one that is fueled by her intelligence, people person personality, hard work, and inspired by her philosophy on life passed down from her Grandmother. Working her way up from a part time teller to a VP and Branch Manager, Penny is the embodiment of the American Dream and she is proof that even if you do something for 20+ years doesn’t mean you can’t change and be successful in a completely different line of work. And now, of course, that transition has brought her to Rotary.

Penny’s exemplary attributes are why we have decided to appoint her as our club’s Vice President. I look forward to working with her in the years ahead as I know she will bring the same fervor and love of people and service to Rotary as she does to her job. As a small club we have to watch every penny and now we can watch what great things can be accomplished by one Penny in particular.