So I moved among a couple of companies in various IT positions including network administration, systems administration and UNIX administration.  I finally landed a good job doing pre-sales support work for a large computer software company.  I traveled a lot, made decent money, and climbed through the ranks.  The technology came very easy to me as I loved the database stuff I was working on.  As I grew and gathered more responsibility, one of the most dreaded things happened.  I became comfortable.  I was traveling less as my job required me to manage the team rather than ‘do’ the work.  I had a beautiful corner window office.  I was finally able to take those 2 hour lunches I had heard about.  I knew I was slacking a bit.  I thought of it as taking a well deserved break from the grueling work I was doing for the last 5+ years.  Well, the IT industry is a tricky business.  It grows and changes very quickly and if you “take a break” from it, you will find that the technology passes you by very quickly as well. 

To complicate matters, the IT bubble was beginning to burst and the company was going through its first series of “right-sizings”.  My team was absorbed into several other teams until finally, I ended up in a division I had no business being in.  I hated their technology.  I hated their arrogance.  And I hated their management.  If ever there was an opportunity to shine in the face of adversity, this was it.  I had a sweet opportunity to really make a name for myself and show how I could take this major swing in my career and rise above it. 

I didn’t take it.

I proceeded to fail to learn the new technology.  I relied on my knowledge of the old systems to keep me afloat.  I relied on my old relationships to keep me in good stead with the company leaders.  I was comfortable and I didn’t want to change.  Ultimately, I butted heads with the management that I didn’t like and it resulted in me making a graceful exit from this company.  I did resign, but my head was scheduled for the chopping block and I knew it. 

Now, timing is everything when it comes to job searches.  I have always been able to find a new job with relative ease due to my expertise and experience.  This time was drastically different.  So many companies were cutting their IT staffs that people with greater skills than mine were having to take menial jobs just to keep working.  I could not find a job and ultimately had to take unemployment just to keep my house and food on the table.  I was not happy about it and unemployment eased the financial pain, but did nothing to help me get a new job.  The job searching tools provided by the unemployment office are all geared toward skilled and unskilled labor and recent college grads.  Their systems were more than overwhelmed by the groundswell of highly experienced, highly technical people looking for highly specialized jobs with highly paying companies.

So I took my unemployment and searched my soul to figure out what to do next.  I was going to rebuild myself and come out of this challenge with a new career that fit my personality and my desires.

Next Issue:  What depths to find ones soul?