Six Year Job Search Leads To New Career Path

In May 2004 my husband, Fred, took mandatory early retirement.  He was working for a Fortune 500 company as a senior account manager when his division was sold to another company.  Like most of those transactions, it resulted in duplicate jobs.  Fred, like so many other people in his group who qualified and were were over 50, was required to retire and given a separation package. At the time Fred decided to take six months off, relax and play some golf.  After the six months, he would begin his job search.  After all, he was at the top of his game and one of the best in his field when he “retired.”

What happened next is best said by the poet Robert Burns, “The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew.”  In 2005 Fred and I decided to form a company to offer leadership training.  We thought we would give it a year or so and if it didn’t work out, he would get back into the corporate rat race.  Unfortunately it didn’t quite work out and the timing was bad.

What Do You Mean You’re At Work?

One of the things Fred did was keep a routine.  He called it going to work.  At least four days a week, he got up at 5:15 A. M. and went to the gym.  He worked out 45-60 minutes, came home, got showered and dressed.  We would watch the first hour of the Today Show while eating breakfast then he would go to “the office” (our home office) to search online for jobs and submit resumes.  And, even though they tended to be unproductive, he attended just about every job fair in the area.

Once or twice a month he played a round of golf.

Keeping Busy

The main thing Fred did was keep busy.  In addition to teaching an adult Sunday School class, he became the go-to man when our church needed a back-up teacher for the Children’s Ministry.  He was also one of the leaders for the Men’s Ministry and the Deacon’s leader.  Another way he kept busy was serving on the Finance Board of the Family Life Restoration Center and helping them with special projects.

Fred did not have time to get bored or feel sorry for himself.  Was he frustrated?  Yes.  Did he sometimes feel defeated?  Yes, but he kept busy.

Two Short Lived Jobs

During the six year wait, Fred had two jobs.  The first job was in sales for Terminix.  Sales are good during termite season, after that it’s just slow.  Needless to say, it didn’t last long.

The second job was manager of a Waffle House Restaurant for about nine months.  I thought that job was going to kill him.  The staff was not dependable and the hours were insane.  The insanity came when the night cook didn’t show up and Fred couldn’t get anyone else.  That meant, he had to get up and go in to cook.  In just a few months Fred went from 195 pounds to 165 pounds.  He looked ill and he was always tired.  Finally, he decided quality of life was more important.

And The Hits Just Kept On Coming

While our own personal job related drama was going on, my god-sister had a massive stroke and could no longer live by herself.  With the stroke came the onset of dementia.  Since she is a widow and has no siblings or children, we moved her from Philadelphia to Georgia in the summer of 2008 so Fred and I could take care of her.  At the same time, to make matters worse, our church had to let some staff go.  I kept my job but my salary was cut in half.

Are You Crazy?

The year 2008 was one of many changes.  Fred decided that it was time for him to consider an entirely different career path.  His goal was to become a math teacher.  Everyone who knew Fred thought it was a good fit – he loved math and children.  So between his sister the principal, our daughter the guidance counselor and some teacher friends, he began studying and taking classes.

During the 2009 school year,  Metro Atlanta schools began cutting staff, but Fred kept studying, taking classes and tests.  Even though I thought he was crazy I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to discourage him. He was a man on a mission and nothing could deter him.

At the end of June 2010, Fred completed the last class that qualified him to teach math.  The next week he got a phone call from the head of a math department and a few days later he was offered a job teaching 9th grade Algebra.

The Moral of The Story

The point of this story is to encourage and share some things we learned over the past six years:

1. Keep a daily routine
2. Stay busy
3. Be open to a career change
4. Make the necessary sacrifices to get where you want to go
5. Don’t get discouraged
6. You can’t give up