Returning to work for a few months was a requirement, and it had perks. But I quit my job yesterday; honestly, it was the most relieving thing I’ve done this year.
I’ve spent most of my life working. I started at 12, babysitting. Later that summer, I began “walking beans” for a local farmer. Not my father, mind you. No, my father’s philosophy was, “Of course you can walk beans for us, but you won’t get paid for it – your payment comes in the form of a roof over your head and food in your belly.”
Walking Beans: For those of you who weren’t raised on a midwestern farm, let me explain. Soy beans grow in huge fields in Iowa. Despite all farmers do, weeds inevitability spring up in these fields, and some weeds can destroy bean fields. Back in the early 80s, farmers would hire local kids to walk each row in the bean field and cut out the weeds using a large machete. Generally, you’d get started just after sun-up, around 5:30am and work until Noon to avoid the hot, humid Iowa afternoons. It was grueling work – especially for a 12-year-old.
Consequently, productivity was the only way to gain any amount of respect or praise in my house. As such, I developed workaholic syndrome early in life.
Career Choices: My Path to Freedom
I got my first real job with a time clock and taxes at the age of 14 working for a grocery store in 1988. From that point forward, I worked two, sometimes three jobs at a time. In 36 years I’ve been a…
- Grocery Clerk
- Retail Salesman
- Newspaper Intern
- Sales Coordinator
- Hotel Night Auditor
- Telemarketer
- Coyote Bartender
- Graphic Designer
- College Receptionist
- Marketing Secretary
- Country Club Bartender
- Food Server
- Mutual Teller (Horsetrack)
- Model
- IT Hardware Analyst
- Smartphone SME
- Project Manager
- Mobile Tech Consultant
- IT Manager
- Budtender
- Administrator
Some of these jobs were part-time, some full-time, some were short-lived and some I used to build a career. And, throughout all these jobs, I put myself through college and climbed the corporate ladder for nearly 20 years before leaving it all behind to start a freelancing career in 2015. Ironically, I thought I was “semi-retiring” to become a writer.
I can actually laugh now about my excitement for that transition. because Oh how delusional I was… Freelancing was one of the hardest, most demanding jobs I’ve ever had. I spent 16 hours a day hustling, creating, researching, searching for new clients, interviewing, editing, and trying to stay ahead of algorithms and SEO.
So, last July, exhausted from trying to make ends meet as a freelancer, I broke down and went back to work.
Returning to Work – An Eyeopener
Working as a freelancer for nearly eight years, through the pandemic, I got a little spoiled working from home. Therefore, one of my biggest concerns in going back to work was simply: working with people again. The world has changed and I knew this was going to be a completely new environment.
Plus, at 50, I knew the dynamic was going to be much different than it was when I was younger.
Boy, was that an understatement.
I knew, going into this job, that it would be temporary and that I would eventually quit to pursue bigger plans. However, nothing prepared me for what I experienced.
To keep things professional, let’s just say, I’ve never been so excited to quit my job.
It Felt Good to Quit My Job
Granted, the rural area where this business is located is remote. They have one of the worst education systems in the state and the average age for this community is 62. Thus, the talent pool here is more like a mud puddle. But I’ve never in my life worked with so many people who simply didn’t want to work or who were too ignorant to keep a job.
Basically, working with other people is an opportunity for someone else’s lack of responsibility, lack of motivation, and lack of any discernible goals to impact your day. I am thankful for the chance to quit my job again.
However, there was one shining star from my excursion back into the working world – meeting my boss. While I won’t name him, he was one of the most honorable, respectful, ethical men I’ve ever worked for… and that’s a gigantic compliment coming from me. I learned more in 8 months working for this guy than you can imagine and I will always be grateful for that.
Despite how much I enjoyed working for him, it felt good to walk out today. The chaos, the drama, the constant conflict that surrounded that building was toxic. In fact, I believe staying there any longer would’ve likely had a negative impact on my health. I’m looking forward to spending the next two years focused on living, exploring, staying healthy, being active.
I quit my job today, and I liked it.
