This article is a continuation of the first part of the “Success breeds success” article.
After enduring financial struggles and an unexpected layoff, I was almost at the end of my unemployment benefit when I finally got a job offer in my new city. The job actually paid less than the one I was laid off from, and I was worried that the debt I had built up while I was unemployed (unemployment checks just don’t cut it when you live on your own) would just continue to grow. I was struggling enough where I was, now I was compounding the problem by moving to the new city with all the debt I built up and working a job that paid me less than I was already making. Sounds fun, huh?
I put a lot of effort in my new job, but I continued to search for a better opportunity in my spare time. I knew that I just wasn’t going to be able to make things work financially. I was lucky enough to get an email from a good friend of mine who happened to know of an opportunity at a national consulting company. After having an interview I was notified that they had chosen a more experienced candidate. I was definitely disappointed, as I felt that was going to be my big break into making a salary that was more in line with what I felt I deserved to be making.
A couple days later I received a call from the guy I interviewed with and he basically said that the other candidate had backed out and that they wanted to hire me! I was already excited, but when they offered me a salary that was a 45% increase from what I was making. I really felt that I had finally arrived. While my salary wasn’t exactly where I wanted it to be, it was a really great opportunity to really start working in a high caliber company and earn pretty decent money. I went in with a lot of ambition, anxious to make my mark.
I found myself in a small development shop at the consulting company, where we did a lot of web development for military programs. While I enjoyed the work, it was a bit of a drive everyday. It took me about an hour to an hour and a half each way, and it really put a big dent into my money (just having to pay for gas) and also took a toll on my car due to the mileage and traffic. After working there about a year and doing a lot of great work for them, I was a little disappointed with what they offered me as a raise. My direct supervisor had said that he tried to get me more, but the decision was made from above him (by people that worked in regional offices states away). Whether that was true or not, I’ll never know, but I believed him.
At that time I decided that it was time for me to move on. I put together a list of the top 10 companies that had technology positions in my city, and set out to get a job offer with at least one of them. For the next couple months, I had no bites, and I began to get discouraged. I had a couple of interviews at a few of the second tier places on my list, but no job offers and no interviews at the companies in my first tier. I was getting down on myself and I finally decided that I was going to take my fate in my own hands and do whatever I had to in order to increase my chances.
For the next part of the story, make sure to read part three of “Success breeds success” tomorrow!
