I start a great new job tomorrow, and I wouldn't have gotten it if I hadn’t gone to India.
No, really. Here’s my recent life timeline: in November, I was fired from a job I hated. I decided to finally follow through on a long-held dream to go to India. I arrived on New Year’s Eve and loved being there so much, I stayed…and stayed…stayed. Despite my father’s claim that I promised to come home after one month (I recall no such promise), I didn't return to the States until mid-May.
A little over a week later, I got a temporary contract job to help with Olympics coverage at a fun tech company that’s kind of hard to get in with (I’ve applied to them twice before and gotten no response). I had a blast at the job and when it ended, the company—which likes to pull from its contractor pool—offered me a long-term contract position, where I'll be doing something I'm actually interested in (it involves following current events, which I already do hours every day for fun).
I’m thrilled, and so far from the low point I was at 10
months ago that I've literally jumped for joy. And what makes it better is that doing the thing I've long wanted to do—traveling—played a role. I’ve had two bouts with sustained unemployment; during the first, I was so embarrassed about being
unemployed that I simply looked for a job and didn’t seriously contemplate traveling. Just when I made the
decision to go, a seemingly good job opportunity presented itself, one I
couldn’t turn down, even though it depressed me that by accepting I’d be
closing the door on any long trip to India.
When the ax fell, I wanted no regrets this time—I decided to go away and not come back until I was ready. And somehow, the timing worked out perfectly. I got back just in time to apply for and start the Olympics temp job, and that, in turn, led to a real job. One that seems like a good fit. If I had started job hunting right after losing my job, or returned from India sooner than I wanted to, I would’ve found something, but it wouldn’t have been this job.
No, really. Here’s my recent life timeline: in November, I was fired from a job I hated. I decided to finally follow through on a long-held dream to go to India. I arrived on New Year’s Eve and loved being there so much, I stayed…and stayed…stayed. Despite my father’s claim that I promised to come home after one month (I recall no such promise), I didn't return to the States until mid-May.
A little over a week later, I got a temporary contract job to help with Olympics coverage at a fun tech company that’s kind of hard to get in with (I’ve applied to them twice before and gotten no response). I had a blast at the job and when it ended, the company—which likes to pull from its contractor pool—offered me a long-term contract position, where I'll be doing something I'm actually interested in (it involves following current events, which I already do hours every day for fun).
But when I saw that that job heading south, I thought,
“You always said if you could do your unemployment again you’d do it
differently. Here’s your chance.”
When the ax fell, I wanted no regrets this time—I decided to go away and not come back until I was ready. And somehow, the timing worked out perfectly. I got back just in time to apply for and start the Olympics temp job, and that, in turn, led to a real job. One that seems like a good fit. If I had started job hunting right after losing my job, or returned from India sooner than I wanted to, I would’ve found something, but it wouldn’t have been this job.
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