Door Closes, Window Opens

November 6, 2008

So, it all started in July. I was still working for my last employer, a small IT company in Arlington.

The company seemed to be doing really well – the owner, my boss, had recently hired a secretary. And, over the summer she went from being a temp hire – who was just riding out the last few months before she and her family moved to another state – to being permanent with the condition that the owner hire her under-qualified husband and give her a pay raise.

But, it turned out that the company, in spite of having doubled the number of employees, was not doing so well. In fact, it seemed that the company wasn’t making enough money to make ends meet.

Throw on top of that the fact that, on the advice of the secretary, the owner had rushed out one morning in a huff to file a divorce with his wife, and you can imagine that things were probably looking a bit grim for my boss.

And, just like that, I went from being the only Microsoft Certified System Administrator working at an IT firm, to being the only person who couldn’t be under paid – and things became hostile quickly.

ist2_1935044_angry_boss_employee The owner couldn’t summon the grit and courage to tell me that he couldn’t afford me, and probably was concerned about having to pay an unemployment claim, and instead began a multi-week attempt at forcing me to quit.

He used every tactic – he insulted and belittled me, he made fun of me, he lied to me over and over again, and finally pulled the same tactics on my pregnant wife.

But, I refused to quit. The economy was going south and I was expecting a baby. I told him he should either fire me or the charade should end – but, he refused to do either. I was waiting for a straw to break the camel’s back.

Finally it happened. I went home from work on a Monday in early August, and received an email from the boss. He told me that I had left a tool cart somewhere other than where it was "supposed" to be and he was terminating me as a result.

Relief.

I had finally gotten away from the constant abuse. Filing for unemployment proved eventful. He lied to the workforce commission about the circumstances of my termination – but, in the end, they sided with me.

It was painful and a terrible experience to live through because the boss had been a friend before he was a boss.

But, there’s great news: I found out that Dana and I could survive just fine.

Things were tight at first, but – with the help of friends, I found work. I worked temporarily on the Barney and Friends set, and did some stuff for Bob the Builder.

CJLPWCS I got to do a lot of auditioning, narrated Peter and the Wolf twice in front of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and stage managed (and did a tiny role in) Stage West’s production of The Crucible.

Finally, at the end of all of this great piece-meal work, I was offered a full time position with the Arts Council of Fort Worth.

The Arts Council is a nonprofit organization that raises money for arts groups in Fort Worth. Its sole purpose is, to a certain extent, to help arts organizations stay afloat financially, and able to keep creating great work in Fort Worth.

Brilliant. Working in the arts is what I should have been doing all along. And the Arts Council was perfect. The people here are like-minded folks who all believe that "The Arts" are one of the most important parts of any society – and worth fighting for.

It’s a tough time to be saying this, with the economy the way it has been – and the massive lay-offs, but here’s what I’ve learned: Don’t work for a company whose goal you don’t agree with.

It sounds simple, but it’s really not. It’s one of those things that is really easy to overlook – I worked for Halliburton once. And, I actually considered it a possible long-term career.

Not everyone can work for a nonprofit, or even wants to, but it’s what’s right for me. And, that’s really what’s important – finding what’s right.

Where ever I am, from now on, the first question I’m going to ask is why I’m there – and if the only answer is "to make enough money to pay the rent," I’m going to have to find a different place to be.

Posted by flowersjustin | Filed Under blog

Comments

Dana

So proud of you. :)

Basement Bathroom

i wish you happy

Medela

You are the real man.It was tough time for you. I would have dide if i were you. :D
These sort of things are necessary in life.They help you to learn things.I would remember this - Don’t work for a company whose goal you don’t agree with.

Thanks for sharing your experience.