Hello friends! Glad those of you who prefer introspective content are still reading despite my rather glib posts lately.
Actually, I’ve been planning this post for a couple of weeks, with the intention of writing something a bit more serious and personal – it’s just that serious posts take longer to write! But something happened yesterday that has made me want to write. So here we go.
I got a new job!
That was the original title for this post. It was going to be very upbeat indeed. To sum up, albeit more succinctly than I originally planned: I don’t currently have a full-time job. However, for the past few weeks I’ve been in discussions with a local startup, and had received, negotiated, and verbally accepted an offer.
There was a lot of upside: an opportunity to be part of a company that pushes the boundaries and is willing to have a go at projects with a risk level that most organizations find uncomfortable, to say the least. That’s not to say the ideas they are pursuing are far-fetched or impossible; it’s simply that the company is in a blue ocean type of space, one which no company has attempted to occupy before. For the company in question, I think that’s not because the foundations aren’t sound but because nobody has been courageous (or crazy) enough to try before.
Like I said, that excites me.
The twist
As you probably figured out from this post’s title, that’s not the end of the story. Unfortunately, yesterday I got a phone call to tell me they had since realized they have an urgent need for a specific skill set that I do not match, and as such were rescinding their job offer.
Bummer.
My initial reaction to the rescinded job offer
I cried a little bit, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I think most people would feel disappointed by the sudden and unexpected news that a company rescinded a job offer.
And then I had a choice. I had a meeting scheduled at the university about an hour later. Do I stay at home, feeling sorry for myself and wallowing in self-pity, or do I get myself together and move forward?
This is the sort of thing where sometimes, before you realize it, depression makes the decision for you. I’m happy to report that depression didn’t get me this time. I was slightly late to the meeting, but I made it. And I’m pretty sure I even made useful contributions 🙂
My delayed reaction to the rescinded job offer
By yesterday evening, I was mostly at peace with things, despite still feeling a bit down.
First of all, I believe them. Maybe I’m being naïve, but based on my interactions with the people at this company, I believe they are honest and well-intentioned. I don’t think they lied to me about why they rescinded their offer, and I do think they made me aware of it as soon as they were sure (though the timing wasn’t great – I was supposed to start next week!).
I also can understand it as a business decision from their perspective. They’re a startup, with presumably limited resources and small windows to get things right. Things move quickly (ironically part of what I found appealing!), and they have to make decisions with sometimes less than optimal lead time. I get it. It’s not personal; it’s business. Does it suck to be on my end? Absolutely. But I can still understand it.
I’ve looked at the situation logically and feel that 1) they were honest with me and 2) sometimes in business tough breaks happen. This perspective has made it much easier for me to take this in stride. By the time I woke up this morning, all the disappointment and sadness had dissipated, replaced by logic and determination.
Where I go from here
For starters, this experience is making me realize I need to rethink everything I thought I had decided in terms of what direction I want to and should be going in. But I’m seeing this as an opportunity, not a setback. I’ve got plenty to offer, and I’m willing to wait till I find the right fit.
For now, I keep teaching my engineering class, I pick up some coaching, I keep doing what I’ve been doing. I’m actually planning another post to summarize what I’ve been doing for the past 3 months so keep an eye out for that.
And while I’m doing what I’ve been doing, I keep enjoying life. I keep appreciating the unique circumstances I’m in, to even be able to take this time “off” in the first place (in the coming post you’ll see why it’s not really time off!). I keep working on my health, both physical and mental. I keep conquering depression. And, of course, I keep writing blog posts for your entertainment!
Share this Post