Wordless Wednesday

Work Matters // Thoughts After a Year

Well, it’s been just over a year since I made a career field switch. And if you were around back then, you know it was anything but smooth sailing. A brief little recap: In November 2022 I was hired as an “Office Manager” for a university non-profit, but after a month it became very apparent that the job I was pitched was done under some pretenses. It was so bad that I even reached out to my previous employer asking to let me know if they ever had a new position open up. After an employee dismissal, weeks of feeling like a failure, evenings of crying in my car, and then repeatedly requesting more help, I was finally heard. What this non-profit had needed all along was someone who understood non-profit accounting. And that was NOT me. Anyway, to read more about all of that you can go here, here, and here.

In April of this year, I applied, interviewed, and was eventually offered the position of Executive Assistant to a Vice President of our University. I made the jump because I felt my salary at the non-profit was wasting their limited resources. They didn’t need an office manager at all. And with the new person we had hired, everything was running so much more smoothly. Two to three days out of the week I had nothing to do, and that didn’t sit right with me. So, when this new position became available I decided to go for it. It would be in the same building, working with the same teams, and being able to utilize my skills/experience. And as the saying goes “When God closes one door, he opens another.” And that’s exactly how I saw this new opportunity.

Now, a year after being away from Buckhorn, there’s a lot that I’ve been reflecting on lately. There has definitely been a lot of good, but also some bad. There are a lot of things that I miss about working at a smaller company. There are a lot of things, looking back, that I took for granted. On the flip side, there are a lot of things that I enjoy about working at the University. There are a lot of things that I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish, learn, or experience if I hadn’t seized this opportunity. For example, I've been able to take on management/supervisor responsibilities and the university pays for LinkedIn Learning so we can gain certifications of our choosing. Obviously, no job is perfect, and the sooner I realized that the easier it was for me to change how I viewed a job and employment in general. So, here are a few of the things that I miss and some things that I don’t. Plus some things about the new job that I enjoy, and others that I don’t.

Things I Miss: 1) Being paid for overtime. Here at the university, the majority of the employees are on salary. So, if you spend extra time in the office, you’re not getting paid for it. 2) The job I did before. It was very routine, I understood the processes in place, and I enjoyed it. 3) Some of the people I worked with. 4) A bonus at the end of the year. 5) Being able to treat everyone EQUALLY. 6) A small office atmosphere without major formalities. 7) Getting to wear jeans whenever I want. 8) The down to earth customers.

Things I Don’t Miss: 1) A toxic work environment. 2) Not having boundaries - everyone wanted to know everything and it was constantly being used against the person. 3) Gossip and bad-mouthing. 4) Confidential information being disclosed - all of the time. I was constantly informed of how little my income was compared to everyone else’s or how much our boss was spending on other people. 5) Hitting a glass ceiling after 12 years of loyalty. 6) Lack of growth/salary increase opportunities. 7) Having to use up all of my PTO when those who were on salary didn't. 8) Some of the people I worked with. After I left, I was so excited about having a small pay bump (literally $4k extra a year) and I told one of my former co-workes about being grateful for it. Their response was, "That's nice. A few weeks after you left we all got significant raises. I'm making $10k more than I was before."  Talk about throwing salt in the wound.

Things I Like About My New Job: 1) Being able to set and enforce boundaries. 2) Growth and training opportunities for my role. 3) A supportive group of co-workers. This has been MAJOR. I’m lucky to work with some pretty amazing people who WANT to see each other succeed. 4) Having an HR department. 5) Privacy and confidentiality are taken very seriously. 6) Great benefits - though they can come with a hefty price tag. 7) Work-life balance is a big priority. 8) The ability to work remotely if necessary. 9) Wellness release time three days out of the week to prioritize mental health and exercise.

Things I Don’t Like About My New Job: 1) Getting paid once a month - this has been brutal. 2) Mandatory TRS contributions - this is a State Retirement account, but you can’t adjust your contributions. So, currently, every paycheck I get $330 automatically taken out. 3) Meetings, meetings, meetings. So many freakin’ meetings. And sometimes, meetings about meetings. 4) Way too many processes, software, and procedures and not enough training on them. 5) Having to pay for parking - which is why I don’t park on campus anymore. 6) Salary increases don’t happen very often, and there are too many third parties that get to decide how much when they do. 7) No bonuses. 8) Having to deal with a lot of “entitlement” and “superior” personalities. 9) AggieBuy…IYKYK

So, what have I learned from all of this? Well, eventually, I'd love to go back to working for a smaller company. If I could find something with great benefits and decent pay, that would be awesome. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until Emery is off to college before I can make a move. Until then, I'm just learning, growing, and gaining experience. Other than that, my takeaway is that no matter what there will always have to be compromises. You have to have your “non-negotiables,” revisit them often as life can change, and then look for roles that offer them. Or make sure your current role reflects what you want. However, let me reiterate, that no job is perfect. So, for us regular people, the high expectation of having “the dream job” might need to be taken down a peg or two. And while you may want to give 120% to your employer, know that it only leads to burnout. Once you’ve hit that wall, your performance starts to suffer, and then you’re easily replaceable - heck at any point, you’re easily replaceable. And it doesn’t matter if you’re told otherwise, the way I was. So, take care of your mental health, look out for yourself, treat others with respect, and prioritize your family - whatever that may look like. And don’t make your job your life.

Wordless Wednesday