Job Changes

Our first autumn brought some welcome work-related changes.  After settling into our house in the spring, I decided I wanted to get a job.  I spent my days alone, waiting for Johnie to get home from work.  His 12 hour work days made that difficult.  I didn’t really have very many friends available to spend my days with and I wouldn’t have known how to drive to their houses even if I knew where they lived anyway.

After a long and discouraging job hunt through the summer, I finally landed a part-time job with a local non-profit in October. 

As a side note, I was going to “tell all” about what was easily my worst working experience to date, but I have decided not to air that dirty laundry in public.  However, if anyone would like to hear some unbelievable stories sometime (not in writing), just let me know.  If you're a fan of The Office, some of these completely true stories will sound eerily familiar.

As I was celebrating my own job victories, things were changing for Johnie’s career as well.  He had recently been accepted into Cox’s Leadership Academy.  We were ecstatic for this opportunity, but had no idea how it would change our lives.

Shortly after his classes began, he learned of a newly created position in the company.  The person to fill the opening would act as a liaison between field service technicians and office and engineering staff.  It sounded perfect for Johnie.  With the approval of his director and vice president he applied for the position.  He interviewed and then we waited.

We waited until one day, in between service calls, Johnie’s phone rang.  It was the manager of the new position.  She let him know they had decided to go with someone else, whom he was welcome to shadow, for the new spot.  We were devastated.

Johnie loved his job.  He loved the company he worked for, but he hated several elements of his work.  He was required to work long hours in adverse weather.  Kansas winters, with their bone chilling wind, were especially brutal.  Before we received the bad news, we had both looked forward to winters worked indoors.  With this new development, I began praying that the winter before us would be the last Johnie would have to work outside.

The newly created position was promptly reposted the following week.  The manager had decided to go with someone else.  She just didn’t know who that other person was yet.  Johnie and I were even more disappointed and confused.  He talked with his supervisor about reapplying for the job that sounded so perfect, but was discouraged from doing so. 

The more I thought about it, though, the more I couldn’t let it go.  We studied the job description.  This job was for Johnie.  Obviously the manager had misunderstood his experience and qualifications.  I pushed Johnie to write a letter to her, asking what he could do to meet the requirements for the job, and also spelling out why he (or I) thought he was a perfect fit.

After a bit of reluctance, Johnie sent the letter.  A couple of weeks went by without us hearing anything.  We decided to accept the fact this wasn’t Johnie’s ticket inside the office, and  to prepare for another (hopefully the last) long winter outside.

My first week of my new job arrived.  One of my very first phone calls that week came from Johnie.  He had a question about one of his suits because he had been called in for a second interview for the elusive new office position.  He hadn’t been given much time to prepare.  By the time I made it home that evening, he had been offered – and had accepted – the new position at Cox.

I don’t think we ever learned why they were so hesitant to give him the job in the first place, or if the letter had any bearing on their final decision.  We were grateful for the opportunity, though.  Even today, Johnie will still mention his thankfulness for working inside on cold, rainy, or windy days.  Other times, when we hear dreadful weather forecasts, he’ll express sympathy for those still in field positions.  And this job became more of a blessing than we could have ever imagined.