When I was laid off due to my company’s budget cuts at the end of February, I was both crushed and exhilarated in a single blow. Leaving a (seemingly) secure job without future plans is terrifying. I was always an overly ambitious, exuberant, and goal focused individual. When the floor fell out from beneath me, I had no idea how to react. Like many who have dealt with this same situation, I called my parents, packed a duffel, and drove ‘home’.
In the beginning, I relished my new freedom. A three month severance check and free housing allowed me to focus on enjoying this time away from work and responsibility. The months following my layoff were kept busy as I moved out of my apartment in the city and back into my old bedroom at my parents’ house. I worked on graduate school applications to prominent business schools and volunteered 12-16 hrs per week at the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I returned to my alma mater for a summer class in Psychology and began taking classical guitar lessons.
My family has been incredibly supportive throughout this phase. I was welcomed back with open arms into the normal schedule of family time, chores, and daily life. After nearly two years living away, spending time with my family has been more wonderful and exciting with the birth of my nephew and ability to see my niece almost everyday. My parents help me brainstorm possible career paths and are wonderful cheerleaders. In April, I was invited to join my dad at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. At the end of June, my younger sister and I had the opportunity to travel to London for another of my dad’s business trips which exposed us to the Fem2Cell industry and brought me back to the neighborhoods I once wandered as a student studying abroad.
However, time passed and the non-routine life began to feel a bit wasted. I am itching to get back to work but am at a loss for the type of career path I want to pursue. Always running for the end goal in high school and college, I never questioned where I would end up. The business world seemed the obvious answer as it was well suited to my strengths. My strong work ethic and focused, detail oriented, and dedicated work style seemed to call out to the corporate world. 20 months spent as a marketing assistant and project coordinator challenged, not all my skills, but definitely my ambition. Suddenly, everything I had thought I’d ever wanted was realized and felt empty.
Currently, I am focusing my time on seeking out a new career path and finding a position that will both challenge and satisfy me. Wish me luck!
C.M. Riordan 