It has been eons since I last wrote anything. This is especially ironic considering my I promised to carve out dedicated time to write each week.
What happened?
Nothing really different has happened to my standard time blocks. Since my last post, I was contacted by a company I applied to earlier in the year {and ended up getting a job offer from) to see if I was interested in a more senior role they had opened. I said ‘yes’ (I truly was) and went through three interview reschedulings (due to storms, power outages, and last minute cancellations due to higher priority meetings by my interviewers) and finally a final round interviewer with the hiring manager who is also the QA Director while I was on vacation in New Orleans. All of that for me to apparently have been beaten by an internal candidate who threw their hat in the ring in the 11th hour. Or so I was told.
Getting that job would’ve meant at least 3 hours/day shaven off what has been my brutal work commute for the past 2 years. Yes, it would’ve also been a headache after learning about their struggles that had cropped up in the 6 months since I last interviewed with them. Add that on top of the idea of me becoming the manager of a long-tenured internal candidate who applied for the job and didn’t get it. But still: a one hour max commute from home to work would’ve resulted in a true lifestyle change. So, after that hassle of an interview experience, I decided to put the job search on ice and go all in at my current job. It had gotten a miniscule better anyway since a new manager was brought aboard. In fact, as I was prepping for the interview, I had wondered how I’d inform the new manager of my leaving as part of my envisioning exercises to imagine myself in the role. Honestly (and pathetically) I felt kind of guilty. He had told me shortly after he started as the new manager that he’d always notice how I didn’t get a lot of shine or consideration despite my years of experience (he was promoted to manager from holding a similar managerial role on the QA team, so he isn’t a stranger). So to leave after being acknowledged like that did seem inconsiderate (I feel ridiculous even typing that out). But alas, as I didn’t get the job, wondering about that conversation turned out to be moot.
I say all that to say, I remain at square one in terms of free time. To make matters even more of a satisfying puzzle to solve, I’ve taken on not 1, not 2, but 3 new side ventures.
All unpaid and all meant to prop me up socially and professionally and validate some things for me. “I’m doing this for professional stimulation”, is the reason I’ve chosen to give people once this comes up in conversation. The puzzle pieces? They are:
Becoming a board member - Decided to have a “curious conversation” with a nonprofit professional on LinkedIn way back in July, who graciously agreed to chat with me. He suggested joining a board to get more nonprofit experience, which I felt I needed in order to creditably market myself to nonprofits as a consultant. I really cannot believe this all started from me scoping out the Idealist website, searching “board member”, and applying for a board position through their portal. I also did 3 interviews (essentially that’s what they were) with the ED, board chair, and HR rep and had to submit a one-page essay, but this was still pretty easy to snag.
Joining a professional philanthropy organization - This cost me $125 for an annual membership. I also agreed to join 2 separate committees (fundraising and program development), which, I imagine, should require some legwork by me eventually. So far, it’s just been monthly hour-long calls; then again, I’ve been a member now for less than 3 months.
Volunteering with a nonprofit org that provides consultants to other area nonprofits for a temporary, focused project - In this case, I applied to be on a team dedicated to developing a funding strategy for a mental health-focused organization in Chicago. The meet-and-greet dinner is coming up next week. The project leader has already connected with me on LinkedIn; to comically assert dominance, I’ll be sending connection requests to the rest of my project teammates on LinkedIn this weekend.
In all seriousness, I truly do need these activities to not only spruce up my professional life in different ways but to also improve my social and public speaking skills. It’s true that I’ve gotten better over the years. I even took a session of online improv classes through the esteemed Second City troupe. I do not believe I finished the series, but I do recall some of the exercises, like how to relay a story without using conjunctions or other filler words. I even tried stints at 2 separate Toastmasters clubs. Again, I did not finish these programs (or reach to whatever the natural stopping point is), but I still thank a speaker by name after they share information during meetings, a tip I learned from one of the sessions I attended.
Once I get past my hangups in holding conversations in public with strangers, I feel I will have transcended to a new me. A new level will be unlocked. New capabilities will be uncovered. So it’s worth the trouble to get there. Besides, I’ve shared with a couple friends that by 40, I need to be a social butterfly. I’m more like a bat right now - only coming alive in environments I know well (the dark, for bats). I have roughly 4 months and 23 days to come out the damn dark!
Toodleloo for now.