Move to the Big City

Alice McKinnley moved from the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania to the heart of Los Angeles and landed a crazy, start-up company job all within a month. She went from dealing with farm animals and twenty acres of land to dealing with party animals.

The office culture was a fun change of pace, to say the least, but Alice wanted to work and not be distracted. She remembered fondly how the office held a rave when she started. Who could with so much noise?

Alice was a go getter, that was for sure. She picked up her new job quickly and started to break records at the company. She made well above her quota every week and was always picked by her superiors to do special projects.

She was making such a name for herself that her co-workers were ask her for help. “How do you do it?” Alice smiled and showed them her process.

The Steam Runs Out

Months went by with Alice being at the top of her game when all of a sudden it happened. She could finally see why there were so many events at the company.

She had hit a mental wall, hand poised above the mouse. Oh. That’s why. The work was crushingly boring.

The job is a blessing, she scolded herself, it just isn’t the most engaging. It’ll all be fine. You’ve had worse jobs.

With that, she made up her mind and plucked up the courage to talk to her manager. “How do I get through the wall of feeling bored while doing the same thing over and over again?” He thought for a moment and responded simply “Listen to music or watch something while you’re working.”

That answer didn’t sit too well with her, but it made sense. Her job was to sift through data, find what she needed, and categorize it. That was it.

If she wanted something more fulfilling, she’d have to get promoted.

Grueling Work

With a new sense of purpose, Alice researched ways to be more efficient in what she was doing and reported back to her boss. If she couldn’t make her job more interesting, she’d get a new one by moving up in the company. Surely a new position would open up. She fought against the increasing weight of despair every day for a shot at something greater.

A False Start

Then the opportunity she was waiting for came! “We’re looking to expand a new department and we would like to offer you the position. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed.” her manager said.

For a few months Alice was living the dream. “What else can I do?” was always part of her vernacular. She loved her new position and took part in all the meetings to make herself indispensable for her managers as well as for those underneath her.

But things weren’t going to be so easy as that for Alice...

Disaster struck four months later in the form of progress. The company made advancements in their technology to make work faster and efficient, eliminating the need for Alice. Soon, everyone would be able to do what Alice did naturally.

The company told her she was faced with a choice. Take a small severance or go back to the boring job she had escaped.

A Hard Choice

With teeth gritted, Alice went back to her original job. As much as she hated it, she worked even harder to show her worth to the company. “Sometimes these things happen.” her manager said “The moment something else comes down the pipeline, you’re the first in line. Just keep at it.” She wanted to scream at him.

Her dream had been ripped away from her, but she tried not to despair. If she could get promoted once, she could get promoted again.

Saving Grace

Hope came a month later for Alice via another email. There was an opportunity through her company. She could possibly get an even better job than what she lost if she was willing to try for it.

She wasn’t qualified for the position, but she wasn’t going to let it pass her by. She made an appointment with the Coordinator of department to talk more about the job.

After her meeting she felt like she could do the job and do it well. She just needed to convince everyone else.

A week later she was called in for three hours of interviews for the new position. She gave them her resume and told them all about her work with her current team. She bantered the interviewers and asked relevant questions to solidify her chance at getting the job.

Moment of Truth

Alice waited around for any news about the position. Before she knew it, a week had passed from when the Coordinator was supposed to call. She had been so sure of herself, but now she was nervous.

The call came. “We want to offer you the position. Do you accept?” “YES!” “Welcome aboard. It’s a pleasure to have you Alice, you come highly recommended from your team.”

She did it! She made it through the long hard road and found herself with a fantastic salaried position that would always keep her on her toes. Alice smiled to herself.

That is... until she wanted to challenge herself again.