To put it mildly, late 2002 was not one of my favorite periods in time. I lost my job in October, and we were expecting a baby in February. My mom was undergoing chemotherapy. hiccup was forced to fall back on her substitute teaching experience to scrape together some money for us while I was on unemployment.
I was frantically looking for work - any work, but the employment situation here was dismal. I only had one callback, only one company asking for an interview - the company I currently work for. Unfortunately, the hiring process for this particular corporation is as much of a bureaucratic nightmare jumble as I have ever seen. I had the initial contact with the regional operations manager in September 2002. I had a phone interview with the next manager down the chain (who would be working side-by-side with me) a couple of weeks later. I had a face to face interview with him a couple of weeks later, then was contacted by the man who would be my boss a week after that. All told, I would be interviewed 6 times for the job. I would not meet my boss in person until I had been employed by the company for over six months. I did not get word that I was hired until January, 2003 - nearly 4 months after my initial contact with the company.
Throughout the process, I had been very clear that my wife and I were expecting a child in February, and that I would need time off for that. Fortunately, none of the people I spoke with felt it would be a problem. I was told that I could begin my training at one of their other locations in the state - a mere 4 hour drive from here. I would be staying there during the week, and travel home on the weekends until the baby arrived.
As luck would have it, the kiddo would not wait. I began what was to be my first day of work in four months by calling my boss and asking for a week off. We welcomed our second daughter to the world that evening.
My mother came to help hiccup the next week as I left to begin my new job. The plan was for me to begin orientation at the in-state location for a couple of weeks, then I was off to Missoula, Montana. I would fly there and stay for two weeks at a time, fly back home for a weekend. Then, repeat. I was told at the time that training would take three months, and my local center would open in June.
It tore me up to leave hiccup and the two kids, but we had little choice. I boarded the plane for Missoula on February 24th. The temperature at the time was -30°F. I remember this distinctly, because it was a record low for that date, and the flight was delayed for 2 hours because of the weather. The company had "suggested" the airline for me, a cut-rate local outfit flying 19 passenger Fairchild Metro planes. When the boarding announcement went over the PA, I handed my ticket to the flight attendant who told me to keep my coat on. When I got on the plane, they had not turned the heat on. We de-iced and it took another 40 minutes to get in the air. It was miserable and cold, noisy and uncomfortable.
When I finally arrived in Missoula, I checked in with the gentleman who was to be training me. In one of the only bright spots that day, he turned out to be a great guy, and a real kindred spirit. We got along very well, and I felt a bit better. Since I arrived so late, and my trainer was an early riser, I only stayed at work for a few hours, then set off to the hotel that had been recommended.
Missoula is located in a valley, and gets horrendous smog and temperature inversions in the winter. This was the case on the day I arrived. It was bitterly cold, hazy and just plain uncomfortable out, and I was looking forward to just settling in at the hotel.
The hotel was close to the center, which was a plus. It was also not very nice. They claimed that they had upgraded me to a "jacuzzi suite." NEAT! When I got to the room, they had the heat turned off - I could see my breath. The "jacuzzi" turned out to be a standard whirpool tub - beware the details. I turned the heat up and headed out to find food. Even an hour later, the room was still chilly, but tolerable. I was not in a fine mood.
Over the next couple of weeks, I familiarized myself with the town, which I LOVED. I found a number of nice places to eat. I found out that it was cheaper for me to fly home every weekend than it was for the company to put me up in the hotel, so I convinced my boss to let me do so. I switched hotels to a much nicer place.
A few weeks later, I got word that there had been "construction delays" in our center, and the projected opening date was postponed until July. I wasn't happy about it, but took it in stride. The job itself proved to be challenging and interesting. The guy I was working with was a genuine hoot, and we enjoyed working together.
But, it was a trying time. I only got to see my wife and kids for a few hours each week, and then I was back on the plane again. They announced another construction delay, putting the opening of the center back to nearly September. I became fully certified in June, and at about that time, my trainer announced his resignation. I remained in that center for most of the next month, but told my boss that I needed to get home. Soon. He finally relented, and I returned home in late July - roughly 3 months later than I had originally been promised. I was exhausted, I was frustrated, and I felt like I had been lied to at every turn. Thankfully, life has improved greatly in the last 5 years.
The point of of this very long story? The next time I hear from some corporate doofus about the sacrifices that we're expected to make for the company, I am tempted to remind them that I have already paid my dues. I left my daughters for nearly six months. I essentially abandoned my wife a week after she had our youngest girl. I spent countless hours on planes and in airports, and many sleepless nights in hotel rooms. So they should probably cram it.
