My wife and stepson were talking about having a dream job the other day, when I pointed out that most of us really don’t end up doing exactly what we want. After all, if I had my way, I’d be writing all day and making a ton of money doing so. That doesn’t mean, of course, that you can’t love the job you have. I can’t imagine not working at Washburn.
In trying to inspire our son that your career is a journey full of small steps forward, my wife pointed out that my current job was a significant upgrade over the previous one. She was right (just don’t let her know I said that). That exchange made me think about something my father told me a long time ago: “Never keep a job that makes you miserable.”
That pearl of wisdom was one of the reasons I applied for a job I wasn’t sure I could handle in 2017. I was more than ready to leave the former workplace, even if it felt like a bit of a gamble at the time. In just two years there, I endured more stress than I’ve ever experienced for numerous reasons and ended up with a nasty case of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) reactivation.
I realized during that conversation with my wife and stepson that I’ve finally moved on from that experience. I started to feel that way a few weeks before when several of my former co-workers invited me back for a Friendsgiving celebration to celebrate the MCC-Business & Technology campus, where I worked for two years and which is closing and relocating in a few weeks.
I left Washburn in 2015 to work at MCC, largely because I felt it was time for a change. The perks included cutting my daily commute from two-and-a-half hours to 50 minutes and the opportunity to learn a new skillset.
Unfortunately, it also meant a much higher volume of stress, particularly when I had to fill in as a recruiter for several months when another staff member left. It was like throwing the introvert to a pack of extroverted wolves.
This also was during a time when I was battling an addiction to exercise and junk food, a dangerous combination that eventually wore my body out. I ate whatever I wanted because I was working out twice a day to the tune of 1,300 burnt calories. Time and time again, my wife warned me: “You’re going to make yourself sick.”
It wasn’t all bad at work, of course. I got to tell some incredible stories of students going from homelessness to running their own businesses. I learned several new skills and a ton about the trades. Perhaps most importantly, I met some amazing people, coworkers who are still great friends.
When EBV started to kick my ass into submission in 2016, I missed work for a while trying to recover. Going back was not easy. I was still fatigued, the trademark symptom of a nasty illness, and I still had to manage that heavy load of stress.
What I will always remember about MCC-BT is how many of my colleagues supported me when I came back. If I needed to move something heavy, which was common at a campus loaded with industrial equipment, they jumped in without being asked. Many times, they would not allow me to carry certain items. They checked on me daily. To state it simply, they were amazing.
I healed slowly, and by the time my current job opened, I was close to 100 percent. I left quietly in early July, a small reception, per my request, the only “celebration” of my 22 months there.
I’ve kept in touch with those folks in the four years since, but I never went back to the campus. We moved to Topeka not long after I changed jobs, and the drive isn’t convenient. But I also didn’t really want to go back because it was an incredibly difficult time in life.
A few weeks ago, when I went back for the Friendsgiving event, I pulled into the parking lot and remembered how I used to sit in my car and give myself a pep talk before I walked in. I felt nervous as I walked into the building and climbed the stairs to the conference room that I’d used dozens of times for Gold Collar Night.
As I walked into the room, several people ran over and gave me a hug. A few others shouted my name. Others came over for a handshake. That was the moment that I realized all those negative feelings about my former job were a waste of time. It was the first time I actually missed the Business & Technology campus, even if that wasn’t my dream job.
TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 2021 SERIES
PART VIII: Dad’s craft show was a bond for many of us
PART VII: Dad, prison escapees and a scary week in Southwest Missouri
PART VI: An excerpt from the book I’m writing about Brenda Keller
PART V: Dad, my best friend and jars of baby sh$t
PART IV: Dad, “Big Swede” and hitting a guy in the head with a ladle
PART III: Dad, pinball and arcades