I took a hit, it's time to get back on my feet.
For those of you who don't know, my department and my current position as a web designer are being being outsourced. To who? I may never know. Initially, this news depressed me quite a bit. It's hard to admit, but it's true. I never expected to graduate college, get offered a job, move across the country, and then have the rug pulled out from under me. It's an experience I would have expected to have after working a few years at a company, not a few months.
I'm writing this article in hopes that someone else might find my experience, and my coping mechanisms, helpful. I hate sounding weak, but the truth is, my first step was to just let it all out and cry. I called up my dad on the phone after work (yes, I finished the day tear free, crying at work is highly unprofessional) and let loose. He provided the sage wisdom and comfort many fathers are known for and the next day I was feeling better. For the most part, much of m coping came through simply talking to my coworkers. Finding out how they were handling it, simply complaining, and working through solutions really helped clear up my head. Of course, this wasn't enough for me. I suffer from anxiety so I spent most of my nights unable to sleep and stressed out.
That meant only one thing. It was time to get away. Thankfully, I have connections in many places so I packed up and took a mini vacation to Alaska. I got to see my family, introduce my partner to them, and most importantly, not think about work or the future! My sister and her SO, Brock, took us fishing down near Coopers Landing. I finally caught a salmon and learned how to filet it too. My phone took a trip in the river unfortunately. We saw some bald eagles and moose as well as gorgeous scenery. I took Ricardo up to Flat Top for the sunset and then down to Potters Marsh to see more of the salmon run. We also drove out to Denali National park where we stayed overnight and saw some caribou and fog covered mountains.
After driving back to Anchorage, I got to have dinner with my family and see my grandmother. She recently had to move from New York out to Alaska due to poor health (she's almost 90!), so it's nice to see her doing well and enjoying her time in Anchorage. I explored Seward as well, enjoying the warm ocean breeze and cute touristy shops. Ricardo and I split a delicious smoked salmon wrap and chowder bread bowl. It was such a jam packed vacation, that I honestly couldn't think about work or the job hunt at all. And that's just what I needed.
So what am I doing now? Well, applying for jobs obviously. I have some decent luck with interviews but in a jam packed field like design, I've also gotten quite a few rejections. This is one of those situations I can say, "The more the merrier" in though, since it builds up my resistance to rejection and helps me practice interview skills. It's also opened the doors to a lot of opportunities to me. My favorite one being that I can live almost anywhere. I love to travel and I'm not worried about being in love with a location. The US is big and if I love my job, I don't have to worry about location. Another opportunity is the option for freelance design. It's something I've done on the side in the past, but never committed to. So maybe it's time to pick it back up. Who knows? I might even be really good at it.
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