Taking a leap of faith

A year ago this week I decided to make a life changing decision…

 

I put in my 4 week notice, at a place that I had been for 8 years.  A team that I was completely comfortable with, a company that was nationally recognized as being one of the top 100 places to work for the past 6 years in a row, and a job that I was becoming routine, (although my candidates made it the furthest thing from boring).. to do something completely different!

I took a leap of faith…  It wasn’t just a new job.. but a new career.

I had many concerns leaving my structured, HR position, and moving into a laid back, creative, commercial printing customer service job.. however, I had to trust that I knew what I was doing.

I was going to work for my family business.

I had been given an opportunity to work with a sales rep that knows the business very well, and is very dedicated to the company as well as her career.  If I was going to learn the business, and take a new position in a field I knew NOTHING about, I knew I wanted to work under her.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t also concerned about working with my family every day.  I would go from seeing my dad and sister every Sunday, to seeing them every day but Saturday.  That’s A LOT of family time. 

I can’t say there weren’t days that I haven’t left the office confused, frustrated and upset… but that’s to be expected when I have been cherry picked from my everything I have ever known and dropped into a whole new setting. 

There were days that I felt as if I was never going to understand printing, or figuring out all the processes that were put in place (in a not very process oriented company I might add), or that I was never going to fully comprehend working directly for someone, (I was now not just representing myself, but also my sales rep, and the company)… but I have muddled through it.  It certainly has been a SLOW learning process at times, but looking back, I had a major learning curve to overcome.

In the past year I have had to learn new vocabulary words (that could be a whole blog post just for printing terms!), new processes, 130 associates names, job titles, machines used, and  getting used to smelling of aqueous coating every day when I get home from work.

 

But in the end, I think I made one heck of a decision.

Looking back at nearly one year into my new career… I have to say, I am beyond proud to say I work for my family business.  I’m so glad that I have been given this opportunity.  I have more appreciation daily for what my grandfather has created in a company, and what my dad has been able to maintain for almost 50 years.

It certainly wasn’t an easy decision, but one that I have no regrets making.

I leave my desk every day feeling fulfilled.