Upon graduating from Berkeley I thought… “Now that I have my degree I will get the job of my dreams and begin my career doing something I always wanted to do.” WRONG! This is not how my happy ending played out; actually it wasn’t happy at all. For the most part, this past year was a hard one when it came to finding a job. The interviewing process is so daunting and to top it off the job market was at its worst due to the economy. Luckily, I found a job early on with a consulting firm that worked in the financial industry. At the beginning I thought: “great, this is something I really want to do” and “this job will open doors to many more opportunities for my career”. I was determined to give 200% to this job and prove that I could succeed in corporate America.
Quickly…within the first 2 weeks, I found out that not only had I signed up to work for a corrupt man, but I had sold my soul to the devil! It was a place where the owner treated everyone with so much disrespect. And believe me, I was not the only unhappy employee, everyone there was miserable! He had a turnover rate of 100%. I had read all the bad reviews about him and his company online, but I figured it was from a few disgruntled ex-employees. After working there, I realized those reviews were all true. Regardless of how we were treated, I decided to stay and prove to myself that I could do it. However, with each day that went by I felt as if my self esteem was being sucked out of my bones. I believed less and less in me as a strong individual and I lost all the hope I had in myself. What saddened me the most was noticing that all my dreams had vanished away, they were converted into dust and not one single particle was left for me to hold on to. I was experiencing my first “abusive relationship” and I had created a nasty dependency on my abuser.
My ambitious side is what kept me pushing forward, I knew I could handle the job; however, I did not realize what I was doing to myself in that miserable nightmare until the day I came home crying. I cried for 4 hours straight, scaring my husband and my kitties. I could not talk, I could not eat, and all I could do was cry, cry and cry. I had hit rock bottom and my body felt too weak to even get up. Finally when I calmed down, Tony said to me “I knew you were miserable at your job but I never knew it was this bad.” He reminded me that I did not have to work for that company, that it was ok to resign and find a job where I was happy. Thankfully I had him (the positive Tony…my rock). I was one of the lucky ones at that company who was married and did not have to rely on only one income to survive. This cushion provided me with the opportunity to quit my job so I could find a better place to start my career. That night I decided to quit (however I still waited out till the end of the month).
Six months went by from the day I quit to the day I started at my new job…yes, it took me that long to find a job. At first I took some time to heal. I literally had hit rock bottom and had lost all my motivation and drive (so unlike me!). But with time I taught myself how to walk again with my head high. During this time I worked part time in a few place helping out friends during the busy season. It wasn’t until February that I felt more like myself again and decided I was going to look for a job in full force.
Terrie, my mother-in-law, said “once it rains it pours.” She couldn’t be more right! All of a sudden I was contacted for interviews and was even given multiple offers. This time I had the power to make the decision on which job to take. At this moment in my life I realized that what mattered most to me was the work environment. My priorities had changed and I was looking for a job that offered me work-life balance (I was working 60+ hours at the consulting firm). I was looking for a company that believes in its employees and one that treats them with respect and sees them as an integral part of the engine that drives its success. I also did not let my ambitious side make the decision on what job to take; instead, I decided to take the job that was best for my family because I no longer was one, therefore I took the job that was best for me and Tony. I decided to work for MedAmerica. I did not disclose what company I was with in the past, but I will disclose the name of the company I am working for because I am so proud of it. I love my company and I love my job. It is literally one of the best places to work for in the Bay Area, literally! The people there are amazing and they all support each other in every way possible. I have amazing benefits and my pay is decent ($8,000 more than my last job and only working 40 hours a week). It is in the healthcare industry which is not what I had ever envisioned, but I am learning so much and I am developing personally and professionally.
What is best about my job is that I do not have to stress about it after hours, I am free to come home and relax and enjoy my afternoons. Working there quickly made me regain my strength and I became the person that I once was. Soon after starting to work for MedAmerica I decided to begin my own company with my sister Vicky and my Friend Radha. Within two months we launched a Wedding Photography business, Alarcon Murakami Photography. We applied for a business license, a business loan and we dove into this great adventure as new business owners (more on this on a later post). I was dreaming again and my go-getter personality was back on full force!
Looking back at this past year I have realized that my experience with the consulting firm was not that bad…it was actually a great learning experience. It taught me what to value and what to look for in a job. It made me realize that I did not have to settle for less because I am worth so much more. It helped me understand that when searching for a job it is not just the company interviewing me but also me interviewing the company. And the best of all, it taught me how not to run a business and what kind of leader I do not want to be. I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel, but never imagined it would be this great. I guess things always happen for a reason; maybe I just needed a wakeup call…
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