In 1995 I learned how much being an employee sucks!

I discovered that I was a fool.

In 1995 I was full of myself. I managed about 40 people, was a recognized expert in my field and was trusted by my management to make independent judgments. You think I had the world by the tail?   Not at all . I was a fool.

I was not in charge of my life

I somehow believed that I had some control at work but it was the same control that a farmer on the slopes of a dormant volcano has- it was only temporary control. In a matter of months, corporate restructuring swept away the management that understood and appreciated me and replaced it with hired guns whose agenda I could not fathom. My staff was re-engineered away from me. My boss would request major projects and then tell me that I had to get the approval of some other division head before it could move forward. Then he told me it was my problem to resolve because he had other things to do. Over the course of one year, I redesigned a major project three times without ever getting the agreement to implement. I was demoralized, frustrated, isolated and depressed.

There is no contract

That year taught me the truth about being an employee that had eluded me for 25 years. As an employee you have no control over your life. The talk about a contract between employee and employer is finally just talk. I was very committed to my company. I was proud of its accomplishments and dedicated to contribute to its future success. All that commitment was irrelevant and frankly stupid because, much as I wanted to be a part of my company, in the end I was only a replaceable cog just like the now gone management that had trusted me.

I stepped into the unknown

I had planned to stay with my company well into my 60’s. My retirement funding was inadequate for retiring earlier and I liked my job. Nevertheless I knew I had to move on. In 1996, I turned 55 and on my birthday, I retired, knowing that I could not support my lifestyle with the retirement income I would get. I could have stayed and groveled until the crisis passed. I was no longer willing to pay the price. I knew I had to get myself out of that environment. This was the beginning of a remarkable adventure that finally brings me here today.

What about you?

Maybe you had a similar experience. Maybe you see one coming. Maybe you handled it differently. I would love to know about them and what you did, or plan to do. Please leave a comment or question. As I continue my adventure, I would love to hear the stories of others on the same road.