I rarely speak about my job in any sort of online forum for varied reasons. One, I don't think the job necessarily defines me and my life. And two, it is always safer to say nothing than to say the wrong thing when it comes to your employer. But if I were to be completely honest one of the biggest reasons I don't put details of my job to any sort of records is because I was embarrassed. Not about the company I work for, the work that they do, or anyone I work with. Embarrassed at being an MBA graduate who was working at a job that does not even require a college degree.
Now the reasons for me having this job are varied and if you read the blog you will be privy to some of those reasons. Needing a job posthaste, and wanting to work for a big company. At any rate, I started as a 10 buck and hour teller who was sure to not even break even after repayment on student loans started. It got better quickly as I was promoted to a banker but I made the minimum wage that a banker could make. I was trained over the course of 8 weeks and met a lot of great people along the way.
This takes us to spring of 2013. I got to work. Although I was making a paltry wage I was afforded the opportunity to make more money depending on my performance. That means selling stuff. Now to this day I tell people I dont sell things and never will, I just know more about the products and think more creatively than others and have a genuine desire to help people. Because of this I made Star of Excellence for quarter 3 and quarter 4 in 2013. That is basically a designation that says I am a top performer in my region against 100 or so other people with the same job. So although I was making the minimum, my take home was a bit more. And here is my disclaimer, I know jobs are not about the money and really we should all find something we enjoy doing. Well if you don't think money has something to do with your enjoyment of life you are flat wrong. Do you want a dog, a home, kids. Do you want to be able to provide for those children? Sorry, money matters.
Anyway, while I did finish 2013 well, for the entire year I scored in the middle of people with my job around the country. Meaning, take all the Universal Bankers for US Bank around the country (500 or so I believe) and take their total 2013 production and rank it. I was in the middle. Not bad but you need to be in the top 5% to score a trip with the bank and have good customer surveys. So I set a goal for 2014.
Halfway through 2014 my job was pretty rough and I wanted to leave the company more than once. Since then I have come to find out a lot of that was due to the specific branch I was at and some former managers there. At any rate, it is a great branch and one of the best in the company just very demanding. A co-worker of mine was encouraging me that, as an MBA, I should find a higher paying job. I told him my goal for Star of Excellence Annual to try and win the trip. He said with the difference in pay I could buy my own trip. He was not wrong. Anyway, he left the branch and went to work in another area. My wife now also works for that area largely because he told us about it so I will be forever grateful for that because you have no idea how much our lives changed when that happened.
This is all simply to set the stage for the week of February 16th, 2015.
I had been put on a performance plan because myself, along with a friend in the company, had been recognized as emerging leaders and employee who were ready for the next step. So I was sent to another branch one day a week to help out. While I did not run that branch simply being in another environment greatly helped me. I found out on one of those days at that branch that there was an opening at Oakdale.
This has been dragging on long enough so I will spare the details of the process but here are the facts. I interviewed on a Tuesday. Visited the branch on Thursday, was made an offer and accepted on that Friday for the position. Nice. Not only that but it was also during this week that received the information that I had achieved Annual Star of Excellence for US Bank for 2014 and would be going to Washington DC to be recognized. All expenses paid by the bank. Double nice.
So Di and I are set to go and I actually get those trip days off in addition to my vacation. Triple nice. I think what meant the most is not only did I work hard that entire year, but Di did too. Helping me and encouraging me and although she will tell you there are other times and that this is not true, when I gave her the news I won/earned the trip to DC I could see that she was immensely proud of me and that means more than a trip or a title or a job. Although I got that feeling again when I told her the details of the offer. Sharing that news with her was the best part of all of this but that is a post for another time...