I hate losing things. I have always been very proud of the fact that I am very organized and can find things quickly. When I lose something, it's very frustrating.
But this post isn't about me losing things, it's about my husband. He keeps losing his job! What the heck?!?!
We were very stable before. T had worked at a college for 7 years. In fact, we had just been to a banquet to celebrate the fact that he had gotten tenure.
And then he was let go. There are quite a few factors, but it comes down to the fact that he was in a department of men who were all alike, the younger ones had actually gotten their degrees from that school and the older men had been their teachers. T wasn't like them. He enjoyed helping the students. He would sit down with them and talk to them and help them. His degree was a design degree and the others were drafting degrees. So can you see the problem?
We knew they weren't happy with him, and T was planning on leaving in 1-2 years, AFTER he had finished his Doctorate degree. At that time, he had just finished the classes and was starting the research for the Dissertation. But apparently they didn't want to wait for him to finish. They wanted to get rid of him before his tenure kicked in and they had to have an acutal valid reason for firing him.
So we cried and stressed (k was only 8 months old) and then we sucked it up. And prayed. We would get paid through the rest of his contract (another 2 months), so surely he would have another job by then. It didn't happen. We cashed out his retirement, paid 40% of it to the IRS, paid off our cars and our credit cards, and lived off the rest for another 2 months. Surely he would have a job by then. It didn't happen. We applied for food stamps, unemployment, he worked at Walmart and we got help from our church. Surely he would get a job now. It didn't happen.
Finally, 7 months after losing his job, T got a job working for a food company. He taught their food handler's classes. It wasn't ideal, but he was teaching, which he loved to do, and we were making enough money to pay our own bills, and we had benefits.
T was traveling 6-9 days a month, including some weekends. He did so well, that he beat all their records for number of people taught and the amount of money that these classes brought into his department. He made a profit for this position for the first time EVER! So did they reward him? No, they set his goals even higher and expected him to reach them. And he did. So did they reward him? No, they set his goals even higher, completely unattainable. And when he couldn't reach them, he was let go. It had been 17 months.
So we cried and stressed and then sucked it up. And then prayed. We applied for food stamps, Medicaid, and unemployment, T worked where he could find work, and we still ended up having to get help.
And then our car died. The engine just went out on a trip. However, the kids loved riding in the car on the back of a tow truck! So now how do we afford a car payment? I go to work.
I was very lucky and found a really good job (that is a whole other post). But now I am working and taking my 2 year old to a babysitter, which I absolutely hate. T did find a job working as a draftsman, but his boss figured out that he could hire 2 kids out of high school, work them part time, and pay them less than he was paying T, and he was let go after 3 months.
So we cried and stressed and then sucked it up. And prayed. We applied for food stamps and Medicaid and unemployment. T got a job less than a month later. It was a good job as an assistant Dean at a for-profit school. The benefits would have cost us over $350 a month, so we passed.
In the meantime, T had been working on his dissertation and trying to write about meaningful work when he wasn't working. But he did it and he finished and received his diploma. He is now a Doctor!
And then after 7 months, he was let go. The reason? "It's just not a good fit." What the heck? That is all his boss would tell him. He was mad.
So we cried and stressed and then sucked it up. And prayed. And we are still praying. He has been substituting in junior high's, but that pays about half of what he was making before. But we are applying for food stamps and medicaid. And praying. A lot.
I do have to say that we have both grown so much because of these trials. My testimony has increased immensely and we have grown closer to each other. So I can't regret the trials for that very reason.
It's been 3 years. I am tired. This can't go on forever. Can it? I know it won't, but it sure feels that way sometimes. And I am ready to be stable again and let the Bishop worry about someone else for a while!
So if anyone finds a job that has T's name on it, could you return it to us? We have been looking for it for a very long time. Thank you.
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