No Longer a Remote Worker

I've had a different job for the last 14 months. I was in sales. I worked for a company that had exactly one product to sell.

And that product was me.

My sales role involved messaging, positioning, audience segmentation, analytics, and iteration.

I analyzed thousands of job descriptions across nonprofit, municipal, SaaS, agency, industrial, and healthcare sectors, searching for just the right customer.

For the potential customers I found, I created multiple iterations of 100s of role-specific resumes and cover letters.

And I kinda sucked at it. The customers didn't want what I was selling:

• Unfortunately, your application is no longer being considered.
• We have decided to pursue candidates who more closely meet our requirements.
• The hiring manager has chosen to move forward with another candidate.

All variations on "we don't want you."

But I got some bites, nonetheless.

For interested prospects I prepared for 1:1 interviews in person and online, panel interviews (some that I even knew about) and final rounds. I wrote thank yous, follow-ups, and recruiter outreach messages. My Jobs email archive grew to well over 1K entries.

As the months rolled by, I started to question my value. Maybe my corporate days were over, and I should just grab a retail job. Or drive a school bus.

At my age, I had to get honest.

I don't trust the government-provided job market data any more. It's hard to say what's actually happening out there. But it feels like there fewer jobs to apply to - especially remote jobs. Return-to-office mandates are common. The news is rife with layoff stories.

My generation - GenX - seems especially affected. Younger candidates are cheaper. And even though the average in the USA only lasts four years, companies seem reluctant to hire anyone who might want to retire after that.

All in all? There are fewer FTE doors than there were five years ago.

Some freelancing book editing opportunities came up. I wondered if that's what the universe had in store for me now. It worked years ago. But choosing between a steady paycheck and autonomy isn't the same now as it was at 39 years old. But I appreciate the work and will continue to evaluate those opportunities when they come up.

However, this past week, I finally sold the product.

I joined the Tulsa-based LIFE Senior Services organization as their Managing Editor, mainly overseeing the monthly Vintage magazine - a lifestyle publication for the 55 and over crowd.

The role is a good fit. Content-wise I'll manage freelancers and internal contributors while also writing articles and taking photographs.

Business-wise I'll look for ways to make the process easier, find more distribution points, and improve the financials.

Community-wise I'll promote the publication to local advertisers and work to create relationships with the other print publications in Tulsa.

All told - I’m relieved.
And yes, a bit anxious.

And it's an in-office role. Badge, parking lot, elevator, desk, brown-bag lunch. Tighter schedule constraints. A more formal wardrobe (but no neckties - yay!).

The work itself isn’t foreign. I’ve done versions of it before. But the context is new. My daily rhythm will change. My schedule will be fixed while MsBoyink's varies. We have to figure out how married-empty-nester life works again.

And yes, while the cost of living in Tulsa is cheaper than other large cities, the downside of that upside is the local salaries aren't always competitive on a national scale. 

But I've been here before. I'm in a better place than when I started running the newspaper. I know the complexities of the larger publisher and publication will resolve. And looking back, the most valuable jobs I've had weren't always the highest-paying ones.

I'm looking forward to the ride!