1986 vs. 2015

I got my very first job in the summer of 1986. I had just completed my first year of college (for a useless degree in Business Administration – seriously, kids, this is a degree to avoid, it’s just as bad as design!) and had just begun summer break. I was looking at the “want ads” in the Sunday Pittsburgh Press and saw one for a typist. It was with a temp agency, Allegheny Personnel. I called them, they invited me in where they tested my typing (I blew them away with my speed) and they told me they could probably find me something “starting tomorrow.” I thought surely getting a job can’t be this easy, especially in this town that was still suffering from severe unemployment due to the steel mills closing. Sure enough, I got home and they called as soon as I walked in the door with a job for me starting the next day. Even sweeter was the pay: $5/hour! That was a whopping $1.65 (30%) more than the minimum wage.

I had several assignments that summer through that agency, and all were wonderful experiences. The following summer, I called Allegheny Personnel saying I was again available for temporary typing work, and they immediately placed me at Mellon Bank. Again, it was a wonderful experience, and it lasted through the whole summer. When I had to quit to return to school, they threw me a party and the one supervisor I had took me out to lunch to a very nice restaurant.

Imagine that, a temp worker getting thrown a farewell party!

Even more shocking was the diverse age groups I encountered in all of the places I worked during those two summers. There were a few young kids like myself, but also lots of women in their 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s.

Now, let’s look at how I was treated at Fidelity Investments back in 2015. I look back on this experience with more sadness than I should as it is no doubt is the last job I’ll ever have in America. When the CIO who hired me abruptly left the company, the remaining team decided they had no use for me and shifted me over to a different boss not once but twice – and neither of them wanted anything to do with me, either. It became clear immediately that this six-month contract would not be converting to a permanent role as initially promised. I spent the majority of those last four months doing absolutely nothing and being completely ignored. At times, entering that building in the morning very much felt like walking into high school detention, where I had to sit in silence all day and think about what I did wrong.

My final few weeks came and went in the same fashion with nobody saying one word to me, right down to my last day when I packed up my desk, turned in my security badge, quietly left the building and went to my car where I broke down and cried, wondering what kind of sick joke was this for life to play on me. I realize I made some bad mistakes in my life, but this is just a little bit ridiculous.

The worst part of Fidelity's behavior was that when I was offered the job by that CIO I had just received my first offer to teach English in South Korea. I never never never never NEVER would have turned down that opportunity to start a new life for myself had I known I'd be unemployed again in six months. I gave Fidelity's HR clowns multiple chances to "right this wrong" but they just didn't care. 

I can't help but wonder had I stayed in Pittsburgh would my last job in America have been this bad. More importantly, would I have completed my "last job in America" at the age of 47. Whatever. I suppose it’s for the best that my last job in America was the worst, ensuring I’ll have no regrets and no remorse when I board that plane that takes me far, far away from here.