The First of Many Career Woes

My husband and I eventually settled into our new life together. We quickly reconnected, found our favorite new restaurants, met some nice neighbors and managed to squeeze a few dollars out of the budget for a little decorating. Now it was time for me to get my career back on track.

Prior to the move, I had worked for a non-profit association and eventually found employment with a company that was affiliated with the association. I took an enormous pay cut but that was to be expected since I had worked in a large metropolitan area prior to moving to a much more rural region of the country. While my brain kept reminding me that this difference in pay was a result of the decreased cost of living, my heart still felt slighted. I was older and more experienced but was making less money than I had when I was 21. My ego felt bruised, but I was still thankful for the job.

I quickly discovered that my pay wasn't the only big difference between my previous job and this one. The way business was conducted was also a lot different. The good-ol'-boy network was in effect now, and this was something that I was NOT accustomed to. My previous employer lived by an employee handbook and better business practices. All business was conducted on the table, not under. There were clearly articulated expectations, right down to how many hours an employee had to return a phone call or email. These were expectations that I embraced and relied on. I loved working within clearly-defined parameters. It came as no surprise that within six months of employment, I decided to begin looking for a different job.

Fortunately, I found a great opportunity shortly thereafter, and I stayed with that organization for the next four years until my husband received a transfer back home. While that position provided me with wonderful experiences, I was still making far less than I had prior to the move. The reason that I keep focusing on the monetary aspect of all of this is not because I believe that money determines success, rather, now that we have moved back to our metropolitan 'home' and I am seeking new employment, I have to keep providing a salary history, and it's not doing me any favors. Furthermore, while there was a different cost of living, I was still being paid less than many of my male peers were making. This again has to do with the good-ol'-boy network I mentioned earlier.

I'm not saying that all rural communities conduct business that way, and furthermore, I acknowledge that plenty of metropolitan businesses do that as well. But it was still a big pill for me to swallow, and it's one which I feel is still affecting me now that I'm searching for a new position.