An earlier post detailed my particular evening using our nation's for-profit, air transportation system. Like so many things in our lives when it comes to air travel, we are totally dependent on other people, systems those people have established, procedures that are often mind numbing, just so we can get from one place to another. Who out there is eagerly awaiting time travel? There have been plenty of movies about it and in each case, no one seems to be required to pay any extra fees or remove their shoes because there are no security lines.
It's no secret that I spent nearly 22 years at NPR and was laid off in late 2009 among with about 80 other people. National programs were ended and so were a lot of careers. Over the past two years, millions of people, sons and daughters, bankers and lawyers, health care providers and those who work the line, lost their personal brands. You know, the answer to the question, "So what do you do?"
So what is it worth staying in one place and holding on as long as you possibly can? Is that even possible anymore? I often hear that 20-somethings have no brand loyalty to anything and will leave a job in a heartbeat if things get tough. I agree, but only because I think early career adopters have little patience for mid- to late-career adapters. If you are constantly complaining about your work situation, my question to you is, "If you hate it so much, why you are still there?"
Loyalty still has it's rewards. Be loyal to friends, family and the kind of work you like to do. I don't mean be a slave to a company exactly. But love the work and then the company that is fortunate to have you. And, if you are looking for work and have some time because you wisely saved some money, choose carefully.
After (another) recent hellish flying experience, I was reminded how loyalty can be a good thing. Said airline sent me a personal note of apology for the night of difficulty and a $150 flight voucher good for my next purchase. I'm still in shock such a huge and highly corporate entity that brings out so much scorn, would bother to go through it's records, look me up and contact me, say they were sorry (twice) and send me a little token for my trouble. I didn't whine or stomp around or puff up my chest with Monty Python-esque self-importance. I waited, patiently.
You're damn right I'm going to use that voucher. It's tough, but somebody needs to do it.
*Chantal de la Rionda edits this blog
