A New Direction

The title references a previous post, but in this case, it’s in a new direction in my work life. I work for a local law enforcement agency that until May had contracted to run three juvenile programs for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. In May, our Boot Camp closed. In September, Omega Juvenile Prison closed. That left just one program (and it isn’t expected to stay open much longer).

The Sheriff mandated that jobs would be found for all employees working in these programs. No one would lose their job because the programs closed. I couldn’t stay with Youth Academy because my position wasn’t funded through the DJJ contract. I was there because the unit I worked for prior to coming to Juvenile Justice had closed. And guess what? They had to find a place for me. That’s how I ended up at Juvenile Justice.

The problem is, there weren’t any secretarial positions available right now. I wasn’t concerned. I knew none of us would lose our jobs. Remember, I had been through closure before. My only question was: where would I end up? Well, I finally got my orders. I had been transferred from the Contractual Section to the Operations Section as a Control Room Operator.

Huh?

A CRO is two pay grades below my secretarial position. Since this was a transfer I hadn’t asked for, my pay rate would not change (but the grade did). I’ve been working as a CRO for a little more than a month, and I am the highest paid, most senior CRO in the agency (let the Comptroller worry about how to justify my salary). I am a new CRO but I make three times what a new CRO makes. Because of my agency seniority, I can beat out (if I choose) all other CRO’s for leave time or shift bidding. I don’t plan to do so. It wouldn’t be fair to take advantage. I have to work with these people for a few months at the very least, and most likely for years. I don’t want to be disliked or grudges held against me for no good reason.

I admit I had to wonder if the transfer was a punishment. I won’t go into details (it’s really none of your business), but there were some problems in my other job with supervisors (personality conflicts mostly). And because of this my annual evaluations weren’t as stellar as they had been in previous years. So, I wondered. But, thinking it over, I realized that there were worse jobs I could have been handed. And I’ve always believed that the best way to get even is to show the person(s) that you are better than they are. That in the long run, they were only a minor blip on the radar of your life, not worth the time or effort to get even with them. It usually drives them crazy. Especially when they have to call and ask for advice, help, or favors.

I then had two thoughts about this placement. Either, as I really believed, this was the place where they needed a body to fill. Or, that I was placed here pending the possibility of a secretarial position opening sometime in the future and this was just a “holding” spot for me. I could live with either. I chose to believe the third possibility: that God decided that I needed to be in this job for some reason or another. I may never know why, but there it is. If you don’t believe in God, then maybe it was Karma, fate, or whatever Higher Source you might choose to believe in. If you don’t believe in a higher source, then someone in Admin just decided they had to put me somewhere and here I am.

I do believe that I lucked into something good. I’m making good money, I work seven out of 14 days, I get days off during the week so I don’t have to use vacation or sick time for errands or doctor appointments. I don’t even mind the 12-hour shift as much as I thought I would. The downside is that I have to get up at 4 frickin’ o’clock in the morning to be at work for muster at 5:43 am. The job is important in that I am support to the floor deputy, but it is not rocket science. And I am not putting down CRO’s in any way shape or form when I say that. I believe that everyone has an important job. It’s as important as they choose to think it is.

I will be eligible for retirement next September (nine months, 22 days but who’s counting?). I don’t know whether I will retire at that time or not. If I retire then, I will probably have to work at least part time. If I continue to work, I will only be building up that pension amount. I will also have that much more time to build up my other retirement accounts. If I work another 10 years, I will not have to work part time unless I choose to for socialization. It won’t be because I need the money to live on (I hope!).

So, I had to ask myself: can I do this job for another nine months (and 22 days)? Yeah, standing on my head. The next question was: can I continue to do this job for another five years (at that time I have to make certain retirement decisions)? Again, yeah, not a problem, I can do this. Can I do this for five years after that? I don’t see why not. Six months ago, I wasn’t sure I could make it to my retirement and now I'm looking nine months, five years and ten years into the future. Things are looking better every day.

So, life is a series of new directions and new beginnings. I don’t always do well with change, especially when I have little or no say in how those changes will effect me. That’s because I’m trying to run my life instead of letting God guide me through life. Once I remember that He only does what’s best for me, and that I may not ever know the why, I settle in and look for the good.

Why should I look for the good? Why not? I don’t want to live my life looking at the negative. That’s something I try to keep out of my life. Expect the best, plan for the worst and guess what? You usually get the best.

Yep, my work life is good these days.