Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
Guest
Haven't looked at this site in almost a year. Didn't purposely avoid it, but after the layoff last June, I just had no use for it. After reading a few threads today, I see very little has changed, and it has reinforced to me how fortunate I was to have been laid off.
I came into Abbott quite a few years ago after spending several years in a completely different career. I met some good people, and I met my share of people I'd be just as happy to never see again. Working in pharma wasn't a bad job, but I just never could truly embrace it. The good earning potential and the reasonable hours kept me around much longer than job satisfaction ever would have.
I had enough time with Abbott before the big layoff in 2007 to see that our work culture was clearly headed south. Over those next 5-6 years, I seriously considered a few other job offers, but never decided to pull the trigger. I would frequently convince myself to just suffer through the current DM, as the next (and hopefully better) one was never more than a few months away.
Finally, the layoff made the decision for me. By that time, I was so ready for it to end, I didn't even try to network into a different Abbvie position. And it was the best thing that's ever happened in my career.
After taking some time to just do what I wanted for a few months, I took a sales position in a completely different industry. The difference is night and day. Honestly, I won't catch up to my previous income for a while, but the road map is clear and the reasonable potential is just as good, and quite probably better. I have people working above me and beside me who are clearly more interested in helping me succeed. A stark contrast to working for (some)people who were more interested in whether I created some worthless spreadsheet/tracker, what time my calls were made, whether I left enough phony "success story" voicemails or if I completed some module 2 weeks before it was actually due.
Now, my customers are now mostly just ordinary people. I don't have to play some coy game to talk to them (and I don't have to wait for an hour in hopes of getting 2 minutes). Gone is the world of being told to sheepishly phrase questions like "if you knew or had to guess". I control where I go, when I go and what approach I take. No more 9-12 call "Groundhog Days" with the same faces every two weeks. Life is good.
So, for those of you still "stuck" in that pointless rut, there is opportunity out there if you're willing to put in the time and effort to look. Hopefully, you'll get the opportunity to work on that transition during a severance, but if not, the change is still worth it!
I came into Abbott quite a few years ago after spending several years in a completely different career. I met some good people, and I met my share of people I'd be just as happy to never see again. Working in pharma wasn't a bad job, but I just never could truly embrace it. The good earning potential and the reasonable hours kept me around much longer than job satisfaction ever would have.
I had enough time with Abbott before the big layoff in 2007 to see that our work culture was clearly headed south. Over those next 5-6 years, I seriously considered a few other job offers, but never decided to pull the trigger. I would frequently convince myself to just suffer through the current DM, as the next (and hopefully better) one was never more than a few months away.
Finally, the layoff made the decision for me. By that time, I was so ready for it to end, I didn't even try to network into a different Abbvie position. And it was the best thing that's ever happened in my career.
After taking some time to just do what I wanted for a few months, I took a sales position in a completely different industry. The difference is night and day. Honestly, I won't catch up to my previous income for a while, but the road map is clear and the reasonable potential is just as good, and quite probably better. I have people working above me and beside me who are clearly more interested in helping me succeed. A stark contrast to working for (some)people who were more interested in whether I created some worthless spreadsheet/tracker, what time my calls were made, whether I left enough phony "success story" voicemails or if I completed some module 2 weeks before it was actually due.
Now, my customers are now mostly just ordinary people. I don't have to play some coy game to talk to them (and I don't have to wait for an hour in hopes of getting 2 minutes). Gone is the world of being told to sheepishly phrase questions like "if you knew or had to guess". I control where I go, when I go and what approach I take. No more 9-12 call "Groundhog Days" with the same faces every two weeks. Life is good.
So, for those of you still "stuck" in that pointless rut, there is opportunity out there if you're willing to put in the time and effort to look. Hopefully, you'll get the opportunity to work on that transition during a severance, but if not, the change is still worth it!