What Ever Happened to That Job?

Someone asked me yesterday what happened with the job interview I had with "BIG" company so I thought I'd fill you in (if you even care).

In case you didn't read it - about a month ago I happened upon a job listing that was practically written for me so submitted my resume and ended up with an interview. The interview itself went decently well - some questions I nailed and some definitely could have been answered better - but at the end of the interview I felt that it had gone pretty well and waited with baited breath to find out what the next step of the process would be. After not hearing anything for a week I finally emailed the HR recruiter and she said that a second interview would be the next step but that she'd get back to me in a few weeks. It's now been a few weeks and I haven't yet heard anything back.

In the meantime though, this has been a really good opportunity to take a look at where I am and where it is I want to go and try to determine which road - entrepreneurial or corporate - is the best road for me. As a good friend said in the beginning - having a job opportunity like that really makes you look in the mirror and face what it is you are and what it is you want to do or be. And while at the beginning I was very gung-ho for the job (and I won't lie - it's still a really interesting position b/c I think I could do a tremendous amount with the job) in the intervening time I've become less and less enamored with it.

In a nutshell, I've realized that what really prompted me to drop in a resume is the fact that I'm a little lost without bringing home an income. Right or wrong, in the US much of who you are is determined by what you do for a living and, to a lesser degree, what type of income you make. One of the biggest struggles I've had over the past two years is the fact that I don't make an income. Externally I've definitely had people look at me and think (or tell me) that I don't "really" work and must spend a bunch of time eating bonbons and watching TV. Um, yeah, that's why I work 12+ hour days!

Internally though - and this was/is the bigger issue - I've struggled with the opportunity cost that following my entrepreneurial bend has taken as well as the fact that I don't contribute to the family pot. My husband - god bless him - doesn't see it this way at all and has never once put pressure on me due to the fact that I'm not "paying my way" but it's still odd to not be bringing in an income.

Truthfully, I've gained untold new respect for stay-at-home moms for not only what they do day in and day out but for the fact that in the eyes of society they aren't "wage-earners" so therefore do they deserve the same respect as those who do earn wages. Obviously they do (and a lot more) but many of my mommy friends have mentioned that despite the fact they were accomplished in the workforce prior to leaving to have kids, once they are out of the workforce other people - women especially - treat them as though they don't have a brain in their head. In those cases I'm one step above at the cocktail party because I'm "running my own business" but honestly it's not until I start throwing phrases like COGS and ROI that I actually see them realize that I am an intelligent person who shouldn't be judged by her income - or lack there of.

So the job? Well, if I'm offered a second interview I will followup and go in as I'm a firm believer in always leaving the doors to opportunity open since you never know what will happen. But as it stands I'm really not inclined to take it unless it was truly something that couldn't be passed up. If you'll allow me one more minute - what I found really interesting is that when I told my parents about the opportunity they both felt that I should stay with the business I started as they both believed that it was really starting to gain traction in the marketplace. If you knew my parents you would realize that they would have no qualms telling me that what I'm doing is nuts and to jump on the corporate bandwagon so it was reassuring to see that their reaction was similar to the one I've slowly come to on my own.