Another Career Crossroads

Now that I am back at Disney after my five month sabbatical, it was like I never left. Hopped in the cab of the train and drove off like it had just been yesterday. I must admit it is feeling a little weird at times seeing people that I haven't seen in awhile and not being able to answer any questions about my situation. And there's also the new people who are wondering who the Hell I am and why so many people know me.

And now, less than a week back on the job, I have another potential job offer. A good one. Like $15+ an hour good, which is twice what I make for the Mouse.

When I first moved back to Florida, I had just graduated from college (again), but this time with a degree in Electronics and Computer Engineering. I had started looking for tech jobs before I even left Alabama and had an interview set up for the first week I got here. Got that job and worked for three years at Millennium Technology, the IT department for Rosen Hotels.

Well let's just say that Disney doesn't own the market on bad managers with "fire first, ask questions later" mentality. So I was fired from there back in 2009. Yes, that's the same time as my divorce. It was a tidal wave of bad things happening and the divorce played a huge role in me losing that job. It was a good job too, but I lost it trying to save my marriage and keeping my family intact. I didn't succeed at any of that.

I bumbled around for months looking for work and living off unemployment and food stamps. I did manage to get another tech job but was poorly paid and horribly treated by this insane bitch of an owner who had no idea how to treat people (and she was on the local school board!). No one at Disney or Millennium comes even close to this psycho nutbag. I lasted there for five or six months before they "conveniently" couldn't find any more work for me so I slid slowly off that payroll.

Then came the teaching fiasco. I had originally left Disney to move back to Alabama for a teaching job. I did that for ten years in various school systems before getting tired of that game. I had moved down to Florida in 1992 (here's a recap of that sad story), and had gotten married and was already starting a family by 1995. We left the Mouse in 1996 for Alabama and a better job (sound familiar?). I quit teaching in 2005 and went back to school. 2007 brought graduation and the moving back thing which led to the Rosen thing. Follow all that? Good.

So basically in my unemployment I explored all avenues of work, including teaching. One school loved that I was a math teacher and IT person. The wanted me to run their technology department. I spent several days and multiple interviews there getting to know the place and being shown around everywhere. Meeting teachers who I would work with, etc. Then suddenly, three weeks had gone by with not a peep from them. Nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. Then I get a form letter in the mail basically saying they decided to go another direction after promising me so much. Just like that. No explanation. No nothing.

Now I remembered why I quit teaching in the first place.

Upset but determined to work, I went to Casting the next day and got re-hired at Disney. I wanted the same department or nothing when I went in to talk to the casting agent. Been back on Main Street ever since except for my five month vacation. And now that I'm back, suddenly there's the possibility of me going back to tech work and leaving Disney behind again.

The main thing I'm struggling with is that I am loyal to wherever I work. I am loyal to Disney and the steam trains. They are such a huge part of my life, from my early 20's to now. Unfortunately, I may be holding on to the "glory days", seeing that Main Street has changed so much since when I started there in 1988. I keep hoping things will change for the better, but that change doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon.

I called the guy back about the job (three former co-workers at Millennium recommended me to them) and sent off my resume. So it's out there now. Let's see what karma and God and the universe has in store for me now...