Cherie Runs This

A new job & new beginnings.

Cherie ♦ September 15, 2012 ♦ 24 Comments

The cat is out of the bag on Twitter and my FB page, so I might as well shout it out here, too.

I quit Dick’s Sporting Goods and I have a new job!!!

In truth, I left Dick’s a little over a month ago. In short, I pretty much could no longer handle the dicks at Dick’s. Haa. Or just the one. Remember the way I was treated? {If you scroll near to the end of that post, you’ll see just what I’m talking about.} It’s sad to let one person lead me to make the decision to leave–especially in this economy–but I had to.

I loved the store, my coworkers, my job, and the assistant managers. But when the big boss man doesn’t care about fitness, which was my sole purpose for being there, it made it ever-so-increasingly difficult to do my job. 😦 Add to that the commute, the lack of hours, the nights, the weekends, the no vacation or sick pay, and the position not being as fitness focused as I wanted {Dick’s Sporting Goods Certified Fitness Trainers DO NOT get to train anybody}, sadly, I knew I had to go.

And why does a Certified Fitness Trainer have to work on bicycles anyway?!

So this was a ROUGH past month and a half. Finances were tight. TIGHT. My self confidence dipped to the lowest of the lows. I felt like I’d never find a job again. I was oh-so-close to getting a sweet position as a Wellness Director for a swanky retirement community but lost out. And then the self-confidence dipped even lower. I kept likening it to me being Kerri Strug and needing to stick the landing. Everything was on her shoulders. She HAD to do it. This job was the only one in my prospects and I knew everything was riding on this. Our bills, our starting to save money again, our being able to breathe–and then I got the letter in the mail. I didn’t get it. I failed. Cue even more dipping of the self-confidence.

This was all my fault. I left work, without another job lined up–which I think is the craziest friggin’ thing to do, and now I couldn’t get the job that was going to save us. What did I do?! Again, this was a rough time y’all. I’ve been smiling through it all and not mentioning it on here, but I was not doing well. 😦

This is us after our celebratory “I just got a new job” dinner. 🙂

My hubby is a SAINT to have been putting up with me for past month. I was all rainbows & sunshine online, but in the real world, I was a big ‘ol Debbie Downer. When you don’t have a job, er, when you have a Bachelor’s Degree, Associate’s Degree, and two nationally recognized personal training certifications and STILL can’t get a good job, you feel pretty doggone craptastic. So thank goodness for him for putting up with me.

I was near my wit’s end for sure when I finally happened to see that there was a position available for a Leasing Consultant in our old stomping grounds in Chapel Hill. I couldn’t believe. Seven years ago when we first moved to NC and our Leasing Consultant showed us our first apartment here, I remember saying to hubs, “That seems like a fun job. I think I’d like to do it someday.” Okay, flash forward to now. Yup, that’s my job!

But what about fitness? Haha, don’t worry. I didn’t forget about it. I love it too much for that. But not having a job in a gym, a sporting goods store or as a Wellness Director does not stop me from still being a Certified Personal Trainer. I’m going to keep up with my certification by taking continuing ed classes as necessary. I’ll still be here on Cherie Runs This. I’m still #FitFluential. I’ll still be just as crazy about fitness as I ever was. The only thing that has changed is the title of my day job. All else remains the same. 🙂

Okay, some other things have changed:

-I work Monday through Friday now.
-I work regular business hours now.
-I have vacation and sick time now.
-I make much more money than I made at Dick’s.
-I don’t have to work “clopens.” {Closing shift and then opening shift the very next day.}
-I work full time.
-I work near my husband and we can go out after work.
-My office is 2 miles from the trail that I love to run on and I can now run after work.
-I have holidays off.
-I get paid weekly.
-I get to use my Criminal Justice Associate’s Degree/attend court.
-I get to be active by walking the complex daily.
-I have my own office and it has a window with a great view.
-I can pay my bills without struggling.
-IT’S NOT RETAIL.

I happen to think all of that is pretty baller. Haa. There are a lot more but I figured I had to stop somewhere. I haven’t worked Monday – Friday, regular business hours, with vacation/sick time IN SIX YEARS. I forgot what it was like to know my schedule more than three days in advance. To be off with my family on holidays. To plan trips and use vacation pay to cover it.

I’m thinking quitting Dick’s worked out in my favor, don’t you? 🙂

So I totally am planning to take this weekend to get my priorities SET. I’m not used to working a full 40 hours and trying to squeeze in workouts, blogging, social media time, chores, home life, and me time. This is going to take some doing. And don’t even get me started on waking up early and being at work by 8. Y’all know it’s customary for me to wake up around 9!!! Heck, I don’t go to bed until 2am most nights! But I can do this. I’m excited and ready for the challenge and new beginnings.

And thankful. Very, very thankful. 🙂

Did you ever quit a job before you had another? How did it turn out?

Have you entered my giveaway yet? Today’s the last day. Give it a shot!