One Year Is a LONG Limbo!
Professionally, I always find myself in an odd holding pattern that, due to the timeframe on it, ends with me being in quite the sticky spot. This is all very vague but let’s reduce this to contract jobs!
A lot of contract jobs have timeframes — they’ve got a start and they’ve got an end. By the end, you’re hopeful that you’ll have already lined up a new start date or you’ll take your earnings, take a trip and enjoy a break.
For me, my contract jobs typically run like auditions: you come into a studio, give it your all, you’re undervalued for your time and then you leave having been awesome entertainment for the time but no longer useful. OKAY, so they’re not that bleak:
My First Noteworthy Contract
My first contract job with an expiration date was with the District Attorney’s office. We were there with the express purpose of getting experience in prosecuting, learning as much as we could, and clawing our way towards the top so that we could live to do it again but in a more permanent role. We knew what we were in for from the beginning, no balls were hidden, they hired us because they potentially had space for those of us that they wanted to keep and there was a vested interest in all of us learning a lot and doing a lot. We were brought on for a purpose and with a purpose.
That means that there were no games, no one was feeding us lies constantly and it was all about how hard we were willing to fight for the position. Now, does that lead to some annoying brown-nosing and butt-kissing? Absolutely, and especially from those who were willing to do it! But it also left room for those with a more authentic and personable approach. Anyone could make it if they simply worked for it. And the work felt worth it!
This opportunity has to be within one of my top experiences because I felt the gritty feelings of being in a pool of people all fighting for the same goal and the “fight” in question was nothing but hard work (outside of law school)! It was nice. It was motivating. It was inspiring, and, I got to continue to work for the DA’s office in a number of different units once my contracted time was up.
That was the ideal scenario where lessons were learned, no time was wasted, and hard work actually paid off. Because of this, I still count this as my favorite job to date!
Let’s Count This Probation As A Contract For Conversations Sake
Let’s talk about a nightmare experience, shall we? There aren’t enough discussions about the woes of State work but, have no fear, I’m here to discuss it. One of the biggest flaws in State work within the state of California is that they hire for management positions without vetting, training, educating or caring about the mental health, wellness or acuity of the individual hired. Do you really think that bad management doesn’t trickle down and ruin other cogs in the wheel? It surely does!
I had one state job that hired an ill-equipped “supervisor” who, within a couple month’s time, ran a team of 7 into the ground! I mean this person’s incompetence wittled this group down to about 2 people and probably still has it in their mind that they were good at their job — everyone could see it but them. A delusion that I wonder what it’d be like to live within…
Think that’s a fluke? It’s not!
It happened again, bad management that is, within a whole other agency! There was a terrible “Director”, obviously there because of who they know, who hired another ill-equipped manager who, if I were in the diagnosing business (which I am), I’d throw a couple at… But I digress. Again, this person ran this office into the ground and this time I went to H.R. — an office that has been a historically useless figurehead (even though I know one of the best gifts to the HR community who obviously doesn’t work in the unnamed place) who did nothing!
So why doesn’t the State of California focus on doing better with it’s leadership? Oh, because it doesn’t care! It does "okay'“ on paper which is all it’s required to do! Take pride in their work? Absolutely not! Be good examples of leadership and work ethic? Absolutely not!
I had a job at a prestigious law firm once that taught me the value of having bosses all around who took immense pride in the work that they do. That not only rubs off on the lower-to-mid-level employees who work under them but it’s a motivating and driving force! This law firm operated like a ton of little law offices where everyone worked hard to succeed. That comes from the top! And that’s what’s missing in state work. Big shoutout to Dreyer, Babich, et al.!
But What If Contract Work And A Probationary Period Had A Baby?
That’s where I am now! In that weird Contract-Probation-Baby-Child limbo and I can say with a belly full of honesty that this may be worse! The probationary part of this is the piece that makes you feel like you have to accept every “special assignment” so that you can keep your current job and have a potential job with this company beyond it. And the contract part of this is the company knowing that they’ve had you in a role that should pay more but were able to pay you less with the lifeless promise of being hired on fully while planning to just let you fizzle out of your contract after a year of lesser pay anyway. You know that they’ll just hire on another contract class at the lower rate and keep this dog and pony show going on forever right? It’s basically free labor (okay, it’s not)! Why would they pay the full rate for you when they can pay half that, feed you promises about your future with the company and then dump you!? It’s brilliant in it’s simplicity honestly.
This dance is something that we do not talk about enough. This is probably because the people who are in the dance are too busy constantly looking for other work, but still… what can you do when you just have that luck that lands you in contract after contract after contract? Now, this post isn’t for those who love the contract life and the mini breaks that it provides. This post is for those who have been seeking out stability and haven’t been able to land it because we’ve shifted to this mill-like behavior within companies whereas before training someone in the ways of the company (plus them being good at their jobs) was enough to keep you with no question.
Anyway, if you’re doing the dance, tell me: how’s the limbo going for you?
Best [of luck in your future endeavors],
Bree
