Have you ever paid your dues for a company/school only to quit and move on?

I worked for Sears way to long. They really screwed me over.

Career-wise, a few times.

I was hired as a graphic designer at an event design company and promised the moon. A year later, nothing promised materialized and the owner never returned from an out-of-state gig. Failed to pay us all our last checks too.

After that I put in four years as a department chair at a college that had “big plans” and was “growing”. In the end, they were laying people off left and right and saddled me with a ton of work. Stress landed me in the hospital. I resigned.

Next I signed onto a company to completely rebrand them and reinvent their marketing and advertising. Was promised raises and the chance to hire help. After five years, neither materialized even though my efforts increased their revenue by two-million/year and brought in a new customer base. So I left.

Now, were these a waste of time? No, because I worked on some amazing projects, helped a bunch of students, and expanded my resumè. I was certainly disappointed in the outcome, but after all these years, I’ve come to realize there is no gold watch and no happy ending to any job.

There is only a window of opportunity to accomplish something and a paycheck. Make the best of each and be prepared to move on.

I paid for a trip to Brazil and had cancer instead of going, For once in my life I had purchased trip insurance, so I got most of my money back and someone else went in my place. That’s not exactly what you’re looking for. It wasn’t exactly life changing. The cancer was found very early and was taken care of in short order.