It has been a while since I have posted about my Year of Yes, but it was in anticipation and hope of this post! As you know my New Year started with changing a lot of directions in my life. I have been blessed with having great families to care for during the last 8 years and being able to be home before Noah & Ella started school was amazing in so many ways. All of our children are in school now and since Noah has transitioned I have definitely longed for something more. I love children and would never change anything about the last 8 years. I am so thankful for these years. I have however, missed adult interaction, problem solving, the customer service industry, etc etc etc.
Sandy began working with Automattic back in late 2014. Shortly after he started and I learned more about the position, it was something that interested me immediately. I prayed over this decision many times throughout the years, but I never felt like it was the right time in our lives for a big change. Late Fall I really felt as though it was time. The position is technical and although I have worked in technical support in the past, this is a different area of support that I was not familiar with. I decided that I would take a few courses, read a few books and then try volunteering my support in the forums to see if this would be something I would enjoy.
The more reading, praying and self discovering I was doing, the more I realized that this would be an amazing opportunity for our family and a well needed change for me. At the end of January I decided to apply for a Happiness Engineer position with Automattic. I knew that if I could make it through the initial interview / project I would have the opportunity to work a trial contract and hopefully prove my abilities.
What is a trial contract? Automattic is very impressive in their hiring techniques. If you are successful in the first part of the process you receive three days of training and then you actually work as a Happiness Engineer under a paid contract. You can work as much or as little as you want and you create your schedule. The trial contract can last anywhere from 3-6 weeks. At any point during this process they can let you go or offer you a position. The percentage of people hired from a trial is quite low, but the people that are offered a position stay with the company for a very long time. This process is amazing. It allows both the individual to really gain an understanding of what the position will be and it also allows Automattic to see what type of employee you will be as well as if you are capable of the position. I will write more on this process in the future and how I became successful, but that is a post for another day! 🙂
To skip to the best part of this adventure, on April 19th after a final check in with my Hiring Lead, I was told I would be referred to Matt (CEO, Owner, Founder, etc of Automattic). This is the very last stage of the process. On April 23rd with my laptop tethered to my phone at the end of a Dance Competition and on our drive home from the city, I had my Matt Chat! After a 3 hour conversation I was offered a position as a Happiness Engineer for Automattic beginning June 5th.
I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am for this position and to work for this amazing company. The culture at Automattic is something that I never imagined would exist within a company. The employees that I have had the pleasure of interacting with are just as amazing. I really enjoyed the customer interactions and helping/ teaching users to create their presence on the web using WordPress. It is great to really have to think / problem solve each day and have adult interactions again. One of the best parts of these interactions for me, is that they are all done through chat! Love technology!
And there is more! I will be able to work from home, just as Sandy has been doing for the last 2 + years. I am able to create my own schedule and still have lots of time with my family. I will finally be able to volunteer at school events, attend class trips and take the kids to their extra – curriculars. Anyone who knows me, knows how important these things are to me and not being able to do these things over the past few years has been a huge weight on my shoulders. I will no longer be self-employed, which I am very excited about! Automattic offers full benefits as well and I can now pay into a company RRSP as Sandy has been doing, which is so important for our future.
I am looking forward to this amazing chapter beginning in our lives and the ability for Sandy & I to both work from anywhere. We have now booked an AirBnB outside of Philadelphia this summer where we will work, but also explore with our family. Prior to this we had planned to drive to Boston for the New Kids Concert and then come back for a week, then travel down again to begin our across country trip to Calgary. Now with this opportunity, we decided to save the drive back and forth and enjoy a week working in a new area. The kids are very excited to explore some great NJ beaches!
I have heard so many people over the past few years complain about their jobs, lack of time with their kids, etc. I really feel like everyone needs a reminder that you are never stuck; you always have the ability to generate your own change. One of the books I read this year was called “Delivering Happiness” and one thing that stuck with me was when the writer Tony Hsieh spoke about business decisions in his life.
“In a poker room, I could only choose which table I wanted to sit at. But in business, I realized that I didn’t have to sit at an existing table. I could define my own, or make the one that I was already at even bigger. (Or, just like in a poker room, I could always choose to change tables.)”
It reminded me that although at times it felt easier to just stay in the position I have had, I have the choice and ability to change tables! This was a ton of hard work and during my trial I was working 80 or more hours per week with the two positions, but I could not be more thankful that I pushed for this change. I am thankful that I said Yes!
Â
I Dream of Summer 
Leave a comment