Gotta Wear Shades

I've never quit a job - of the first 3 companies I worked for, I was fired every time. The first one, I believe, was political. My father happened to work for the same company - different department, different floor, you name it. The only thing we had in common was the last name. He fell victim to some very high level machinations, and was let go with a very generous package so that he'd leave happy. Which he did. They even gave him a chainsaw as a lovely parting gift.

I was let go, suddenly and without warning, a few months later. Sans generous package, sans chainsaw, sans happy departure. Que sera sera.

Employer number 2: I went in round 4 of 6 or 7 rounds of downsizing after the company changed owners. Nice package, nice people, not heartbroken when the time came. It was no longer a happy place to work. Still no chainsaw, though.

Employer number 3: probably could have gone to court over this one. In short, I was dumped because I chose to get pregnant and go on maternity leave. They waited just long enough so their motive wasn't obvious. Dean would still like to burn the building down. Partly politically motivated (they fired my boss 2 weeks after she fired me), partly sexist (they got rid of 4 of the 5 senior women in the company in about 3 months). Again no chainsaw, although Dean would have put one to good use.

Firings 1 and 3 caught me totally off guard - mostly because I totally suck at spotting and moving with political trends.

Now on my fourth employer, I am, as you might imagine, a little gunshy about such things. So yesterday when my boss called me into his office for a closed-door conversation, I was more than a little apprehensive. His glum expression didn't help. I figured my days were numbered (and probably my hours and minutes, if past experience was anything to go by).

As it turns out, the work I did a few weeks ago did not go unnoticed, and the executive VP wants me to give some thought to my future with the company.

Until that point, I didn't think I had much of a future. I've been on temporary contract here for almost 2 years, and have been told on several occasions that a permanent position would not be forthcoming unless I was willing to work full time. Which I'm not.

But now, it seems, I Have Value, and have been asked to Visualize My Future and Consider My Options. More than one option. Four, even. Options in which they're willing to work around my insistence that I don't do Tuesdays.

This is a new experience for me.