I just shared an email with a former colleague of a dot.com we worked for that was imploding several weeks before, during and, most certainly after, 9/11. I recallthe double whammy emotion I felt – wondering how to find a new gig and wondering what was going to happen to my family (kids were 4 months, almost 2 and almost 4 years old then)
It wasn’t so much the transition in employment – “hey had to tackle that once or twice through the climb of career advancement and job jumping from 1988 to 2001″. It was the sense and feeling that I was sitting at home without much of a group to connect with. Our kids were toddler age then and were off to daycare. Not that the work place should be the end all. But it was the sense of “when I was at the State Patrol or Omaha Police Department – my two primary gigs in the 1990’s - I could have been doing something to help”. Did my angst come anywhere close to those in NYC, DC, coasts or victim’s families - absolutely NOT. Could I still help out. YES.
Right before 9/11 I thought I would rebound find a PM / Director / expert consultant gig and fulfill the “force like destiny to become a CIO” or so Yoda or the Emperor was whispering to me. The CTO and mentor or mine from the dot.com, Mark Resmer, had secured a wonderful opportunity with Prometheus — a learning management software start up incubated by GWU in DC – which was purchased by blackboard in 02′. I was nailing down the finishing pieces for a commuter work arrangement (banking on flying in and out of Regan National Airport).
That changed very suddenly with 9/11.
- National shut down
- US races into recession
- Head count reductions in IT, project management, all over
- Living on pins and needles with concerns for “what next”
Now, and there’s always a learning and growth experience for all of life, it did lead my life in a more rewarding and better fitting profession.
- Juggling FTE and consulting roles in project management – sort of getting back to the basics from 2002-03
- teaching for several colleges and universities – with Bellevue University
- nurturing the idea to grow something distinctive — ala www.tapuniversity.com
- pushing myself more toward my family (kids grow fast), exercise (hey why stop at 3 marathons in the 90s), music and helping others.
It hasn’t been an instant rush to gold (still thinking happy Michael Phelps thoughts). It has been a better direction.
So a couple of questions
- Where were you at on 9/11 and more importantly
- How has your life been since then, are you still on the exact same course? If different, how so?
David
Seminar Leader
TAPUniversity
tapuniversity
dkohrell