And so it ends, my so-called job. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.
Honestly, the writing was on the wall months ago. Things had grown so bitter that the only question was whether it would end by being fired or with a nasty resignation. In the end, it came down to the root of all evil... money. As in, there wasn't any.
I'd actually worked for the company for over a year as a freelance consultant, back when it was a fly-by-night virtual operation. It was already a somewhat fraught relationship when it ended up being purchased in March (for between $5 and $10 MILLION, if one is to believe the New York Times, and really, why wouldn't one?) by a multinational holding company. With it came an infusion of cash and an offer for a full-time job.
The first problem was the matter of logistics. Our new corporate overlords insisted the high flying company be grounded, and grounded in office space they already leased in a nearly inaccessible corner of West L.A. A full-time job would require four hours a day stuck in traffic.
The second, and more concerning problem was the salary, which was laughably low. It actually would've been a pay cut. "But you'll have major medical" my boss protested. Yes, and a $1000 gas bill each month.
We struck a compromise.
I would sign a short term contract for three months. By that time the company would be am internet sensation and the cash would be rolling in and then they could offer a more big boy salary.
Never happened.
And I can't say I'm surprised. One of my chief functions was creating the new business pitches and over the past three months I had done dozens of them. Not a single one led to any new work. And after watching my boss in action during one of the pitch meetings a couple of weeks ago, the reason why became clear...
My boss was a dick.
Arrogant, condescending and a pants-on-fire liar. It was a huckster performance of epic proportions. If I was a potential client, I wouldn't let him park my car, let alone have access to my advertising budget. We still had some existing clients, but there was no way those billings could cover the vastly increased overhead. And so, with the money running low, the decision was made to just let my contract expire. The decision had been made that my position was expendable, at least until last week when they suddenly seemed to realize what it was I actually did. That resulted in one final week-long flurry of stupidity, which is why I was missing in action from the blog.
I'm actually a little relieved. I feel like I got the first lifeboat off the Costa Concordia (Titanic references are so 20th Century). All the same, it's a little scary be unemployed. Again.
Once more into the breach...
