Posted by: Aaron Scholl, BBE Vice President
Those are the exact words that I have been hearing over and over again for the past few weeks. About 4 weeks ago I was laid off at my job and for the first time in my career since graduating from Purdue I am without a job. So many people have heard about me losing my job around the holidays and have felt sorry for the timing, etc. But I have told every single one of them the same thing. It was great timing.
First off, I got to spend a lot of time focused on my family over the holidays with really no stresses. I am very blessed and thankful for that time. And there are many reasons why there hasn’t been a stress over the holidays without a job like most people would believe. And there are 4 strong factors as to why I am not stressed.
God. There are many believers and non-believers out there, but I strongly believe that God has a plan for me and my family and how I am supposed to utilize my skills and experiences to help other individuals and businesses.
Family. Both my immediate family and extended family have been extremely supportive. They all want me to make sure I take my time during this process and find something that I want to do and not feel like it is something I have to do. And there certainly isn’t anything better than seeing how happy my 4 and 2 1/2 year old boys are when they see me.
Experience. I am very confident in my skills and my overall business and technology experiences that there are many companies and jobs out there that can benefit from me. I just need to be patient for those opportunities to arise. But to help dig up those opportunities, that is where my 4th factor comes into play.
Network. My entire career I have been very focused on relationships. Building strong relationships with colleagues, clients, vendors, and anyone I came in contact with was about strengthening my future. Whether that helped with future sales, future friendships, or future jobs, I was always focused on great first impressions and constantly staying in contact with people.
And that is where the BBE has really displayed its power. When I was laid off a week and a half before Christmas, I informed 2 BBE board members that same day. Within 3 days, I not only had 10 in person networking meetings but I had the majority of our board members and advisory board reaching out to me asking “what can I do to help.” And that is what the BBE is all about. An extended Purdue family looking out for one another within the business world.
That networking has since extended as many BBE members have provided me with multiple introductions to individuals and companies who are non-BBE members and whom I did not have connections. My days for the past 4 weeks have been filled with advice, friendship, guidance, interviews, and more introductions. My personal network as expanded. I have been able to introduce more people to the BBE. And I know that my next career move is right around the corner.
I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity that I have had to help grow the BBE and inform Boilermakers of the advantages of it, and have it turn around and give back to me.
#Boilers4Life