Thursday, February 5, 2009

Dreaming of In-n-Out

About 7 years ago, I decided that I'd had it with my job and career. I remember sitting in a hotel room in London where I'd been living for about 6 months on a project, right after living in a hotel room in Rhode Island for 9 months on that same project. I was feeling totally over-worked on a mismanaged, nightmare project. My company had just gone through a huge transition (after 3 rounds of layoffs, they got acquired), and I hated the new corporate overlords. I wasn't sleeping, I was working all the time, I didn't like the new people I was working with because in general, they weren't as good as my old team. I was exhausted all the time. It was like I was someone else and living in a fog all the time. I was hating my life.

So...I started looking into doing something else. For whatever reason, I got totally fixated on working at In-N-Out. I even got an application, filled it out, and stuck it on my bulletin board at work as some sort of weird inspiration. I think it just comforted me to know that I had a Plan B.

I wondered if it was just the project, which meant I should stick it out to finish the job and then move onto a new team. But I realized that I had to quit because I was so miserable being a consultant. I didn't want to break my mother's heart though. She was pretty unhappy when I dropped out of college after sophomore year. "What I telling my friends? I never hear the chinese kids not finishing the colleges!!" I couldn't imagine what she'd tell people if her software consulting daughter was now making hamburgers, even if the burgers ARE fresh and not frozen.

So, for whatever stupid reason, I decided that I'd go to law school instead.

Seven years later, and I'm sitting in my office feeling totally over-worked on a mismanaged, nightmare case. My practice group just went through a huge transition (old firm dissolved), and I'm not so fond of the new corporate overlords. I'm not sleeping, I am working all the time...I am exhausted all the time. It's like I'm someone else and living in a fog all the time. I am hating my life.

The other day, my mom got so sick of hearing me complain, that she actually suggested that I go and get an application from In-n-Out. Perhaps it's a sign from God.