Journey To Retirement
The hunt for a job offering life after Eggs-on was short and sweet. A few weeks before my contract ended, I received two offers. The first offered a permanent, full time job with compensation of $35,000 per year. The employer was Lindcrest, a documentation firm specializing in writing and maintaining procedure manuals for small businesses. The second offer was a technical writer position with a team of programmers tasked with restructuring the system used for reservations and flight scheduling with none other than American Airlines. The American Airlines job was temporary with a potential of converting to permanent status at the end of one year. The compensation was $30,000 per year to start, increasing over six months to $35,000. The American Airlines job was by far the most exciting, especially considering the free flights I would enjoy if hired at the end of the year. As a single mom, it seemed the responsible choice was the permanent position with the higher pay. On the other hand, I really wanted those flight benefits.
I could not make up my mind. I had to accept or reject the offer from American by the end of the week. The permanent job seemed the most sensible choice but my instincts told me to accept the offer from American. While driving home from work on Tuesday of decision week, I decided to put a fleece before the Lord. That involves asking for a specific sign to confirm a chosen direction. I prayed that, if I was intended to work at American, I would receive a revised offer removing the gradual increase clause and offering $35,000 per year from the start. I was pretty sure that I would be working for Lindcrest because American Airlines was unaware that I had another offer and there was no reason to revise their offer.
The phone was ringing when I arrived home. I could not believe my ears as my slightly puzzled DCI representative explained that, for some reason, American Airlines revised the proposed contract to offer $35,000 per year from the start, removing the gradual increase clause. The next day, I received and signed the new contract offer. Sometimes, I get a quiet feeling that something significant is about to happen. I experienced that when I signed that contract. I just felt that something very good would happen as a result of this new position.
Hundreds of miles away, a programmer from the Dallas area was just days from the end of a contract he was working in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was frustrated because his numerous applications for a new position had returned no interest. This man cared for and housed his elderly mother who was worried about his situation. “Let’s join hands and turn this over to the Lord” she said “He already knows where your next job will be.” The programmer joined hands with his mother who prayed for a quick resolution to the employment issue and that the new job exceed all expectations. About three seconds after the Amen, the phone rang. It was DCI offering to fly him to DFW for an interview with American Airlines for a place on a new team they were putting together.
On May 12, 1992, I happily reported to work at American Airlines building CP2. It was my 40th birthday. As I was shaking hands with my newly introduced team members, one guy, who looked to be about 25 years old, looked really happy to meet me and shook my hand just a bit longer than the others. “That kid can’t be flirting with me,” I thought. During refreshments following introductions, that kid sought me out and began to make small talk. Wanting to be polite I asked “What was your name again?” “Jonathan Keatley” he replied “I moved back to this area from West Palm Beach, Fla. in order to take this job.” “That’s nice” I responded, still thinking him to be a little older than a new college graduate. At the time, little did I know that this chance meeting over the cookies and coffee of a new-hire reception would bring more than either of us expected.