The last time I didn't get a W2 was when I was 15 years old.
Well, then... and now. Here's a quick answer to "what happened?"
I worked at Capital One for about 15 years - the first two as a contractor, where I proved my work ethic and skills enough to get recruited to be a full time employee. After many years of having a great time solving really tough problems... I got to the point where I felt like I was solving the same problems on repeat, which meant it was time for something new.
From there, I looked for:
- A medium-sized company (500-1500 employees) - I knew jumping to full-on small start-up would be a system shock as much as I knew I wanted to have a real, measurable impact on the company's success
- A not-publicly-traded company - having gone from Circuit City to Capital One, I was eager to learn about the mechanics and workings of a company that didn't have thousands of shareholders to satisfy with strategic business decisions
- Somewhere I could believe in the product and the mission of the company, such that I would be proud to share my career details at barbecues and cocktail parties
- A place where everyone I interviewed as part of the "finding a new job" process seemed genuinely happy to work there and excited about the mission of the company
This led me to join SimpliSafe as their head of Monitoring Operations - they ticked all my boxes. After a few years, SimpliSafe was sold to a new Private Equity firm. As new leaders came in to envision the next phase for the company, they heavily leveraged their networks to establish new leadership structures and processes... which means many tenured leaders moved on, including me. My official last day at SimpliSafe was April 3rd.
So, what have I been up to since I packed up my desk at SimpliSafe?
Oh, my friend... adventures. So many adventures. I've visited Denver, Boston, Mammoth Cave, Branson, Virginia Beach, Charleston, Charlotte, Reedville, Williamsburg, and Wilmington. By the end of the summer, I will have seen 32 different bands perform live. I chaperoned field trips, I babysat my 2 & 4 year old nieces. I swam in the ocean (several times). I had lunches, coffees, drinks, walks, & bike rides with friends and former colleagues. I leveled up my AI skills by building two apps (1: manage a shared family property; 2: manage household chores. The kids love this one.) and used AI to help me remember enough HTML to create this website. I've made hundreds of loaves of sourdough bread, most of which have been gifted to friends, family, neighbors, mail delivery folks, and random acquaintances.
In short - I've used this time to remember who I am, do things that bring me joy, and think strategically about the right next step.