What I swore I'd never do again

First of all, a shout out to Scissors. Microsoft, like all fortunes, started with a few crimes. A bit of DOS stealing, snaking Windows from Xerox, that sort of thing.

As for Bell Labs, it was a prestige organization. Bell funded some eggheads to "do science." Very little of it was applicable to actual communications, but it's all very interesting.

As for Lucent (Avaya, ATT Systems, etc.) That's a joke. The old AT&T Equipment used to be ubiquitous, if it wasn't Northern Telecom (now Nortel) it was AT&T. Businesses would buy telephone systems from one of the big two manufacturers and they'd stay that way forever.

Now Cisco, with their IP phones is taking over the market. BellSouth used to have a great relationship with Nortel so in the South you'll find lots and lots of that equipment embedded here.

Avaya is going strong, they have a stronghold at the top of the market with big switches and call center equipment.

Lucent now manufactures large telephone company Central Office equipment. We're all still scratching our heads. I remember in the day that if you went into a C.O. you'd see acres of old switching equipment, rows of clacking switches, blinking lights, old mag tape readers and boxes taking up all the floor space. It's a joke now, with fiber and micro-technologies, all of this is now in once cabinet with some Cisco blades in it. I wouldn't say that the future of telephone equipment was in the C.O., but go Lucent. Love that 5ESS.

Now, to what I swore I'd never do again. Going back to school. When I do a job search I do M.B.A./Atlanta, GA. Usually what I get back is finance and accounting related. I had some of that when I went to Grad School, but it was a smattering of everything and an intensity in not much.

Since our goal is to go to Canada, it occurs to me that if I really want to get out of sales, (and I really, really do,) that what I need to do is to is get some other kind of marketable skill.

I've decided on accounting.

What? Accounting? I already hear the jokes. When I first worked for the phone company I was hired in as a customer service rep. The union and the company offered job placement and aptitude testing and I took them up on it. It was a five week course and I took all kinds of tests. When I went to speak with the counselor she told me, "You have an aptitude and interest in accounting. You already have a bachelors degree, so what if we paid for your M.B.A.?" At first I was resistant, business....ew! But the counselor pointed out that the program met only Friday evenings and Saturdays and that I would complete the program in less than two years. I agreed and I got my degree. So what changed? Nothing.

I worked in Sales and have done since I got my degree in 1994. Has it helped. It's helped me. I can have high level discussions with different departments, and if I've needed a job it's something the hiring manager can check the box on. So I can't complain. However, just an M.B.A. isn't worth a whole lot.

What employers are looking for are Accountants, Finance or Marketing folks, with years of experience and the degree.

It's a man's world and brother (and sister) don't you forget it. Men have told women for years that they would be promoted, if only they had the right education or experience. Then they'd hire some guy who had neither.

Early in my career I was persuaded to do my job in addition to the job of a colleague who was going out on maternity leave. I was promised a promotion and a raise if I did a good job. Like a moron, I did it. I worked my tail off and interestingly enough, I did get promoted. But I was never respected because I was willing to audition for the job. Every time I was promoted people expected me to do the work of at least two people, and because I was so eager to prove myself worthy, I'd do it.

Finally, I caught on and I looked around. People do just fine in business and don't slave away at their jobs. I moved from support to sales and have done pretty well.

Transitioning from sales to some other department proves to be a problem though. First of all, if you're any good at sales, your boss doesn't want you to leave. Secondly, if you've been doing sales you're making an artificially high salary and it's hard to match it. Third, the longer you're in sales the longer you're away from your education, the more forget and the less you know about the latest and greatest stuff.

So I looked into going back to school to get a Bachelors in Accounting. Georgia State has a program and every Accounting core class is offered at night. The company should pay for it, but it's a state school, so if push comes to shove I can pay for it myself.

When I get out I hope to get a job working for an accounting firm, one of the big 4 or however many are left. If I specialize in tax and/or Sar/Ox I can do my job in Canada. And make a nice chunk of change doing it.

So that's the plan.

I always said I'd never go back to school because it buys into that whole, "I need more training" thing that women believe, but I think that in this case that it will be a good thing.

I'd love some feedback!