Becoming a corporate man in Los Angeles, California
Something that I set out to do after I got my degree from Arizona State University, was to go to the "BigCity". To me, the United States has only two: New York and Los Angeles. And since I grew up in the snow and cold of Minneapolis, I had absolutely no interest in living in New York, and besides, LA was much closer to Phoenix. So, after I accumulated enough credits to graduate, I moved to California.
My degree was in graphic design, so I assumed that I would end up working for an advertising agency. But it never really mattered to me, I just wanted to work somewhere that I could put my skill in graphic design to work. I had never even heard of an "In-House" graphics department, which is where I ended up, at Blue Cross of California.
I can't even begin to describe how happy I was there. It was a decent salary, with health benefits, and a free health club membership, in a suburb of Los Angeles called Woodland Hills. If you're familiar with the LA area, specifically it was in Warner Center.
The building is still there, sitting on spacious grounds, but the park-like atmosphere is long-gone. Back when I worked there, the building was surrounded by big open lawns, and trees. When I tell people that I worked in Los Angeles, they picture congestion, but I see myself walking around the grounds during my breaks, and after lunch. My girlfriend said that I lived in a triangle, which was true, home, work, gym. Sometimes of course it would become a square.
My apartment was only a couple of miles away from Blue Cross. I never used the freeways, and the commute was so short that I often took what I call "long cuts" just to make it interesting, and be sure that the engine of my car would be thoroughly warmed up. Back then you could drive through the campus of Pierce College, and I enjoyed seeing the cows. Yes, they still have cows, it's an agricultural college.
Becoming a corporate man was a real pleasure for me. I invested in dress shirts and sports coats, and tried not to look too young and stupid. I was there from the time I was 29 until right after my 31st birthday, when my department was laid off. It was called a "RIF", which means "Reduction in Force".
After the job ended I was lost, and on impulse I decided to visit Phoenix, and see some old friends, good for the soul. And during that visit I put a deposit on an apartment and decided to come home to Phoenix. I said goodbye to LA, borrowed a van, got my stuff, and looked for a new job, which I found at Valley National Bank. I became a corporate man again.
I'd like to say that I never look back, but sometimes I still do.
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