And Now the Conclusion...

January 8, 2010

I arrived home from a lunch date with several former coworkers to find a message from The Unemployment Office on my voicemail.

It went something like this: “Hi Katherine, this is Jean (not her real name) from the State Unemployment Office. I’m processing your unemployment claim and I just received the paperwork back from your former employer. Their paperwork says that you resigned, so I’m just trying to figure out exactly what happened and I need to talk to you. Please call me as soon as you can.”

I stood there, staring at the phone in disbelief. Part of me really thought that there was no way Prison Media would actually go through with it. Snap, they proved me wrong. Again!

I promptly picked up the phone and dialed the digits. Now, I’m thinking it’s in my best interest to keep the specifics of that conversation under wraps. I will say that Jean was very helpful and quite confused by the paperwork she had received from Prison Media. We had a long conversation, I faxed her some very relevant paperwork and that was the end of that.

I now had to wait for a decision.

On January 13, the decision arrived in the form of a letter. It appeared that a decision had been made very quickly, as I had only spoken to Jean a few days earlier.

The letter said: “It has been determined that you are eligible for benefits.”

YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS!

Have sweeter words ever been typed on a piece of paper?

I prevailed in the war after all. Victory was mine. In the end, every change-up they threw at me was belted out of the park. Every lie they told me was exposed. And every time I thought that I couldn't spend one more minute of my life at that place, I persevered and pulled it off. In fact, I won it all and I became a better person as a result.

Being awarded unemployment was a gigantic victory on all levels, but mostly it was a huge moral victory. I could finally move on and officially put the Prison Media era behind me. Although, something tells me I’ll still be discussing this experience well into this decade. But that’s OK.

I’m a big fan of taking something positive from every experience, no matter how horrible the experience is. With that in mind, and as a conclusion to the India Project, here’s what has been permanently etched into my mind:

• The only person looking out for you is you.
• Just because other people are lying, cheating and classless, doesn’t mean that you have to play the game on their level.
• When all else fails, base your next move on a card game.
• Be a firm believer in what goes around comes around.
• Sometimes the good guys do win.
• When calling any customer service number, if you get someone from India on the line, promptly hang up.
• In some parts of the world, sick dogs matter more than sick people.
• The term "boss" is used very loosely at Prison Media.
• Most times the Husband is right and knows when congratulations are in order.
• An iPod playlist named "Fight Songs" can get you through anything. ANYTHING.

Please keep reading “Kate Off the Clock.” Going forward, I’ll be writing regular, stand-alone posts on my thoughts and experiences in corporate America. Thanks for all of the support; I greatly appreciate it.

In the words of the great 90s alternative band, The Connells, from the song "Find Out," which is, of course, on the Fight Songs playlist:

You gotta pull it off

When we least expect it.

Gotta pull it off...

Then we'll find out

What this is really all about.

Then I'll be the one who says

"I don't believe it."

Then we'll find you

Like you'd always want us to,

Face first in your own favorite way.