Post Japan Life

So, time for a recap of our post-Japan experience, before I get into some retro-blogging to fill in the gaps on the end of our stay in Japan.

Back From Japan

We returned from Japan on July 28^th, 2011, and stayed with my Mom for a couple weeks. The plan was to look for jobs in northern California that would take advantage of my language skills. After a couple weeks of searching, I began to get a bit discouraged at the prospects of finding a job that would pay well enough to be able to afford the cost of living in California.

My mom had been renting out a townhome in Provo to a college student from Estonia or something, but received no contact from the renter when his contract neared its end. Ryan, Stef’s brother, went out to see if anyone was living there, as well as to check on the condition of the place. The renter had left, and luckily, it was still in pretty good condition. My mom needed a renter, and I needed a place to rent.

I had never considered going back to Utah—I really wanted to live in California, and the job market didn’t seem as promising for someone with my unique skillset. When it came down to it, though, my California prospects seemed just as limited, and the cost of living in Utah—rent included—was much lower.

Heck, I could always go back to banking if I had to. I had never really wanted to go back to Wells, but it was a good job for a student, and I made a lot of friends, like Ryan Bunker, Ian Farmer, and Ben Pyper. Ryan and I had a rough start, but ended with a very meaningful friendship, with Ryan even following me out to Asia to teach English in Korea. Ian and I had some of the most memorable times, with enough belly laughs shared to last a lifetime. Ben and I had our gut-busters, too, along with our calls for each other of “Beng” and “Jes” (“ven” and “yes” spoken with thick Mexican accents). I will always cherish the good times with a solid group of guys.

Still, things had been going downhill pretty fast when I left the bank for Japan—the huge crash happened almost immediately after. Conversations with people who worked there after me indicated that it had gotten much worse. The only way I’d ever go back to Wells as a banker, I told myself, was if there were an opening at the branch inside the BYU Bookstore—and those openings were rare. If that were the case, however, I could use that experience as a springboard to get me into the international banking side. In the end, I knew I could go back if I had to—so we took the plunge and moved back out to Utah.

Finding a Job in Utah

The townhome is a cute little place—three levels, with two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, the kitchen and living room on the main floor, and a second living room and additional bedroom downstairs. There’s not much of a yard—just a small, fenced-in slab of concrete in the back. It’s definitely not the largest place in the world, but it was big enough for our family, and certainly bigger than our apartment in Japan.

The ward was great, as well. It was made up in large part by three townhome complexes, mostly occupied by young families with children. Our first week in church, they held a primary program, during which 75 children from the primary and 75 children from the nursery all participated. I’d never seen so many children in one ward—there were something like eight different nurseries. The sheer number of children also produced a low roar of kid-sounds that made it very difficult for some people to pay attention. I hardly noticed it, as I was too busy trying to get my kids to sit still.

The first few weeks, I took on freelance legal translation projects to keep our accounts from drying up, while keeping the feelers out for Japanese-related jobs. I spoke to Tim Reynolds and Ikwo Ibiam about possible jobs, and they gave me a few leads that never quite panned out. Ryan (Alkema) gave me the phone number of a guy who was working as a civilian at the base at Camp Williams, translating Spanish for the Joint Language Training Center at the Department of Defense. That job seemed somewhat interesting, but I knew that the hiring process would take months, and I needed a job NOW (then).

I applied for a Japanese translation gig in Salt Lake, but got a rejection notice. None of the available Japanese-language jobs paid as well as even my old job as a banker, so I began to get discouraged. Then, I got desperate—I swallowed my pride and started applying at banks. I sent one application in to Chase Bank, and another in to Wells Fargo, if only for leverage. I passed the phone interview at Chase, and was contacted regarding an opening in Riverton. I wasn’t too keen on having to commute, but it was better than nothing; I could always transfer once a position opened up closer to home.

Wells Fargo called me and asked if I could attend a group interview on the same day that I was scheduled to have my interview at Chase. My interview at the Riverton branch went exceptionally well—Chase offered me the job on the spot. The only thing left was for me to accept the offer and fill out the HR paperwork. I felt somewhat insulted that Wells Fargo was going to make me attend a group interview like everyone else, even though I had worked there already for nearly 5 years, and had a sterling performance record with them before. Nevertheless, I decided that it couldn’t hurt anything to attend the group interview—I could always leverage one bank’s offer against the other.

Before the interview, I was able to assess the competition, and I felt quite confident that I’d hold my own. I was chatting with Gladys, a banker at the American Fork branch, about how things had gone since I left three years prior. Ken Stout, the man who was set to conduct the interview, asked me which branch I worked for—he assumed by the way I was talking to Gladys that I worked for the bank.

The group interview went swimmingly—I was matched up with a few people that didn’t seem to be exceptionally strong candidates. Also, I had nothing to lose, as I had already received an offer from Chase. I wasn’t actually too interested in going back to Wells Fargo, as I’d probably make more money at Chase. Still—working in American Fork (or Pleasant Grove, or wherever the heck the opening was going to be) would be easier than commuting to Riverton every day. At the end of the interview, I asked Ken which branch was hiring, and he said that this specific interview was for his branch, the BYU branch. He hinted that he’d be contacting me very soon for a second interview.

The second interview came the same day after Chase called me to present their official offer, with only 24 hours to respond. I tried to get an idea from Ken whether they were planning to hire me, but he remained tight-lipped—all he could say was that we could conduct the second interview the following day—after I was already supposed to have made my decision with Chase. The manager at Chase called me after my conversation with Ken, asking if I’d made my decision. This was the BYU branch, and I really didn’t want to accept a job at Chase in Riverton if I had a chance at the BYU job.  A banker with my drive and determination could hit sales goals blindfolded. To make things more enticing, it was no more than a mile or two from our place—there were really no negatives, other than the negative work environment that had supposedly invaded Wells Fargo in the past few years.

Not knowing for sure how things would shake out with Wells, however, I accepted the offer from Chase and started the paperwork process. I called and spoke to Heather, the service manager, and asked her to cancel my interview for the next day. Soon after, I had the feeling that I should call back and see if they’d un-cancel my interview, as it was worth weighing both offers. As much as I hated the idea of backing out of the Chase job, it was clear that I needed to see the Wells Fargo interview through. Heather agreed that it would be worth it for me to go through with the interview, and mentioned that she hadn’t yet told Ken about my cancellation request.

The next morning, I received a FedEx package with my HR paperwork from Chase, and started to fill it out. I got a call from someone in HR who was set to help me fill out the packet, when I encountered a big problem—Chase wanted official English documentation of my Japanese employment, which did not exist. I had no idea at the time exactly how much time it would take to commission such documentation. It certainly wouldn’t get there in the next couple of days, which was when they wanted everything submitted. The lady on the phone snapped at me that I had agreed to provide documentation when I applied for the job, and that it was my responsibility to do so.

Later that day, I went in for my second interview with Ken and Heather. After a surprisingly nerve-wracking interview, I asked Ken when I could expect an answer. He flatly replied, “Look. We’re going to hire you. We have one more interview to conduct, but I know right now that we’re going to offer you the job. The other interview is just a formality.”

We shook hands and I went on my way, a man with two jobs and an increasingly easy decision to make. I called the branch manager at Chase and expressed my apologies, explaining that I had encountered difficulty in providing the documentation they sought, and that I had received another offer closer to home. She took the news well, but it was clear that she was at a bit upset. I wished her luck in finding another candidate and went on my way to celebrate the job offer with Stef.

Wells Fargo, Round Two

After I started with Wells, I had an interview with the JLTC. Even if I was working with Wells full-time, it would be nice to be able to get experience working for the government, as well as the security clearance necessary to get the job. I passed the interview, passed the translation exam, and was told that it would take upwards of 6 months for me to hear back.

Round two with Wells Fargo was much more pleasant than I had anticipated. Ken let us have some freedom, as long as we hit our numbers and filled out all the forms we were supposed to fill out. And hitting my numbers, I was. Other people would complain about having to handle service issues for customers, opting to wait for new accounts to walk through the door. I relished the opportunities, and they led to more than half my sales, and catapulted me up to the top of the sales rankings for the area. Ken was pleased that he was able to get such high performance with zero training. Soon after I got there, however, Ken was swapped with another manager, Jonathan.

Ken, on his way out the door to his new branch, noted that there was a store manager position open at another branch, strongly suggested that I apply for it. Jonathan, however, arrived with a startling announcement: he had already accepted a job with a credit union in St. George. This created two manager vacancies in the area, and increased the likelihood that I’d get a job as manager if I applied. So, I did.

A couple weeks passed. Nothing. No interview. No call. Not even an e-mail. It certainly wasn’t for lack of performance. It definitely wasn’t due to a lack of experience—the guy who ended up getting the job at our branch had even less experience than I did. It was at this time that I started to wonder what it would take to actually make it over to the international banking team at Wells Fargo. I started looking for career tracks within Wells Fargo that I could take to get me where I eventually wanted to be—somewhere in international business.

Not content with a clear path, I started considering paths outside banking, as well. I spoke a family friend who works as a consultant for Adobe in Utah, and tried to figure out what it would take for me to do the same thing. He asked if I had any consulting experience, which I did not. Outside of my interest in Adobe software, I really had no experience that I could show directly correlated with the requirements of the job. So I kept looking.

About a month passed before the District Manager at Wells Fargo, Preston, suggested we talk about my career path. We set up an appointment for a couple weeks later, around Christmas, during which we could get to know each other and discuss my aspirations with the bank.

A week or so before Christmas, I was sitting at my desk at the bank, when I saw Ben Pyper with his family wandering around the bookstore. I served him up a “Beng!”  He volleyed back with a “Jes!”

It was great to see him again. He seemed healthy and happy, and had one kid with another on the way. I asked him what he had been up to, and he told me about his job as a manager at DealerSocket, a company that provides customer relationship management (CRM) software to auto dealerships. I asked him all about his job, which I had previously researched after seeing it on his LinkedIn page while I was in Japan. He explained that it was not an easy job, but that it was very rewarding.

Consultants for DealerSocket start with a grueling travel schedule, flying out to dealerships every week for the first 4-6 months, installing the software and teaching the dealership employees how to effectively manage their customer base. After the initial 4-6 month certification period, the company moves you and your family to a vacant territory not necessarily of your choice. After moving into a territory, one or two weeks per month are spent doing installs from Monday to Friday, while the other weeks are reserved for work inside the territory, including conference calls with and visits to the dealerships in the region that use DealerSocket. While this is hard, the consulting experience is extremely valuable, and the salary is very competitive.

Ben mentioned that they were hiring consultants, and that he could get me an interview if I so wanted. I knew immediately that I would end up working for DealerSocket. I asked Ben to set up an interview for me. A week later, on the morning of my meeting with Preston, I had my phone interview with Chad, Ben’s boss. After a long but pleasant interview, Chad said that it would be worth it to fly me out for another interview. I knew that if I made it that far, the company was pretty much willing to hire me, barring something egregious in the face-to-face interview. I went into Preston’s office with all the confidence in the world, knowing that I had another job lined up if I wasn’t satisfied with the outcome of my meeting with Preston.

Preston was a lot more frank than I had expected. He told me that he requires all his managers to serve as personal bankers and service managers before he’ll even consider them for the position. To make things worse, I hadn’t been in my position in his area for a full year. I would have to complete the remaining nine months in my position, apply for a service manager position, and then keep that post for a year. Then, he would consider me for a store manager position. This was somewhat contradictory, as the guy he hired had not been in his position for a year. Preston mentioned paying dues as a very important aspect of qualifying for management positions. I would argue that I paid my dues in the form of nearly five years as a top performing banker, and that I had the experience of a service manager from the time when I, as a banker without a service manager, handled nearly all compliance and training issues for months.

He asked me about my aspirations and experience, and seemed surprised that I would come back as a personal banker. I told him that I wasn’t actually aspiring to be a store manager—that I would prefer using the experience to get me into the international side of the bank. He countered with something entirely unexpected: rather than looking for a career path at Wells Fargo that would help me fulfill my goals, he said, I should consider something outside of the bank.

Imagine my surprise as my boss’ boss tells me that I, his top performer, should look for jobs outside the company. Preston took a step back and clarified, saying that it wasn’t that he wanted me to leave the bank. The truth, he said, was that such a career could be much more rewarding and lucrative, and would take advantage of my experience. My first reaction was to be a bit offended that he wouldn’t fight to keep me.

Coming out of that meeting, it was crystal clear that my second stint with Wells Fargo was coming to an end. I could stay with the bank for two years and, if everything went well, become a store manager. Perhaps five or six additional years of climbing up the corporate ladder, I could be in a position to make the starting salary of a consultant at DealerSocket. And I’d be 38. When you consider the state of banking and the economy, there were no guarantees that the positions I could aim for would even exist seven years in the future.

I flew out to southern California for an interview with DealerSocket the following week, and received an offer within a few days. I gave my notice at Wells Fargo and thanked them for the opportunity to work there. Had I not gone back there, I likely never would have run into Ben, and I wouldn’t be where I am today. It was time for a new career.

A New Beginning

Stef was equally excited about the prospects of me having an actual career. The main downside to taking the DealerSocket job was that it was a bit of a gamble—we had no idea where we would end up. It could be Oklahoma, Florida, or Connecticut, for all we knew. Not know where you’re going to move with the whole family can be quite gut-wrenching.

Soon after I started, I heard of a possible opening in northern California. Immediately, I let people know that I’d be interested if they were so inclined to put me there. We heard rumors that they were hoping to put me there, but nothing was official until I got the call from the director of consulting. The call did come, and we did get our desired placement in the East Bay territory of northern California. And our parents did rejoice.

Even with an exciting new opportunity, nobody wants to just abandon their work experience and start over. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to. People often asked me what I would do with my experience in banking, teaching, and computers. It turns out that being a consultant is exactly what I have been hoping to do. I enjoy working with people too much to be stuck behind a computer all day, programming. I don’t want to go back to school to get an advanced degree for a teaching position that won’t be guaranteed. And I don’t want to have to pay any more dues with the banks just to get into a position to be qualified to work with them internationally.

As a consultant, my main job is to maintain relationships with customers, which was my primary objective as a banker. I can keep them happy by listening to their issues and providing solutions. I spend half my time training and teaching seminars and conducting meetings. And I can provide knowledge-based service for our software because I understand the system, due to my background in computers and programming and my thirst for understanding how things work.

While I do not get to use my Japanese very often for work, I do have plenty of time on planes and on the road during install weeks to study. Also, all the driving in my territory gives me the chance to listen to Japanese podcasts. There are chances to install in Puerto Rico, and I did help translate the online training modules into Spanish. I see this as a good chance for me gain valuable consulting experience. If DealerSocket decides to expand to other markets, I can put my language skills to work. Even if that doesn’t come to fruition, I can hopefully convert my consulting experience into a consulting position with a company like Toyota or Adobe. Again, there’s always grad school if I decide I just have to become a teacher or want to get an MBA. Either way, I will have a lot of options.

The Pros and Cons of Travel

Travel is simultaneously the best and worst part of the job. Since I started with this company, I have traveled to Chicago, North Dakota, Florida, Michigan, Montana, Indiana, Albuquerque, Buffalo, Colorado, and all over California. As I type, I’m in the air on a plane from Toronto to Saint John, New Brunswick. Traveling has its perks—it’s nice to rack up points and air miles. Stef and I will likely have enough points saved up for a very nice vacation next year. I get to see new places, meet new people, and eat at all sorts of restaurants. So, what are the negatives?

I have to leave my family behind. It’s not as bad as one might expect, as I typically get to spend almost all day Monday with my family, and then I get home Friday evening. So technically, it’s only three days that I don’t see my family, and only twice per month. But even if you can convince yourself that six days a month isn’t so bad, and that Skype makes the world that much smaller, it still sucks to have to say goodbye. Whenever I talk to Kelsey and she asks me when I’m coming home, my inner soundtrack blares, “And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon…” It’s gotten even more difficult to see Kelsey cry when I leave.

I finished my certification by the end of April, and moved to California in the beginning of May. We’re currently staying with parents and trying to buy a home, which will receive more attention in upcoming posts, as will my health issues. It’s been nice onl having to install twice a month instead of every week. Two weeks ago I installed in Stockton, so I got to drive home every night to see my family. It really makes a difference when you can be there for the nightly routine with the wife and kids. Now, we’re praying for the travel portion of the job to lighten up a bit. I can handle one install per month. I’ve got enough stores that they really should make it happen soon.

I feel very grateful for the opportunity to live in California, closer to family. When I think of all the things that had to break my way in order for us to end up where we are, I can’t help but be grateful for the tender mercies.